StereoNET: Alien Covenant Blu-ray Review

AUGUST 2017

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD AUGUST 16TH, 2017

BLU-RAY / REVIEW / ALIEN: COVENANT

ALIEN COVENANT REVIEW FORMAT / BLU-RAY ASPECT RATIO / 2.40:1 AUDIO / DOLBY ATMOS (4K ULTRA HD ONLY) DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 7.1 (48K) GENRE / SCIENCE FICTION AVAILABLE FORMATS / 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY (2D), DVD RATING / MA15+ RELEASE DATE / 16TH AUGUST 2017 LABEL / 20TH CENTURY FOX RUN TIME / 122 MINS (BLU-RAY),121 MINS (4K ULTRA HD) DIRECTOR / RIDLEY SCOTT CAST / M IC HA E L FA S S B E NDE R , KATHE R I NE WAT ERS T O N , BI L LY CR UDUP, DANN Y M CBR I D E , D E M I ÁN B I CHI R AND CARM EN EJ O G O

REVIEWER / TONY 0’BRIEN

PICTURE QUALITY Listening to the Alien Covenant soundtrack and writing this review brought back memories of the grandeur of 2012’s Prometheus.

Taking the franchise in a new direction, Ridley Scott created a vastly different film to its predecessors. And it was spectacular, in terms of both story and visuals, the Blu-ray more than capable of showcasing the video and audio capabilities of home theatre systems.

Unfortunately, Prometheus drew more than its fair share of critics. With Ridley Scott at the helm, I suspect fans expected a movie closer in feel to the original Alien, which answered more questions than it asked. In some ways, I strongly suspect that the criticism Prometheus received may just have been Alien Covenant’s undoing.

It’s not that Alien Covenant is a bad film, in fact, it’s a very worthy entry into the Alien franchise and light years beyond some of its predecessors. Rather it feels like two different movies rolled into one.

While it is closer in feel to Alien, this comes at the expense of Alien Covenant feeling less like a Prometheus sequel.

Alien Covenant picks up ten years after the events of Prometheus, with the USCSS Covenant transporting 2000 hyper-sleeping colonists to Origae-6.

Intercepting a rogue transmission of human origins, the crew of the Covenant traces the transmission to a nearby planet. Scans of the unchartered planet reveal it has much better prospects for colonisation than Origae-6, which is still some six years away.

After tracing the source of the transmission to a crashed alien ship, the team both discover the fate of Dr.

Elizabeth and David (Prometheus) and in inadvertently activate an alien pathogen, SOUND QUALITY with devastating consequences. The landing team, now fighting for their life, must not only contend with the alien MOVIE pathogen but try and find aRATING way back to the Covenant if they are to have any hope of survival.

Alien Covenant feels a lot like it’s trying to be ‘all things to all people’. On the one-hand it’s more of a traditional Alien film, on the other, it’s the continuation of the storyline established in Prometheus.

While the question of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and David’s whereabouts over the last 10 years is answered, this aspect of the story takes a back seat to the more action orientated elements of the film.

This results in the film feeling a lot less like a Prometheus sequel.

While it may sound as though I didn’t enjoy Alien Covenant, this couldn’t be further from the truth… there’s a lot to like here. Alien Covenant moves along at a breakneck pace, particularly in the last half of the film, chewing through its twohour running time rather quickly. If you’re a fan of the more action orientated elements of the Alien films, you’re going to have a great time with Alien Covenant…despite the odd cliché.

While Alien Covenant doesn’t really ‘feel’ like a Prometheus sequel, Ridley Scott’s a master film-maker with the Midas touch. What it lacks in subtlety, Alien Covenant makes up for in pure entertainment and fun. Maybe it’s not exactly the Prometheus sequel I was hoping for, but it’s one hell of a ride and one which I will undoubtedly be revisiting in the future.

on the other, it’s the continuation of the storyline ...

“

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On the one-hand it’s more of a traditional Alien film,

Video Quality Alien Covenant has a varied colour

reveal an excellent level of detail

Numerous examples are present

palette, at times appearing quite

and resolution, revealing skin pores,

within the film, for instance as

natural, at others favouring a more

blemishes and stubble. In fact, the

the crew of the USCS Covenant

stylised shift towards cyan. While

resolution is excellent throughout

attempt to repair the space sail at

the whole ‘cyan-look’ is nothing

Alien Covenant with sets revealing

20.01. Walter hurrying through the

a great amount of background detail

corridors of the Covenant at 8.55 is

that is often razor sharp.

another excellent example, with the

new to Hollywood, Alien Covenant

uses it both sparingly and effectively to enhance the alien nature of its environments.

