Ridley Scott has officially returned to his Alien franchise with his latest installment, Alien: Covenant. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride. Is the film better than Prometheus? Is it as good as the originals? Let’s find out.

Alien: Covenant takes place a few years after the events in Prometheus. A crew of colonists (Fassbender, Waterston, McBride, etc.) explore a deserted planet in hopes of starting new life on the planet. It turns dark when creatures start attacking the crew members one by one and soon becomes a game of survival.

The film delivers on great amounts of suspense and alien fight scenes. It does a good job in delivering the suspenseful and thriller beats that the original had. For example, the first act of the film builds a lot like the original in terms of tone. When the alien creatures show up, they are still as scary and menacing as they have been in the other Alien films. Surprisingly, the creatures show up very early on in the film and will show up when the audience least expects it.

Fassbender returns to the franchise as David, which was first seen in Prometheus, and plays a new android named Walter. He is the best part of the entire film. Both of his characters are very unique and different from one another. They have great scenes with other characters and with each other in the film.

Waterston and McBride join the Alien franchise in Alien: Covenant. Waterston plays a character named Daniels, who acts a lot like Ripley in the original films. She does a good job portraying the fierce and courageous parts of her character.

McBride was the actor that everyone, including myself, were very concerned with when he got casted in the film. He is known for his comedic acting and not his dramatic acting. However, in this film, he shows us that he can be more than just a comedian. He has the best acting compared to the others in the film.

In terms of what could be improved, the film moves at a very fast pace. Because of this, the film ultimately feels short and not as long as the originals were.  Also, the story of the film is very predictable and easy to follow. When it comes to Scott, he likes to put lots of meaning and heart in his storytelling. In this film, the lack of depth and gripping storytelling is presented very clearly.

To sum it up, I had thoroughly enjoyed watching Alien: Covenant. The film is better than Prometheus, but not as good as the original Alien. This is a film that needs to be seen in the theaters so that audiences can get the best movie experience possible. I also highly recommend watching the Prologue clips that got released before the film; they’ll help viewers understand the film more. Scott announced most recently that he has more Alien prequels planned. And I’m very excited to see what other stories he has for us in the newly revived Alien Universe.