Alien: Covenant

Some spoilers about the identity of a main character...I don't really hold back in the review, so consider this prior warning...

Alien: Covenant comes with a lot of baggage. Almost too much baggage. First of all, this is the first titled Alien film since the slightly limp Alien: Resurrection. The series has commanded some of the best modern filmmakers, including James Cameron, David Fincher (with the very messy but underrated Alien 3) and Ridley Scott, who had returned to direct Covenant. However, the series has became something of a joke after Resurrection, leading to its nadir ... *shudder* Alien vs. Predator and its sequel. Secondly, there's Ridley Scott himself. While I would describe him as master filmmaker, I do find him slightly frustrating. All of his films are visually brilliant but he often picks scripts that are .. below him. He's capable of making brilliant films with the right story - Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, the underrated Kingdom of Heaven (the director's cut, mind) and, of course, the original Alien. But a quick scan of his filmography reveals disappointments and forgotten films, especially in the last 10 years or so. Which nicely leads into my third piece of baggage - Prometheus. Starting life as an Alien prequel, during pre-production the film morphed into a not-Alien horror film but ended up combing the two scripts together to become something akin to the weird alien-human hybrid at the end of Alien: Resurrection - a clever concept that wasn't executed well, with too many elements thrown in and was ultimately malformed and mis-judged. The film was pretty divisive to say the least. So can Alien: Covenant hope to redeem decades of disappointment for one of cinema's classiest horror/sci-fi series?

Everybody's favourite alien is back

One of the things I loved about the first four Alien films is how distinct they were from each other. The original Alien is a haunted mansion film set in space. Aliens is a balls-to-the-wall action film. Alien 3 is a psychological drama dealing with after effects of trauma. Even Resurrection attempted something different with a borderline black comedy (even if it's not so apparent in the finished product). And honestly, Alien: Covenant shines and suffers because of how gonzo the whole premise is. It feels like an extension of all the existential mysteries Scott explored in Prometheus with a Greatest Hits of the Alien franchise, yet struggles to fins its own identity. Quite what the goal is remains illusive and the question remains whether Alien is the right franchise for Scott to explore these concepts. It feels like picking up on unfinished business for the director left behind after Prometheus, while also attempting to satisfy the rabid Alien fan-base. 

Alien: Covenant follows the space adventure of a group of colonists headed towards a new planet, who are awoken too early by the after effects of a solar explosion. A mysterious beacon beckons the crew off the beat-and-track to an Earth-like planet that houses a much greater secret. For we soon learn that this planet was inhabited by the mysterious Space Jockey alien race, who may or may not have created humanity (as explored in Prometheus), but have now disappeared leaving behind only their blackened corpses. The planet also contains a recognisable robot, David, from Prometheus and a certain nasty creature that has haunted the nightmares of sci-fi fans for decades. For Alien: Covenant reveals the true origin of the infamous and iconic xenomorph. This makes for an unpleasant brew for the crew of the Covenant.

Katherine Waterston gives a solid, if underdeveloped, performance as the Ripley-esque Daniels

Alien: Covenant marks a true return to the body horror antics of the original Alien. A mystery beckons a group of space farers but they soon discover that space exploration is a potentially scary and unknowable experience. Scott clearly relishes in the return to the H.R. Giger design work, as the film's style oozes tension and atmosphere. The set, costume and creature designs are uniformly excellent. The level of detail that has gone into tracking the life-span and evolution of the xenomorph still manages to cause chills down the spine. There's finally some levity and dramatic weight to the more existential material, even if this comes in the form of conversations between artificial intelligence, which was sorely lacking in Prometheus. Easily the highlight of the film is Michael Fassbender as Walter and David, the former serving as the resident android on the Covenant and the latter holding out on his own on this hospitable planet being the only survivor from the Prometheus. It's a fascinating set of performances and you are never aware of the special effects involved in bringing these scenes to life - you're just seeing two robots of the same make debating with each other.  

