A contender for worst film of the decade, Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant insults long standing fans and those unfamiliar with the chest nasties. A boring prologue leads into the most archaic and mundane disaster sequence.

From the beginning, Scott’s graphic deconstructions have glimpsed the future (Blade Runner) as well as the past (Gladiator) via atmosphere and clarity. However, on Alien: Covenant -- a follow-up to Prometheus -- he directs the action like a phone booth occupant stuck with endless quarters and nobody to call. Perhaps he should have used right hand man, editor Pietro Scalia. Oh wait! He did. The latter won Academy Awards for JFK and Black Hawk Down. Just don’t expect the same level of immersion here.

Even more vexing than Michael Fassbender’s double act are the frequent lapses in logic. Regarding the monsters, Scott got bored designing new ones. So in a rush to finish things, he threw a white sheet over the abomination.

Personally, I didn’t believe it was possible for anyone to outdo the monstrosity of David Fincher’s Alien³. Yet memories of that rod puppet sprinting across the screen end up reprised in Alien: Covenant. Thankfully, the original Alien and its gung-ho sequel Aliens continue to inspire. Thank goodness. (Capsule review)

(Released by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and rated "R" for sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity.)