---
title: "Alien: Covenant: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/alien-covenant/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/alien-covenant"
critics_score: 59
critics_reviews: 18
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alien: Covenant (2017): what the critics said

Critics' score 59 from 18 reviews: 7 positive, 7 mixed, 4 negative.

The reviews split almost evenly, and the consensus settles on a modest pass rather than a welcome back. Nearly every critic, on either side of the line, singles out Michael Fassbender’s twin androids, David and Walter, as the film’s dramatic centre, and Variety picks the flute-teaching scene between them as the highlight. There is broad agreement that Ridley Scott has made it handsomely, and that the return to bloodier horror after Prometheus is a relief, with the early attacks praised as fast and nasty.

The reservations cluster around the script: thin characters, talky exposition, and a plot that leans too hard on the 1979 original. The spread is wide. The Hollywood Reporter calls it the most satisfying entry since the first two films; Sight and Sound calls it the worst in the series. The New Yorker goes further, finding it pompous and unintentionally funny, and prefers Katherine Waterston to the drama around her.

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2017. Festival review. 

The critic calls it the most satisfying entry in the franchise since the first two films. It is gripping throughout with real surprises, beautifully made, and renews the series creatively.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/alien-covenant-review-1000832/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2017. 

Ridley Scott delivers a sleek, suspenseful return to form that embraces its B-movie horror roots with confident balance of ideas and splatter. Chang singles out the early and relentless bloodletting as a highlight.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-alien-covenant-review-20170517-story.html)

## The i Paper — Matthew Turner

Rating ★★★★. 9 May 2017. 

The critic praises Covenant as the Alien film fans have been waiting for, successfully balancing philosophical depth with visceral horror and strong performances, especially Fassbender's dual role. It singles out the revitalized franchise thrills and Scott's direction for particular praise.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/alien-covenant-film-review-64082)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2017. 

Covenant is seen as an upgrade on Prometheus with better Alien tropes and intense moments, but it lacks memorable characters and sustained tension. The Fassbender android scenes and visual flair are highlighted as strengths amid talky philosophical elements.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alien-covenant-review/)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2017. 

The review calls it a smart and scary return that rights some Prometheus wrongs but suffers from too much reverence for the 1979 original, leading to safe choices and unconvincing CGI in key sequences. Fassbender's dual performance and atmospheric moments are praised.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/alien-covenant-review-aggressively-bloody-and-high-of-bodycount-but-rarely-intimidating/)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2017. 

The film is a return to hard-R horror roots that offers relief to fans but feels like more of the same after Prometheus. Debruge singles out the Fassbender dual android performance and the flute-teaching scene as compelling highlights.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/alien-covenant-review-1202409157/)

## Radio Times — Terry Staunton

Rating ★★★. 7 May 2017. 

The review highlights lots of scares and impressive monstrous action sequences but criticizes the lack of a meaty script and a retread of former glories with lightly pencilled characters. Fassbender's dual roles shoulder the dramatic weight amid the body count.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/alien-covenant-review-there-are-lots-of-scares-but-a-lack-of-a-meaty-script-in-a-retread-of-former-glories/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2017. 

Ridley Scott blends familiar Alien tropes with themes of creation in this prequel, but the result is talky and reliant on expository dialogue. Sound design and Michael Fassbender's dual android performance stand out as highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/14/alien-covenant-review-monstrous-mashup-katherine-waterston)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2017. 

The film is an interesting but not especially effusive entry that sticks closely to franchise expectations. Scott singles out the creature's enduring appeal amid otherwise measured doses of terror and craft.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/movies/alien-covenant-review-ridley-scott.html)

## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2017. 

The review finds that familiarity has dulled the xenomorph's terror, with Scott failing to recapture the original's dread despite dazzling visuals and strong Fassbender work. It criticizes the uneven tone and overfamiliar plotting that prevents the film from delivering sustained horror.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/alien-covenant-film-review-return-of-an-interstellar-terror-a3680836.html)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2017. 

The film is described as a long, flat, no-frills journey that struggles to engage despite bloody shocks, feeling like a creative hull-breach in the series. It appeals mainly to devoted fans with back-to-basics gore but is unlikely to win new audiences.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/alien-covenant-review/5117487.article)

## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2017. 

The critic finds the film dramatically and intellectually inert, with a half-baked script that makes it the worst in the franchise despite Ridley Scott's skill as a filmmaker. Fassbender's dual performance and a couple of action scenes are noted but do not salvage the rote characters and lack of engagement.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/alien-covenant-review-space-vacuity)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2017. 

The movie is misguided, pompous and unintentionally comic in its deadly serious approach to hubris and creation. Brody singles out Katherine Waterston's performance as a bright spot that surpasses the film's drama.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/alien-covenant-bursts-with-pomposity)

## /Film — Karen Han

Rating 8/10. 19 May 2017. 

The critic finds the film a thoughtful and gnarly sequel that balances small-scale drama and horror with grandiose ideas about creation and humanity. They single out the android characters David and Walter for particular praise as the emotional and intellectual core.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/551051/alien-covenant-review-2/)

## Collider — Haleigh Foutch

Rating B-. 6 May 2017. 

The film is a messy hybrid that indulges both action-horror beats and ponderous philosophical themes without fully satisfying either, resulting in something at turns exquisite and infuriating. Scott's visual craftsmanship and imagery are singled out for praise, while baffling character decisions and a structurally challenged narrative draw complaint.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/alien-covenant-review/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2017. 

The critic calls it a decent, extremely well-made but not startlingly different version of what has come before in the franchise. He singles out Scott's style and the corker of an ending for praise while noting its familiarity as essentially a Prometheus sequel.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/05/alien-covenant-review-ridley-scott-michael-fassbender-prometheus-sequel-video-1202093898/)

## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie

Rating 3/5. 11 May 2017. 

The critic finds it a solid but not perfect entry that improves on Prometheus by being more like a traditional Alien film with better crew and intense action-horror, though the second half has some awkward storytelling and over-the-top performance from Fassbender as David. Praises the visuals, music, and pacing in the horror sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/alien-covenant-review-2/)

## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2017. 

The critic finds the film stylish but routine, with alien attacks that remain gross, scary, and suspenseful but dialogue scenes that are far less compelling. He singles out the monster-movie set pieces for praise while complaining that it functions mostly as an interstellar slasher with underdeveloped characters.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/alien-covenant-review-aliens-ridley-scott/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/alien-covenant.md