Alien: Covenant - Review

Before this movie came out, I watched the first Alien and Aliens in preparation. I skipped the other films because I heard that they are both not very impressive and that I could skip them. I didn't know where this film landed in the timeline before jumping in, and that was a mistake. For the first third of the movie, it feels exactly like the first Alien film. Only with more characters, better effects and not as slow and boring. I was totally invested and I was thinking to myself, "Man, this movie is fantastic! Maybe a 5-star rating is in order." However, it suddenly goes on this huge turn and becomes a sequel to Prometheus. Since I have not seen Prometheus, it was fairly hard to follow along. Also, this whole section of the film is hard to talk about because it is one giant spoiler. It's almost impossible to talk about the middle section of this film without giving anything away. So let's just say that it was interesting even though some parts were a bit confusing and slow. This is where the tone changed from being a horror-like film in space to a philosophical thinking piece. What is up with me watching all these movies recently where I have to think about the meaning of life and humanity's purpose? Next, I just have to watch the Terminator and The Matrix and I'll have more sci-fi thinking to do then I've ever needed in my life. So, how come this movie gets a high rating if the middle section is fairly slow and confusing? Simply put, the third act is so well done! Absolutely incredible filmmaking. Without giving too much away, a ship is trying to rescue some surviving crew members and evacuate the planet while an Alien is trying to kill them. This was one of the most intense, if not the most intense movie scene I've seen all year long. I mean, wow! Plus, more action, more scares, more violence and even some clever plot twists. I actually saw this one coming and I was so proud of myself because I normally don't spot plot twists from 30 minutes ahead. I'm not saying it's an obvious one, but it's a good twist for sure. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. However, I believe seeing Prometheus would have helped the audience's knowledge about this movie. I haven't seen it so I can't confirm that, but for the actual "Alien" stuff, it's so wonderful. If the whole movie was a horror/science fiction movie full of intensity, I would have given this film a perfect score. However, we had to get really philosophical which is interesting, but in my eyes, unnecessary.