Alien Covenant answers a lot of questions

Movie Title:  
Alien: Covenant

Grade:  B

Rating:  R, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This is a sequel to the movie Prometheus, and a prequel to the original blockbuster movie Alien.  

Directed by the brilliant Ridley Scott, this new addition to the Alien franchise will leave fans entertained and satisfied.   

It’s not just a fun Sci-Fi thriller, but has a lot of very deep and symbolic insights.

Uplifting theme: 

• Love vs. duty
• Creation, humanity
• “The only question that matters: where do we come from?” –  Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce)   Why wasn’t he credited in the film?
• “I think if we are kind, it will be a kind world.” - David

Things I liked:

• The spaceship is called the “Covenant.”  Look for other symbolism associated with the word covenant and its deeper meaning.
• The first thing you see is Michael Fassbender’s artificial blue, dreamy eye.  He does a fantastic job as two characters.  It’s helpful that he speaks in a British accent when he is David and an American accent when he’s Walter, so that you can tell who is who.  The androids’ names (David & Walter) are a tribute to producers David Giler and Walter Hill.  SPOILER:  He fights and even kisses himself.  Ha ha  Michael Fassbender was able to take time off of filming in Australia in order to attend the premiere for X-Men: Apocalypse.
• Beautiful images.  There is a lot of CGI, but an impressive amount of shots are taken in camera.
• David plays Das Rheingold: Entry of the Gods Into Valhalla on the piano, which is a perfect choice to illustrate the theme of creation.
• I thought the “energy sails” were super cool looking on the space ship.
• Katherine Waterston does a great job as Daniels.  Her short hair is perfect in this role, but I wish she had longer hair in her role in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
• You get to see a lot of aliens/xenomorphs.
• SPOILER: If you’re hoping for the classic scene of an Alien coming out of someone’s chest, you won’t be disappointed.  Added bonus: one comes out of someone’s back side.
• The aliens aren’t the only monsters in the movie.
• Some questions that were left dangling in the movie Prometheus, get answered in this movie.
• Creepy ending.
• Look for Easter eggs from the previous films.  For example, there is a small toy bird in this and the original Alien   Some of the lines are the same, like “I got you, you son of a B…”  The music that David plays on the flute is the same score that’s played in Prometheus.
• I love little details.  For example, the date of the mission, shown at the beginning of the film, is December 5, which is the birthday of Walt Disney.  One of the android’s names is Walter.
• The movie was originally going to be called “Paradise Lost”, referring to John Milton’s poem where Lucifer claims it is “better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
• The movie poster has an almost old, religious gargoyle feel to it, which is appropriate considering the religious themes of covenant and creation throughout the entire movie.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some choppy editing.
• There are many times when you wonder, “What the heck is going on?” because there is some bouncing back and forth in time.
• The tone shifts and seems inconsistent.
• If you haven’t seen Alien or Prometheus, you might be a bit confused at times.
• Why would such an important mission send so many young girls who scream and fall apart so easily?  Oh yeah, they’re good-looking.
• There are a lot of non-nonsensical choices made by characters that make you cringe.

Funny lines:

• “I don’t kid about John Denver.” – Tennessee (Danny McBride)

Interesting lines:

• “What do you believe in, David?” – Oram (Billy Crudup)

“Creation.” – David

• “If you created me, who created you?” – David
• “I will serve you.  You are human; I am not.  You will die; I will not.” – David
• “Seven bells and all is well.” – Mother (computer)

Tips for parents: 

• This is definitely a rated R reason for all of the appropriate reasons: nudity, violence, horror.
• Most of the aliens are really scary looking.
• There are two people in a shower naked.  You see the woman’s bare chest.
• Katherine Waterston doesn’t wear a bra.
• Lots of profanity and F-bombs.
• You see a burned body up close and lots of other dead bodies in various stages of decomposition.
• Bloody, violent, gory deaths.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice