When last we saw David, Michael Fassbender’s mad scientist android from Prometheus, he was a decapitated head in a bag, carried onto an alien spaceship by a woman he’d just helped impregnate with a squid monster. As Prometheus ended, this odd couple set off into space, seeking the grunting, black-eyed muscle gods responsible for seeding the galaxy with life.
As Alien: Covenant begins, its titular ship is under repair. After completing a fix, Tennessee (Danny McBride) picks up a stray communication, and the crew follows the signal to a pristine planet—at which point the film becomes four old Alien movies happening at once. David shows up. (Surprise!) Bodies explode. (Surprise?) And, after 20 years, everyone’s favorite fanged penis-monster triumphantly returns. (There is a surprise here, though opinions will vary regarding its quality.) The result is a film that’s much less ambitious than Prometheus, but also significantly less pretentious and stupid. Covenant aims lower, but hits more frequently.
