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Writer's pictureBenjamin Maio Mackay

Alien: Covenant - 3 Stars

At least it’s not Prometheus!

The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.

The tonality and use of the original Alien theme music quickly cement in my mind that this isn’t going to be nearly as bad as the previous Alien prequel. In fact it’s riveting from the get go, there wasn’t a point where I felt bored. That doesn’t make it good. What I really question is the necessity of the film. Do you we need to know where the specific breeds of Alien came from? Of course the explanation is exciting and surprising - but as a notion isn’t necessary. What we need is Alien 5 (resolve Weaver’s arc!)

The graphics were mixed - planets/space etc were phenomenal, the Aliens looked better as practical effects in the 80s. This is probably the best Alien film since the original, though its purely here to fix the bad taste left by Prometheus. Katherine Waterston proves yet again she’s a phenomenal lead. She almost trumps Michael Fassbender’s performance in dual roles. Fassbender offers perhaps a career defining performance as two entirely different androids - the scenes against himself are masterful. James Franco offers a strong performance too. The rest of the cast are good, this is definitely a more memorable and consistently good ensemble cast than in some of the earlier films.

Overall a better Alien prequel, but I still wonder why we need it.

3 Stars

Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay

Screening courtesy of 20th Century Fox

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