Michael Fassbender is back in dual roles as returning android David and the latest model, Walter

So much guilt free xenomorph food

My biggest surprise with the film is how much is followed up from Prometheus. It's not quite the soft reboot you expect it to be. The plot itself is a bit of a mess and the major motivations of the key characters fall to pieces on closer examination. Again, like the human-alien hybrid of Alien: Resurrection, the film ultimately feels like a hodge podge of different ideas. In one scene, it's a dry, heavy sci-fi film about man's place in the universe which picks up on Prometheus' unfinished plot threads. The next scene might be very gory and tension filled. Then it tries to evoke the past glories of the original Alien and its more action-packed sequel Aliens. However, the greatest strength of those films is how emotionally attached you become to the crew. The crew of the Covenant is too large to form any kind of personal attachment to with only Katherine Waterston as Daniels standing out. She's not quite the Ripley type you want her to be and I wish the film could have spent more time with her as overall it is a good performance, perfectly capturing the emotionally draining experiences surrounding her. The rest of the crew feel like disposable bodies. Or are so stupid they should have science badges destroyed - looking at you Captain Billy Crudup. Though, to the film's credit, they're not quite as dumb as the crew of Prometheus. 

The xenonmorph is still the star of the show. Anytime it, or its multitude of previous evolutions, appears on screen is a treat. This is still one of the best alien designs in cinema and the tasteful use of CGI to create the creature this time gives a believable amount of weight and flexibility that could only be pushed so far by a guy in a rubber suit. The film sacrifices a lot of tension to have these guys appear on screen and, to be honest, I'm OK with seeing the xenonmorph in full bloody rampage in a modern film, even if it's not as artfully done as in the original film. My issue is how convoluted the backstory of these creatures has become. On a thematic level, it is interesting and draws upon religious subtext. However, it robs the creatures of that mysterious menace and psychoanalytic readings from the first film. The Nostromo crew happen to land on the wrong planet and encounter the wrong kind of extraterrestrial life, that first preys on the males of the group before aiming for the women (read into that what you will). It's a reminder that exploration can be a great and exciting prospect but also has the potential for the unexpected and terrifying. Alien is scary because ... well, in space no one can hear you scream. 

Ridley Scott's art design and composition of shots continue to be exemplary

Honestly, comparisons to Prometheus aside, the whole film is still a mess. It's a bit unfocused and suffers from some major script and narrative problems. However, that said, it does grapple with genuinely interesting topics on creation and humanity's place in the universe, dealing with it on an almost Biblical/Paradise Lost level. Michael Fassbender turns in a great performance as both David and Walter, with Waterston shining as a potential future Ripley-type. Not all the elements are given time to manifest themselves (the crew, for example, is fairly vanilla) but this is a more satisfying effort than Prometheus. Visually the film is excellent and the xenomorphs themselves have never looked better. Unfortunately, it is mostly stuff we have seen before even if Scott wraps it up in an interesting, even if its not always appropriate, package. It's a quality product, and is certainly headier and weirder than other films out at the moment, so it just about gets a pass from me. But can I just say ... do we have to continue with brilliant scientists being the dumbest characters in this franchise?

Rating: 6/10

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season One

Daniel Handler's (also known by his more famous pen name, Lemony Snicket) A Series of Unfortunate Events has had a rocky road in terms of on-screen adaptations. The 2004 big-screen translation amounts to a Jim Carrey vehicle that tried to align Handler's 13-part series more with Harry Potter. The films boasts some great visuals and a highly energetic Carrey performance but contains little of the cutting wit and satire so prescient in the novels and instead tries to aim for a more broad-family appeal. The film did middling at the box-office but just enough for rumours of a sequel to rumble on for a good few years (including the idea of a stop-motion animated follow up). However, it seemed that the novels were unlikely to see an on-screen version that would truly capture the dry, dark and sly satirical world of Handler's novels and its strange and often warped characters. Therefore, I for one celebrate the arrival of Netflix's take on these novels, with the first season adapting the first four books (The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill). Handler is the executive producer and writer, meaning that, finally, this series may well get the justice they deserve. I came to this first season with very high hopes - the books share the same nostalgia and affection as the Harry Potter series, coming in second only after the boy wizard as my favourite books to read growing up.

