A movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

ALIEN: COVENANT delivers the goods, but darkly. We get more of what we’ve grown to expect from past Alien films while the spin here is more philosophical with some juicy plot twists thrown in for good measure.

Action sequences are exemplary. Special effects are superb. We also have a satisfying intermingling of characters and storyline with Prometheus. A number of mysteries are resolved, not always positively.

Michael Fassbender is onscreen almost constantly. We watch as a competent crew (married couples) deals with adversity as technology fails and alien life forms attack. Another nice touch is the movie’s music which reflects, sometimes quite cleverly, the heritage of Alien films.

Sometimes the movie matches and at time exceeds in size and scale what we saw in Prometheus. But we never lose sight of the characters. Some of my favorite sequences take place outdoors as the crew explores the giant animal-free forests of the new planet they visit in response to a faint beacon heard following the damage to their ship.

There are some plot holes but  I'm trying to be spoiler free and won't go into them. For the most part the story and plotting are quite tight, including incorporation of original Geiger design elements into onscreen action.

I’m looking forward to the next Alien movie!

Review copyright © 2017 by Dennis D. McDonald.