Alien Covenant (2017): The dark side of creation
2017 • Ridley Scott • 2.39:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien: Covenant continues the prequel storyline begun in Prometheus. The film follows a colony ship en route to a distant planet, which changes course after detecting a seemingly habitable world. The crew encounters an abandoned alien structure and an artificial being who has been living in isolation. This leads to a chain of events that escalates into a survival scenario.
The film alternates between exploration sequences and situations where the crew must contain the threat, emphasising the contrast between sterile technological interiors and decayed extraterrestrial architecture. The initial investigation of the alien environment transitions into confined, high-stakes encounters within corridors, laboratories, and the ship’s interior. The creature’s emergence follows a familiar life-cycle progression, but it is integrated into set pieces that draw attention to proximity, unpredictability, and confinement.
Alien: Covenant occupies the space between horror and philosophical science fiction, as embodied by the dual presence of androids portrayed by Michael Fassbender. The film uses this concept to explore the implications of artificial life, the limits of human ambition, and the nature of creation.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: On a colonisation mission to a distant planet, the crew of the Covenant discovers an apparently uninhabited world. However, they soon encounter a deadly synthetic and the terrifying legacy of the Xenomorph. Read my review of Alien Covenant.
- Actors: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, Demian Bichir, Callie Hernandez.
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Year: 2017
- Cinematographer: Dariusz Wolski
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Genre: Sci-Fi / Horror
