My fifth favorite movie of the summer is Alien: Covenant. There was a lot to like about this movie despite its obvious flaws. First of all, someone needs to hire me as a Hollywood script doctor to point out ridiculous plot holes like some of the most egregious ones that appear in this movie.
In no particular order, here are my biggest gripes about the movie. First, why was the crew of the ship a bunch of civilians? For something as major as colonizing an alien planet, you would need a highly disciplined military organization. The acting captain of the Covenant made about 27 idiotic decisions that led to disaster.
Second, how do you explore an alien planet without protective gear? I don't care if the atmosphere is breathable, everything else could be poison (and in this case, it was). Third, why on earth did these poor saps trust the obviously psychotic android? In fact, why do they even have androids any more, since every one in these movies is a disaster of Trumpian proportions. Finally, what are the actual odds that this ship would pass within shouting distance of where the two survivors of the Prometheus ended up? You could have made a great movie while still fixing all these stupid plot points.
Having gotten my complaints out of the way, here's why the movie is fifth on my list of best summer movies: It is genuinely terrifying from beginning to end. It creates a sense of dread from the outset, and once the monsters start bursting out (literally) from everywhere, it does what the "Alien" franchise does best...it scares the daylights out of you.
I liked the performances by most of the cast, although Billy Crudup is mostly wasted; his character is weak, and his decisions are laughably stupid. Katherine Waterston is the standout as the strong female (read: Ripley) character who manages to survive until the end. The supporting cast is good despite being monster fodder, especially Danny McBride, who I always like in whatever he's in.
Michael Fassbender is the best part of the movie, though, in his dual roles as androids Walter and David. I really didn't like the horror movie ending; it was too predictable and made me feel like Ridley Scott was channeling David Fincher's execreble "Alien 3," but Fassbender is so good in the role, he makes the ending pay off in a dark and disturbing way.
In the ranking of the "Alien" franchise, I put this movie in third place, behind James Cameron's roller coaster ride "Aliens" and Scott's own original "Alien." That's good enough to make it my fifth favorite movie of the summer.
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