The books are very nostalgic for me. Growing up, I always appreciated Handler's different style of writing compared to other children's books. After a disappointing film adaptation, the new TV series has high expectations from myself

The omnipresent Lemony Snicket regaling the tragic story to us

The charming new interpretations of Violet, Klaus and Sunny

The series follows the brilliant Baudelaire children; Klaus, the bookworm, Violet, the inventor and Sunny, a baby who loves to bite things. They find themselves in the most unfortunate of situations, learning that their parents have perished in a mysterious fire. Whisked away by the useless Mr. Poe (who has been tasked with dealing with the Baudelaire will) to live with their mysterious 'uncle', the children soon learn that their long lost relative is actually the nefarious Count Olaf, who will stop at nothing to gain the vast fortune left behind by the Baudelaire parents. Thus Violet, Klaus and Sunny embark on their voyage of to try to find a new home, whilst dealing with the increasingly insane plans of Count Olaf to obtain their fortune. Also not to mention the often unfair and dark adult world, whilst trying to unravel the mystery of who their parents really were.

The show's format, for the most part, suits adapting the books very well. Each book is given two episodes, meaning all the elements that made Handler's books shine are given time to develop. In the long run, this is probably the smartest way of adapting the books. It does mean however that the adaptations of the first two books do suffer, being the slimmest and simplest of the novels. There's not quite enough to justify four 45 minute episodes. The Bad Beginning sees the Baudelaires, as mentioned, thrust into the care of the mean 'actor' Count Olaf, who forces the children to work menial jobs, whilst the villain schemes to obtain their fortune. The Reptile Room has the children move to their Uncle Monty's, an expert in reptiles and making people feel welcome into his home. Things seem peachy until Monty's 'new' assistant turn up, clearly Count Olaf in disguise. The Wide Window sees the children moved to their Aunt Josephine's rickety house overlooking the depressing Lake Lachrymose. Josephine adores grammar but is terrified of the outside world. Worst still, her established inhibitions melt away when a sea captain turns up and begins to woo her - turns out he is non other than, you guessed it, Count Olaf. Finally, The Miserable Mill breaks formula a little bit by having the Baudelaires follow up a photograph of their parents at Lucky Smells Lumber Mill and hope to find a new clue about the wider mystery they have been uncovering. Count Olaf hooks up with an old flame to hatch his most diabolic scheme yet. The first season covers a lot of ground in only eight episodes. As the books become more complex, the show becomes that more engaging. The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill are clearly the strongest parts of the season as they begin to tap a bit more into that sense of underlying sadness and disappointment that the books capture so well. The plots themselves are meaty and offer greater visual opportunities, such as the Baudelaires traversing the dark Lake Lachrymose and the depressing air of Lucky Smells Mill. While there is a slight over-reliance on green screen locations (which makes me miss the grandiose sets of the film version) the first season manages to fit in a fairly impressive amount of locales, keeping an appropriate amount of moody lighting and gothic art design to match the tone. I'm assuming the budget wasn't massive for this season but they are clearly stretching it as far as it can go.

Neil Patrick Harris is great fun as Count Olaf

The big-hearted Uncle Monty - too good for the world of A Series of Unfortunate Events

