Alien: Covenant Review (2017)

Though it may not appear to be the case, Ridley Scott’s “Alien: Covenant” could very easily be called “Prometheus 2.” So if you haven’t seen the first one (also directed by Scott) or haven’t seen it in a while, it’s best to give it a look before going into this new film. “Prometheus” was an ambitious, if also clunky, Sci fi blockbuster (a prequel of sorts to both “Alien” and “Aliens”) that explored the potential origins of mankind as well as the turbulent relationship between gods and their creation; what if you came face to face with your creator and they wanted to destroy you because they were ashamed of you?

“Alien: Covenant” traverses similar territory, expanding on the mythology introduced in “Prometheus” and further developing that film’s most interesting character, a mysterious android named David (Michael Fassbender) in a satisfyingly pessimistic way. At the same time “Alien: Covenant” is an “Alien” film, meaning the iconic Xenomorphs are back to cause mayhem in cramped spaces and kill foolish humans. As an “Alien” film, “Covenant” is perfectly solid— yielding a handful of bloody, visceral kill sequences but it can also feel stale and repetitive, especially when juxtaposed with the more compelling “Prometheus” material.

The picture gets off to a slow and redundant start. We meet yet another crew of space explorers led by Oram (Billy Crudup) and Daniels (Katharine Waterson, who gives a sturdy performance even if her character isn’t given much to do beyond moving the plot forward). The crew is prematurely awakened from their hypersleep and they decide to answer a distress call from an unknown planet. Things pick up a bit when Oram, Daniels and a few others touch down on the alien planet, which is covered in temperate forest and mountains. Then, just like “Alien” and “Prometheus,” the crew is terrorized by the alien virus in both proto and Xenomorphic forms. This leads to a pulse pounding, superbly crafted action sequence, set on an alien marsh and within the confines of the crew’s transportation vessel, that’s giddily ultraviolent.

However, it isn’t until the crew, now stranded on the planet, encounters David that “Alien: Covenant” really finds its stride. The film pivots into a tense, twisted and philosophical mad scientist narrative that has much more on its mind than simply rehashing familiar “Alien” thrills. If “Prometheus” asked: what if your creator wanted to destroy you, “Alien: Covenant” asks the inverse: what if your creation wanted to kill you? Charming yet devious, passive yet dangerous, compliant yet reckless and unpredictable, David was the MVP of “Prometheus” and he’s the MVP here as well. Fassbender gives a brilliant, multifaceted performance. “Alien: Covenant” is at its best when the focus is on David and his sinister ambitions rather than the Xenomorphs. The smooth talking, handsome megalomaniac android proves to be more terrifying than the aliens ever could be.

Unfortunately, “Alien: Covenant” wants to be an “Alien” movie too, which has a tendency to undermine the David/”Prometheus” material, particularly towards the end. The climactic Xenomorph fight (that’s reminiscent of both “Alien” and “Aliens”) feels underwhelming—tacked on to appease the disappointed audience members who went into “Prometheus” expecting more of an “Alien” film. In fact, pretty much all of the crews encounters with the Xenomorphs themselves are simply bland. After six or so movies the menace of those drooling, snarling jaws has waned. Ultimately, the film’s insistence on adhering to the classic “Alien” formula/structure and Xenomorph fatigue hold “Alien: Covenant” back somewhat.

And yet I would gladly watch a third “Prometheus” film in a heartbeat, just as long as Scott and co. move away from the “Alien” blueprint and make it more David-centric. He’s the X factor in this new series. Sorry Xenomorphs, there’s a new monster in town.

B 

Life Review (2017)

I’ll give Daniel Espinosa’s new alien thriller “Life” credit for this: it gets off to a slick and thrilling start.

After a few awe-inspiring establishing shots of space and earth, we’re gently guided into the interior of the International Space Station, where we’ll be for the rest of the picture. Through a gracefully choreographed single take shot/scene, the camera glides carefully down the dark corridors, familiarizing us with the all the various nooks and corners of the station. Then we’re taken to the main area and introduced to the crew, who are in the midst of an exciting retrieval mission. An organism has been discovered on Mars and it’s being sent to the station for examination. The crew consists of David Jordan, (Jake Gyllenhaal) Miranda North, (Rebecca Ferguson) Roy Adams,  (Ryan Reynolds) Kat, (Olga Dihovichnaya) Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) and Sho Kendo (Hiroyuki Sanada).

Following that single take introduction, we learn a little more about each of the crewmembers, some brief background on the mission and the extraterrestrial organism itself, (a fast growing thing that looks like a cross between a jellyfish and the H. P. Lovecraft created Leviathan Clthulu) and the characters get to trade some light banter with one another. But before long the crew pisses off the mysterious creature who then proceeds to wreak havoc. All of that happens within the span of ten or fifteen minutes; the set up is concise, fast paced and engaging, only giving us the bare necessities in terms of exposition.

Unfortunately after that breathless introduction things begin to slowly unravel. When the creature escapes captivity, “Life” turns into a straightforward Sci fi horror/survivalist film -- a second rate pulpy genre piece that combines the fluid, panic inducing visual style of “Gravity” with the gory thrills and “and-then-there-were-fewer” structure of “Alien” without reaching the quality of either of those films.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this simplistic approach, in fact often times with horror the simpler things are the better but “Life” gets to be so clunky and muddled in execution. Jon Ekstrand’s symphonic score is blaring and overwrought, calling more attention to itself than aiding the film’s tension and terror. “Life” constantly suffers from “characters-narrate-obvious-plot-developments-and-events” syndrome and Espinosa quickly loses track of the space station’s geography. Often times it feels like the creature can travel at light speed or literally pass through walls as he slithers from one end of the station to another to conveniently surprise an unsuspecting crewmember. And the action culminates in a big, chaotic and choppily edited climax (gone is the fluid coherence of that opening shot) involving a lot of numbing ship destruction and hastily recited technical mumbo jumbo that causes one’s mind to wander and eyes to glaze over. “Life” sacrifices claustrophobic terror for explosions, floating debris and spectacle.

The characters themselves are, for the most part, brooding and one note. Reynolds’ is the only one who has any sort of personality and that’s just because he resorts to his usual snarky comedic persona. Ferguson, who stole Tom Cruise’s thunder in the most recent “Mission: Impossible,” is wasted and I can’t remember the last time Gyllenhaal was such a nonentity, devoid of any charisma or raw intensity. He looks like he’s half asleep.

Worse than that, “Life” drowns itself in unintentional cheese. Truly awful introspective moments and ham fisted “calm-before-the-storm” back and forths (in a shabby attempt to add dimension to the characters and shove the film from point A to point B) cause the action to come to a screeching halt. Jordan remembers his experience watching The Challenger shuttle explode, with his overall point being: “It’s really hard to watch people die.” Wow…that’s true! At another scene, North randomly remembers her father and how he was the one who got her interested in space and that she misses him. And best of all, Jordan reads the children’s book “Good Night Moon” out loud during a tense, somber moment of uncertainty. You know, as you do. It’s a scene that’s played so sincerely but I couldn’t stop laughing. Ultimately these silly, unaware moments undercut the film’s terror and suspense.

Still, there are some simple, visceral pleasures to be found in “Life.” Whenever the creature scurries around on screen or latches onto someone you can’t help but perk up and giggle maniacally. Ultimately, “Life” may a silly, forgettable “Alien” rip off but it’s never a flat out terrible viewing experience. Unintentional cheese is still delicious and with a brisk pace and hour and forty three minute run time the film never overstays its welcome. Put that ringing endorsement on the DVD case, I guess.

C+