On a gutbucket genre-film level, Alien Covenant delivers when it delivers. As with so many of its monster-movie peers, however, there’s just not much to it when the creature isn’t preening for its close-up.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
If in the end it doesn’t quite work — if its many fascinating pieces and ideas and odds and ends don’t ever cohere into a whole — lament not what might have been. Instead, be grateful that Ridley Scott has lost none of his ability to provoke, captivate and infuriate.
Time Out London by Cath Clarke
Really, this is David/Walter’s show. For reasons too spoilery to give away, Fassbender is electric, giving a spectacularly skin-crawling performance.
New York Daily News by Edward Douglas
Further proving his mastery of creating tension and thrills, Scott has effectively created a satisfying hybrid of "Alien," "Prometheus" and even James Cameron's "Aliens."
Just as this series focuses on survival instincts, it seems that Scott has found a way to exercise his own, keeping the “Alien” series relevant by resurrecting the same old scares.
Screen International by Fionnuala Halligan
It’s a long, flat, no-frills journey which struggles to engage despite its many bloody shocks.
Entertainment Weekly by Kevin P. Sullivan
Gross-outs and gotchas are fun, but they wouldn’t amount to much if Covenant wasn’t so thoroughly well-crafted.
We Got This Covered by Matt Donato
Scott’s latest is a thrill-ride that blasts through celestial carnage, while building a bigger Alien world that might not be 100% necessary. Out of all the films in the franchise, Alien: Covenant has the least stand-alone potential – but dammit if it’s not a wild, warp-speed-killing-machine adventure.
As acts of creation go, Scott has made an “Alien” movie for that segment of the audience that has always rooted for the monster.
The Hollywood Reporter by Todd McCarthy
The drama flows gorgeously and, unlike in many other franchises in which entries keep getting longer every time out, this one is served up without an ounce of fat. It provides all the tension and action the mainstream audience could want, along with a good deal more.