Narratively, Alien: Covenant answers a lot of important questions: What were the origins of the Xenomorphs? Who created them? Why were they created? These are all resolved and dealt with in a fairly satisfying way. However, it’s the Prometheus fan in me who felt a little jilted — are you seriously going to wrap up Elizabeth’s Shaw’s story arc in such a rushed, sloppy way? I guess so…
The cynic in me sees Alien: Covenant as something not unlike a Frankenstein’s monster, a fleshy beast that has been cobbled together using iconic scenes from past glories. It wants — so hard — to satisfy everybody, that it inescapably, truly and wholeheartedly satisfies very, very few.
The analogy doesn’t stop there, either. Mary Shelley’s 1818 iconic monster novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is not only referenced in Scott’s prequel title, but it thematically and structurally permeates much of Alien: Covenant’s narrative. Ostensibly, hidden within the third act of the movie is a gothic, “mad scientist” twist that undeniably riffs on the pervading themes of Shelley’s influential source material. I had no real issue with this twist — personally, I found it to be one of the more satisfying aspects of the movie. Nonetheless, fans seemed lukewarm on the idea that their favourite cinematic monsters were created by an android. Maybe a part of the Xenomorph’s allure was in their mystery, their shadow-like clandestine unknown.
One thing’s for sure: Alien: Covenant can add a new fascinating psycho-villain to its roster, which at last deviated from the evil corporation of Weyland-Yutani. Let’s face it, that thread was wearing way too thin, anyway — there’s only so many times the Alien franchise can go back to the well with that tired plot device.
So, Scott’s tried to please everyone and taken concepts from past films within the Alien franchise and welded them into the core of Alien: Covenant. Death of a key character early on? Check. Air-lock scene with a marauding alien? Yep. A crew calmly locking doors to “filter” the Xenomorph through the ship? For sure. However, it’s hard to tell whether these shared motifs are from a dearth of ideas, or from an attempt to knowingly homage them (I think it’s the latter, personally).
Furthermore, I wonder if the Alien franchise has simply devolved into the calculable pattern of a James Bond movie, a stringent template in which the myriad variations on a common theme are a key to its enjoyment (God, I hope not). No, instead I believe that Alien: Covenant is more akin to J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens — a talented visual world-builder, crafting a well-trodden piece of fan service. Unlike Abrams’ and Disney’s colossal blockbuster however, Scott’s flick has somewhat backfired. The English film director’s taken a blueprint that’s been carved out previously (mostly by himself — no less) and has made enough amendments to the narrative details to make the movie feel like a “new” beast. For some, anyway.
