10 Sci-Fi Movies One Step From Perfection
4. Alien: Covenant's Ending Is A Huge Let-Down
Unlike 2018’s Shane Black-directed flop The Predator, 2017’s latest instalment in the Alien franchise was widely quite well-regarded by fans of the franchise and newcomers alike. Returning director Ridley Scott made up for 2012’s pretentious prequel Prometheus with a return to form, crafting a scary, atmospheric, and inventive space-based horror to bring the franchise back on track, aided by a pair of impressive turns from newcomer Katherine Waterston and returning star Michael Fassbender.
Nonetheless, the film earns a place on this rundown for its misjudged ending, a bleak closer which renders the preceding film pointless as we learn that Fassbender’s android David is the true villain of the piece and his entire nefarious plan has gone off without a hitch, thus dooming the characters to an inevitable, painful fate.
It’s a disappointing twist and one which the film didn’t need, particularly after establishing a protagonist as resourceful and likeable as Waterston’s Ripley replacement, and whilst it may not be enough to derail the film entirely, it’s certainly sufficient to keep it from the perfection embodied in the original film.