Re: Alien: Covenant
Well, this is definitely the third best movie in the Alien series, which is kind of a mixed compliment considering how good the first two were and how disappointing everything else has been. But, the intention of saying that is meant with positive intentions as it also manages to improve and even create some appreciation to it's predecessor, Prometheus.
I didn't find this very scary, but it does have it's share of gore - the new creatures they introduce to the species line are definitely the bloodiest and gruesome to witness birthing from their hosts. But the film itself is a bit more philosophically minded - primarily about Darwinism, evolution and the event of a species over taking another on the evolutionary ladder or food chain and it's impact.
Casting is strong - Michael Fassbender has a double role - reprising his role of David - the purist minded android and his later model Walter, who looks identical and implies that androids are standard, mass produced goods, and are easily recognizable, making the twist in the first Alien movie make even more sense. Katherine Waterston makes for a believable substitute Ripley archetype, more in line with how Sigourney Weaver played her character in Aliens. Billy Crudup is also similarly interesting character who is in way over his head and uncomfortable having command thrust upon him after a fatal accident. But, as I had hoped, Danny McBride makes for a compelling pilot named Tennessee, giving the character an memorable place in the characters that inhabit the Alien universe. There's even some quick cameos of characters from Prometheus (Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce) who make their fleeting moments help "fix" some of the problems explaining the motivations of the character of David and give some closure to the ending of Prometheus. Alien: Covenant also has the bonus of having one the best endings in the entire series, even if you might see it coming from a ways off.
There are some flaws - particularly how some of the action sequences are a bit too quick to follow exactly what is going on - but maybe part of the point - to make them seem a confusing, difficult to keep up with unfolding of events to keep the suspense up and the stakes seem high. Still, when you think how masterfully someone like Cameron could stage action set pieces and allow the audience to know exactly everything that was going on, it's a bit disappointing to see Scott resort to some flash editing.
Really enjoyed this, but I do admit that I am a big fan of the series. So, others not quite as enthusiastic about the series might find this a bit more average.