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 There’s
nothing quite like the tragedy of watching something you held dear going
off the rails, possibly never to return, or the corresponding joy of
that adored object getting back on track and clicking nicely into
place. These were the lows and highs of watching Alien: Covenant.
As a
lifelong fan of the first two films, I endured films three and four,
dismissing their decreasing quality as they were not directed by the
originator, Ridley Scott. While James Cameron’s second installment was
an excellent blockbuster and one of filmdom’s finest sequels, it was
much more an unabashed action film than the 1979 original’s sci-fi
thriller; with its mythos and creation of a never-before-seen cinematic
nightmare. The movies following Cameron’s felt more in his mould than
Scott’s, while boasting neither’s vision.
While
I usually anticipate sequels with all the enthusiasm of a trip to the
dentist, when 2012’s Prometheus was announced as Ridley Scott’s return
to the Alien lore - and that it would be a prequel - I was here for it.
What I hadn’t counted on was the possibility that after thirty-three
years away from the material, the man responsible for creating a new
kind of horror experience might have forgotten what made that first film
so special. Prometheus was a lead balloon that alternated a flat script
with very un-Alien-like, cheap, shock-horror scares that crammed the
Alien iconography down our throats in a frenetic jumble. It was as if
Scott was trying to match the work of those who came after him, instead
of remembering how he had blazed a trail by creating something different
in pacing, visuals, characterisation and deep, unsettling terror.
Scott’s film (and the hands of artist HR Giger and special effects
legend, Carlo Rambaldi) created one of cinema’s most famous and
unforgettable monsters. Though I really shouldn’t have, after the thud
of Prometheus, I felt let down by the director, who I regard as my
favourite, because I knew he could’ve done better than this unfortunate
prequel. Alien: Covenant was an opportunity to see if my faith in
Ridley Scott had been redeemed.
We
open in the past, observing the naming of David, the efficient synthetic
we met in Prometheus. A conversation between David and his maker, Peter
Weyland, ponders the place of mankind, now that with a being like David,
he has created something better, more “perfect” than himself. As we go
forward in time, it seems a step down for such a flawless entity to be
next seen as a servant to the human homesteaders of the spaceship
Covenant. We meet Walter, a later model AI, who looks quite a bit like
his predecessor. The Covenant, from its crew, to the thousands of
passengers onboard, lie in stasis until such time as they are meant to
land on a far off planet and make it a home. As space isn’t
particularly predictable, a shockwave throws all into chaos as the crew
must awaken from their enforced slumber to deal with the emergency. In
the midst of the confusion, a radio call from an uncharted planet forces
a decision to abandon their original course for the possibility of a
nearer option, and the crew sets down to explore the mystery land.
Incredibly, the new world seems perfectly habitable and perhaps an even
better opportunity than the years-away intended destination. The air is
fresh and vegetation abundant, and the inhabitants seem to have been big
art lovers, because there’s tons of statues of large people everywhere.
One interesting art installation is a semi-circular structure that
looms over the woodland, framed by hundreds of broken trees. As part of
the Covenant staff goes looking into temples of ruins, bedecked with
many of those realistic statues of very big men, their scientists look
around at the flora and fauna of this world so unknown they don’t
realise the dangers of merely breathing in.
A
sudden weakening sickness hits several members of the crew and our
science team makes it back to the landing ship in time to watch one of
their own ripped through the back by something very strange – one might
even say, alien. As the creature grows exponentially by the minute,
it’s joined by a sibling hatching out of another poor crewman in the
field. As the pale, zippy monsters manage quite a bit of damage with
their flying teeth, tails and claws, the remaining Covenant crew runs
for cover inside the temple, where they are met by someone who looks
quite familiar.
The
last of the Prometheus crew, David knows his way around, and after
saving the ambushed explorers, begins his tale of the destruction that
occurred after his people encountered the deadly beasts. To the
survivors of the Covenant, David’s knowledge, experience and – like
their Walter – subservience to humans is a godsend, as all they want to
do is get off the planet and back to the main ship. Clearer-eyed than
his terrified humans, the docile Walter, while fascinated by the
travelled elder, suspects that all may not be what it seems with David,
as David senses the gentler, more caring nature of his descendant might
not necessarily be an upgrade.
