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As stated in the previous post, where I covered Prometheus, I re-watched it to prepare for Alien: Covenant. Now I will give my (albeit extremely belated) thoughts on it.
Along with Prometheus, go into Alien: Covenant knowing the overall consensus is quite polarizing. Starting with the plot summary, there will be very mild spoilers.
The story of Alien: Covenant takes place 10 years after the events of Prometheus. During a voyage to a remote planet in the hopes of colonizing it, disaster strikes the crew of the Covenant. Following that, they discover another planet close by and instead head there. Of course, things are not what they seem.
My thoughts?
What Worked: Some of what worked about Prometheus applies here as well. The production design and cinematography are great, especially the latter. The effects are really good, particularly the new Alien type introduced: the Neomorph, which stands out because of its introduction alone. The Xenomorph, the signature creature of the franchise, also shows up near the third act.
A surprising approach to the crew's dynamic is that they are made up entirely of couples. Despite knowing that a majority of them are going to die, you still feel a sense of dread for them. There are three standout performances: Katherine Waterston as Daniels, Danny McBride as Tennessee, and Michael Fassbender as Walter. With Daniels, comparisons to Ellen Ripley are understandable, but as a character on her own, she's still interesting. Danny McBride, usually known for comedies, is actually great in a serious role like Tennessee. Michael Fassbender is excellent as Walter, but his performance doesn't stop there.
Some references to Prometheus are present here. There are two particular ones that do not go into heavy spoiler territory. The first is that the theme to Prometheus comes up at least once. The second is that some of the events are addressed as well, and thus some questions are answered here.
An improvement is where the tension starts. In Prometheus, it starts as soon as the ship lands on the planet. Here, it starts even before the other planet is discovered. It begins in the first ten minutes with the disaster sequence, and how it plays out is something surprising.
What Didn't Work: The direction and score, while good, don't stand out as much as they did in Prometheus. This unfortunately means that the sense of scale conveyed through basically all of that movie's technical aspects is pretty much absent here aside from the cinematography. There is an issue with the tension as well. While its start in the first ten minutes was effective, it resulted in not getting to know a certain character.
As for the biggest issue, this is yet another movie where characters make stupid decisions. However, at first, their possible consequences are actually addressed beforehand, like when they decide to head to the other planet. The outcomes are also predictable.
While not an issue for me, the ending is one of the things that make this movie so polarizing. Some may not see it coming, others may. It depends on perspective.
Overall: While Alien: Covenant is another solid entry in the franchise, like Prometheus, it has its fair share of problems. It feels like a reaction to Prometheus, where the filmmakers knew what the audience wanted and decided to provide it here. However, it also feels sadly ironic that this ended up being polarizing as well. Regardless of your thoughts on Prometheus, give this a chance, as they somewhat go hand-in-hand with each other.