Alien — Covenant Netflix

Alien: Covenant on Netflix is a cautionary tale. It proves that giving the audience exactly what they ask for (more aliens) while taking away what they loved (coherent philosophy) results in a cinematic stillbirth. It’s worth a watch for the gore and Fassbender’s bizarre, operatic performance. Just know that when you hit play, you aren't starting a story. You are walking into the middle of a funeral.

For the uninitiated, scrolling through Netflix’s sci-fi section and landing on Alien: Covenant (2017) might look like a win. You have the legendary Ridley Scott returning to the franchise he started with the 1979 masterpiece. You have Michael Fassbender playing two creepy androids. You have chestbursters, facehuggers, and that iconic H.R. Giger biomechanical dread. alien covenant netflix

When you watch it on Netflix, sandwiched between a true-crime documentary and The Grey Man , the pacing feels jarring. You get fifteen minutes of a crew making stupid decisions (seriously, don't explore an unknown planet without a helmet), followed by twenty minutes of Fassbender’s David teaching his doppelgänger Walter how to play the flute. It is schizophrenic. If there is a reason to stream Covenant immediately, it is Michael Fassbender. In an era where streaming has diminished the "movie star," watching Fassbender act against himself as the two synthetic humans is a masterclass. David, the narcissistic android from Prometheus , has become a god-complex villain. Walter is the obedient upgrade. Alien: Covenant on Netflix is a cautionary tale