On the way to a planet that is supposed to become the new cradle of mankind, the crew of the Covenant is urgently pulled from its cryogenic sleep when a solar storm hits and damages the ship. As they prepare to leave, they capture a signal that seems human, coming from an uncharted planet. Hoping to find a home that will welcome them and the thousands of settlers on board the Covenant, the group goes down to explore. They discover a planet that is sinister and deserted – or almost: a dangerous, predatory life form is about to attack...

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Ridley Scott, 79, is recycling his old wares: Blade Runner 2049 is coming out this autumn. He also returned to his 1979 Alien saga with 2012’s Prometheus, a prequel meant to explain the origins of the xenomorphs, and is planning two more prequels to link up with the first cult movie that starred Sigourney Weaver. While Prometheus divided the general public from Alien fans, Covenant will not reconcile them. There are similar pompous questions about creation and faith, Michael Fassbender has clearly become the real hero in the eyes of the filmmaker, and this new episode is only a variation on the recurring themes of the series (a heroine, a new planet, a new ship, a new bunch of eggs, secondary characters as fodder for the alien). Scott may offer more blood and aliens, probably to satisfy the audience and divert attention, but Covenant is ultimately superficial and formulaic. Even worse, it is made up of dialogue that is devoid of depth, it contains no real suspense worthy of the name, and seriously lacks inventiveness in its staging of the universe, despite Scott’s technical talent. The real fear that lurks on the horizon lies in the two subsequent movies he has announced.