Alien: Covenant is visually stunning but there’s nothing new for series fans with copycat scares and characters

Alien: Covenant is the sixth in the Alien series, but only second in chronological order.

The sequel to the prequel is undoubtedly a fantastic visual treat, but does very little to add to its legacy.

Ridley Scott promises so much, yet is seemingly far more interested in lecturing us on why the Alien franchise exists rather than reminding us of why we loved it.

Although it asks the same existential questions as Prometheus, Covenant at least moves the story forward - bridging the gap between the series adequately, revealing some food for thought.

It’s 2104 - a decade after Prometheus and after a prologue from David (Fassbender) pondering his existence with his creator, we are aboard Covenant - a ship which has woken it’s crew seven years due to a power surge.

A familiar sounding beacon is heard, and with the promise of a utopian planet on which to colonise, the crew head off with wild abandon and Walter, their android - an upgraded version of David.

The virus we met in Prometheus has been refined and as soon as they get a whiff of an ear canal (a masterstroke scene from Scott) - it’s game over for the crew and game on for us.

Unknown planet sends distress beacon? CHECK

Crew woken up from hyper sleep early? CHECK

Difficult landing on planet? CHECK

Dodgy radio signal causes confusion? CHECK

We’ve seen this film five times already.

Helpfully, an utterly ridiculous flute lesson aside, the film belongs to and is largely saved by Fassbender, who shoulders the burden of protagonist, plot device and twist, whilst managing to be the scariest thing in the film.

Danny McBride brings some much needed sarcasm and Katherine Watson does a pretty good job as Watson, the forceful heroine - but if you're pitting someone against Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ripley, you’d at least give them a different haircut and vest - why try and draw parallels so obvious?

I won’t even start on the bizarre shower scene.