Right
off the bat with the beautiful framing and lushness of even a
minimally-decorated white room, the look of Alien: Covenant shows us a
true Ridley Scott production in play. While miles away visually from
Alien 3 or Resurrection, in what seemed like a frantic need to wrap the
film in its mythology, Prometheus kind of looked like HR Giger threw up
all over it. Scott isn’t afraid of looking back this time, and it’s all
to the good as Covenant does not become a pillar of salt. The calmer,
more studied pace from the outset, as the camera lolls down the long
hallways and stations of the Covenant behind Walter’s daily chores
keeping thousands of space pioneers alive, is the director letting the
pictures tell the story, which is such a key element of any Ridley Scott
film.
All of
the participants in this extraterrestrial homestead experiment are young
couples, which is a new dynamic to the series; giving a different
emotional depth to what they endure. There is also the added drama of
the entanglements of family beliefs and the simple passion of love
shaping their decisions and reactions. We see a loss early on that
colours how we view the motivations of the person left behind. Scott
makes sure the inevitable losses are realised people, and not just
cannon – chestburster? - fodder.
In
highlighting the couples, Scott also goes back to burying the lead
character until it’s absolutely necessary to focus. The third in
command, Daniels Branson had no expectation of needing to take charge of
this lengthy, but hopeful journey. As the stakes change, we see that
character bloom in adversity in a way that loudly recalls another strong
lady in space faced with unforeseen circumstances. Katherine
Waterston’s portrayal adds the right amount of heart and softness that
did not exist in Sigourney Weaver’s hard-as-nails, by-the-book 1979
version of Ripley, but Waterston simultaneously lends Daniels an
intelligence and clarity that makes her leadership believable. In a bit
of a sop to the success of James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, unlike Weaver,
Waterston doesn’t have to wait for a second film to be an action star,
as Scott gives her a gravity-defying, heart-pounding set piece all her
own.
The
other creatures worth noting - besides the blokes with the acid blood -
are the two synthetics, David 8 and Walter. Apples from the same tree,
they grew up a little different. There was a scent of expectation
around David in Prometheus, that he was going to be a bit more than a
servile Mr. Roboto, and here Scott carries over that presumption to
colour our view of David from the start. He’s strangely aggressive; he
makes no particular fuss over the collection of alien bits decorating
his home, and he seems to have learned some nasty human habits during
his years crashed on the planet. This David 8 calls back to our
memories of Ash, the “buggy” AI from the ill-fated Nostromo, raising
hackles on the audience’s collective neck every time he’s on.
Playing both David and Walter, Michael Fassbender perfects the smooth,
unctuous older creation, who in his coldness is often more creepily
reptilian and alien than anything popping out of the eggs. His Walter
is a puppy dog; absolutely subservient and showing teeth only to protect
his masters. Walter’s demureness makes us wonder if he ever spent a
moment as David did, pondering the order of the synthetic versus its
lesser human creators. Fassbender gets some great moments out of
playing against himself, including a few silky seconds of perversion
that will keep fan-fiction writers busy for decades.
While
Prometheus was practically an exploitative gore fest compared to the (relative)
restraint of the original movie; showing far too many graphic human
explosions and trying too hard to shock, Covenant also has its share of
pops. However, this time, Scott takes a lesson from his younger
self and lets the audience anticipate the terror and lets it build in
their minds. Cleverly using quick cuts and editing and allowing for
obscuring angles, we don’t get many full, explicit views of the big bads,
even in full combat. They loom more in the mind’s eye, making them even
scarier. However, when he does throw the xenomorphs in our faces, for
the most part, it’s gloriously shriek-worthy. This is the kind of movie
where we used to yell helpful – and completely unheeded - advice to the
victims at screen during the opening night midnight show.
Alien:
Covenant is not perfect, but it makes up for a lot of transgressions.
It is every bit a blockbuster thrill ride, but with the intelligence,
wit and stunning visuals that restore our expectations for Ridley Scott
films.
Appropriately ending with a scream in space that no one can hear, Ridley
Scott is back on track with Alien: Covenant, and all feels right in –
and out of – the world.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
May 17th,
2017
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