The best thing the series does is effectively establish the relationship and personalities of the Baudelaire siblings. While they can be a little wooden at times, Malina Weissman and Louis Haynes as Violet and Klaus respectively feel very natural in their roles and grow into them more as the material steadily gets more and more complex. They share some great scenes together, in particular during The Miserable Mill section, as Violet pleads with Klaus to break our of his hypnosis invoked by Count Olaf's schemes. The big stand out in the early episodes is, of course, Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf and he's as every bit as sinister, goofy and over-the-top as you want him to be. While he lacks the sheer physicality of Carrey, Harris makes up for it with excellent line delivery and a real snarky and sinister tone. He's clearly relishing the role, especially after the children escape his clutches and he has to don disguises to trick their new guardian into handing them over to him. My favourite is Captain Sham in The Wide Window - quite possibly his worst disguise and, by the laws of comedy, his funniest. Speaking of which, while some of the comedy in general is a bit awkward at first, the self-aware humour matures, especially as we reach the climax of the season. The main cast and comedy are bolstered by some great guest stars, including Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss, Aasif Mandvi as Uncle Monty, Alfre Woodard as Aunt Josephine, Catherine O'Hara as Georgina Orwell, Don Johnson as Sir and Rhys Darby as Charles. All contribute strange and varied performances that really help the show come to life. I also love the expansion of Count Olaf's henchmen, who are essentially sinister but slightly mis-led big children. Finally, K. Todd Freeman is a delight as the incompetent Mr. Poe - like Olaf's henchman he's essentially a child stuck in the body of an adult who doesn't really know he's doing. There's something kind of endearing here, even if he is one of the most frustrating characters in the whole series! Mr. Poe probably has some of the funniest lines, especially in situations where he glibly shrugs off accusations about Count Olaf being in disguise.

Mr. Poe - one of the funniest and most frustrating characters in the show

The Miserable Mill is by far the best section of the first season

Aunt Josephine, an introverted grammar lover, falls for the sickly charms of Captain Sham in The Wide Window

The best thing this series captures is the dry and witty tone of the books. The film only really scratched the surface on Handler's brilliant prose. The stroke of genius is to have 'Lemony Snicket' appear as the on-screen narrator, turning up in fourth-wall breaking moments either within scenes with the characters unaware of his presence or as asides either in his messy apartment or in visual representations of what he is discussing. For in the books, Handler has a great love for describing words and phrases, which end up becoming crucial parts of the story later on. Snicket, as we learn, is investigating the Baudelaire case, seemingly some time after the events of the show and imparts information we may or may not want to hear about the fates of the Baudelaires. Patrick Warburton is fantastic in these scenes and his matter of fact and cutting persona matches the style of the books perfectly.

The show goes to a lot of effort getting us to understand the relationship between the Baudelaire siblings

Patrick Warburton is fantastic as the mysterious narrator, Lemony Snicket

Better yet, Handler seems to be retrospectively adapting the early novels to fit into the wider mystery story introduced in the later stories. If I have one criticism of the early novels (up until book seven maybe) it's that they can feel a little bit samey - the Baudelaires go to a new guardian, get comfy, then Count Olaf comes along to ruin their day and they must thwart his new plan to get their fortune before escaping to their next unfortunate event. And while the episodes do follow this basic formula still, they work really well at building up an underlying mystery, as the orphans begin to discover the true of nature of their parents and a wider hidden organisation and plot. The novels only really begin to introduce this at the half way point and drastically change the formula in doing so. The re-tooling of the early novels means that the stories are allowed to breath a bit more and feel as part of a wider narrative, as opposed to individual formulaic parts (if that makes sense). There's plenty of clues, symbols and red herrings that will keep audiences pondering until season two. 

The first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events is a very solid introduction to Handler's world. While it does suffer in the very early episodes (simply because the first couple of novels don't really have enough content for four 45-minutes episodes), the second half settles into a very odd groove that's somehow funny, dry, and emotionally engaging. The best move the season makes is to have each story work as part of a wider picture that builds up to an even greater mystery. The adult performances are great and, even if they do feel a bit wooden at times, the child actors feel natural as Violet and Klaus. I think there's great potential here, especially based on the strength of the last four episodes, and I am dreading the arrival of season two, which promises to adapt books five to nine. Well, Lemony Snicket wants us to dread its arrival - more like eagerly anticipating. It's a good beginning as opposed to a bad one. 

Rating: 8/10