Categories: Movie and Series Reviews

Carried largely by an idea and a stellar cast, Fallen is unable to bear the weight of talent. People like to do hypotheticals about movies that could use a remake, and this is a high candidate in my opinion.

Despite its failings, its uniqueness make it still an enjoyable watch and I am a sucker for its vibes. If only it were a little tighter in its writing, rethought its camera tricks, and came across just a bit smarter.

The theme of masculinity runs through the film, and I can see a lot of people misplacing frustration at certain characters actions and missing the point. It is definitely more of a slow moving train, but its actors all do a job of carrying that pace.

I did not know what this was before going into it. I picked a random movie and just went. It took very little time to be know it had to be some politically driven film. Then it gets way worse with all the speeches.

I don’t care who makes the movie, but this was so in-your-face trying to stroke its hero complex to full attention. Uneven acting and poor direction add to the films problems. I see some people calling it Die Hard in a school, how dare you.

The biggest thing? For a movie that tries to be shocking, it really is dull.

The ending, begging you to be surprised but just sucking all of the excitement out of the action packed air because you know what is coming, takes the movie down a lot. The start of the film was great, promising something that blended Prometheus and its philosophical side with a bit more horror. However, it all derails.

Additionally, you never get the sense of fear from daring stunts or horrifying sights that you would expect, like you got from the original Alien. You are seeing awful things and witnessing daring stunts, but the characters aren’t responding as if that is what is going on.

I’m really bothered by Covenant in a similar way to Prometheus, it is so damn uneven in its executions. What ultimately hurts the movie most though is the former, you cannot build suspense for so long on something that is so obvious.

I will say that the aesthetic of the franchise feels more realized here than in Prometheus. Plus, just like in Prometheus, there are a couple of scenes that are cool on their own.

Derrickson hits a home run here with a chilling performance by Hawke and surprising newcomers.