As the film opens and the title appears against the backdrop

image looking three dimensional and placing you right in the action.

Alien Covenant’s video transfer is

Unsurprisingly, given the nature of

of space, the stars are nicely

the film, the use of colour is quite

contrasted against inky blacks.

constrained. When it is used, it’s

The excellent black levels of Alien

both the Blu-ray and UHD versions

of depth. This excellent black level

home theatre.

used to great effect and pops quite nicely, particularly against more neutral backgrounds, such as space.

Despite the varying colour palette, skin tones are both natural and

Covenant imparts an excellent sense performance, combined with sharp images give the film a beautiful sense of depth and dimensionality.

convincing, perhaps only appearing

The sense of dimensionality found

somewhat ashen during the films

in Alien Covenant is one of the most

gloomier moments. Facial shots

nothing short of reference grade and will look stunning in a good setup This is a movie that’s going to benefit from being viewed in a darkened room, with a display that’s black level has been set correctly.

pleasing aspects of the video transfer.

Audio Quality Somewhat disappointing, at least for

The storm found at 59.30 is an

While I did find myself nudging the

those of us still gearing up for UHD

excellent example, with the DTS

volume a little more than usual,

playback, is the exclusion of a Dolby

Nero upscaling on my Denon AVR-

the dynamics were there, although

Atmos soundtrack.

4300H creating a very convincing

crafted with a steady hand. My dual

sense of height.

subs delivered bass which was

While the UHD version of Alien

Covenant features a Dolby Atmos

Building on this, the sound engin-

soundtrack, the Blu-ray is limited to

eers have created a detailed and

DTS-HD 7.1.

nuanced soundtrack, with effects

However, as I soon discovered, the DTSHD soundtrack is more than up to the task and the oversight soon forgiven.

One of the most compelling aspects of Alien Covenant’s DTS-HD 7.1

soundtrack is its ability to create a large sound-field, in terms of width

placed accurately within the sound field.

All of these aspects tie together nicely to create a sound-field that feels both open and airy placing the viewer right in the middle of the action.

and often height. Both the rear

When it comes to this sort of fare,

and height speakers are employed

the soundtrack needs a good handle

to great effect for ambience and

on dynamics or ‘punch’ and once

directional cues, particularly during the

again, Alien Covenant’s DTS- HD

film’s more frenetic moments.

7.1 soundtrack delivered.

not only tight, but felt in control the whole time. Rather than a soundtrack which overwhelms the senses, dynamics are used nicely to support the onscreen action.

While the DTS- HD 7.1 isn’t quite reference, it comes pretty darn close. All in all, this is an excellent soundtrack, which is more than up to the task of creating both an immersive and engaging home theatre experience.

PICTURE QUALITY

SOUND QUALITY

MOVIE RATING

Extras Deleted and Extended Scenes: Prologue (Extended) (5.01), Walter in Greenhouse (1.03), Oram and Daniels (Extended) (1.09), Walter Visits Daniels (1.35), Daniels Bedroom Flashback (1.42), Jacob’s Funeral (Extended) (1.32), Ledwards Fall (0.45), Crossing the Plaza (Extended) (1.01), Daniels Thanks Walter (1.24), Rosenthal Prayer (1.11), Walter Reports Back (0.45), Stairs to Egg room (Extended) (0.32) USCSS Covenant: Meet Walter (2.20), Phobos (9.09), The Last Supper (4.37) SECTOR 87 - PLANET 4: The Crossing (2.34), Advent (6.41) Master Class: Ridley Scott - Documentary on the making of Alien: Covenant: Story (11.17), Characters (15.46), Setting (13.42), Creatures (14.54) Director Commentary by Ridley Scott

Available Editions

In addition to the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray editions, two exclusive editions are also available: • •

JB HIFI: Alien baby Xenomorph Steelbook Blu-ray™

Sanity: Limited edition 36 page book. The book features an inside look at David’s Lab, the creatures of Alien

Covenant, behind-the-scenes photography, concept sketches and limited edition packaging. The bonus booklet is only available for pre-orders of the Alien Covenant Blu-ray.

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD: AUGUST

16TH, 2017