Alien: Covenant
By Jeffrey M. Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Blood, gore, moody visuals, and a strong female character.
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Alien: Covenant
Community Reviews
Based on 22 parent reviews
Gory alien film
WE WANT RIPLEY BACK!!!
What's the Story?
The story of ALIEN: COVENANT picks up after the events of 2012's Prometheus: A crew of 15 travels with hundreds of hibernating colonists, seeking to build a new life on a remote world. Then a sudden shockwave damages the ship, and android Walter (Michael Fassbender) prematurely wakes the crew (Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, etc.) from cryosleep. They discover a nearby planet with habitable conditions and decide to check it out. On the surface, one crew member steps in the wrong place and releases weird spores; before long, he's sick, and an alien pops out of his chest cavity. Other crew members die in quick succession, until they're suddenly rescued by David (Fassbender again), the android from Prometheus, who's been stranded on this planet for years. David knows all about the murderous creatures, but can they be stopped?
Is It Any Good?
While the story offers little new -- it seems patched together from Alien, Prometheus, and even Blade Runner -- director Ridley Scott's moody, thoughtful style makes this sequel worth seeing. Alien: Covenant, which is -- counting the two Alien vs. Predator movies -- the eighth in the Alien franchise, starts quite similarly to the original 1979 film. It has an unexpected wake-up call, an investigation, and the discovery of the horrid monster.
But even as Covenant moves into territory already covered by Scott's other sci-fi movies, it proves that Scott knows what he's doing. He creates powerful, striking imagery right out of myth, from a doomed necropolis filled with blackened, statue-like bodies to David's years-old laboratory cave, filled with creepy specimens and papers flapping quietly in the chilling draft. And the slightly faster, noisier way that Scott handles the alien attacks -- they're not as spooky as they were in the original -- is easily forgiven after scenes between David and Walter arguing over the meaning of existence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Alien: Covenant's violence. Did any of it feel unnecessary or over the top to you, or is it appropriate for the genre or story? How did it affect you? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Is Daniels a role model? Why, or why not? Does she represent any valuable character strengths? How does she compare to the other female characters of the Alien franchise?
What's the appeal of the Alien movies? How does this one compare to others in the series?
If you arrived on a new planet, how would you interact with the local inhabitants and animal/plant species?
Movie Details
- In theaters: May 19, 2017
- On DVD or streaming: August 15, 2017
- Cast: Katherine Waterston , Michael Fassbender , Billy Crudup
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Space and Aliens
- Run time: 123 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity
- Last updated: May 29, 2023
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