Alien: Covenant 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

20th Century Fox's Ultra HD Blu-ray release of "Alien: Covenant" presents the movie with a transferral that, despite being sourced from a 2K Digital Intermediate, manages to impress to a certain degree, thanks to its inherent 2160p resolution. This is particularly noteworthy considering the film was shot using Arri Alexa cameras at a 3.4K resolution. However, it's important to acknowledge that this decision, to downscale during post-production, has led to certain limitations in fully realizing the potential clarity and detail expected from a 4K presentation. As recorded on various setups, including a Samsung UE55KS8000 Ultra HD TV and Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player, this release maintains the film’s original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen and benefits from HDR and WCG enhancements that introduce subtleties in color rendition and improve black level stability.

The detailing, as a result, is a mixed bag. Real-world textures and items - spacesuits, skin textures, and set design intricacies - showcase noticeable refinement over the standard Blu-ray release. Yet, CGI elements appear slightly softer, inherently limited by their 2K renderings. This inconsistency occasionally detracts from the overall sharpness expected of a UHD release, a fairly common drawback among digitally shot features. Nonetheless, the HDR application contributes positively, emphasizing vibrant colors in tech displays aboard the ship, weapon fire, explosions, and notably the yellow hues of space suits, offering visual highlights that outshine its 1080p counterpart.

Color grading under Ridley Scott’s direction results in a visually atmospheric film that skillfully utilizes the UHD format's wider color gamut. The palette shifts subtly, enhancing scenes with more natural tones in some instances and injecting vividness in others—like the stark contrast in the orange crates on the Covenant or the menacing glow from David's lamps. The darker and moodier tones of the film benefit from improved black levels, providing depth to the shadows without losing details to crush. While some minor anomalies and aliasing issues are noted, especially in sequences laden with digital enhancement or the sterile brightness of interior scenes, these do not significantly detract from what is generally a sharp and precise UHD viewing experience. Despite its limitations owing to the 2K DI, "Alien: Covenant’s" Ultra HD presentation captures the intricate detailing and stylized aesthetic intentions with a fidelity that enhances both the atmospheric and textured visual storytelling Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski aimed for.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation of "Alien: Covenant" elevates the audio experience significantly over its Blu-ray counterpart, primarily through the utilization of an impressive Dolby Atmos track. This track acts as a substantial upgrade from the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 offered in the standard Blu-ray version, providing an immersive soundscape that is both broad and detailed. The Dolby Atmos mix enhances the film's audio with active use of audio objects, including atmospherics, discrete effects, and music, creating a tangible level of immersion that mirrors the onscreen events magnificently. Notably, the dialogue remains intelligible and well-prioritized, ensuring that even amidst the chaos of Fassbender's performance or the shriek of xenomorph attacks, every word is clear. The soundtrack, integrating cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s original "Alien" score, envelops the audience, supplementing the film's tension and atmosphere adeptly.

Sound effects within this mix are rendered with precision, utilizing the entire aural array to its fullest to craft a convincing space atmosphere. The design takes advantage of discrete channeling for effects, making ambient noises like computer beeps, metallic pings, and environmental elements like rain and thunder strikingly realistic. Particularly during action sequences or when exploring the alien planet, the use of surrounds and overhead channels produces an enveloping experience, with the height channels frequently engaging to add dimension during key scenes like the landing sequence or xenomorph encounters. This meticulous attention to detail ensures a continuous sense of immersion throughout the film's runtime.

The low-frequency effects channel (LFE) is robust and forceful, adding a palpable sense of weight to explosions, spaceship engines, and more tumultuous moments, without overwhelming the clarity of dialogue or the finer sound design elements. The dynamic range is commendable, easily handling the transition from quiet tension-building scenes to the sudden uproar of action, maintaining clarity and impact without distortion. The audio presentation remains spectacularly clear across all aspects, from dialogue to the most minute sound effects, ensuring nothing is lost in translation. With such a finely tuned mix, "Alien: Covenant’s" 4K UHD Blu-ray not only surpasses its Blu-ray release in visual quality but sets a high bar for audio presentations, engaging the listener fully in its eerie and suspenseful world with outstanding spatial awareness and an intelligent use of its soundstage.

The "Alien: Covenant" 4K UHD Blu-ray offers a richly detailed package for enthusiasts, yet confines most of its supplemental materials to the standard Blu-ray disc, a common practice that may disappoint some purists. The Director's Commentary with Ridley Scott, available on the Ultra HD disc, reveals his technical insight and defends his artistic decisions, offering a singular glimpse into the film's creation. However, the bulk of the value lies in switching to the Blu-ray, which includes an extensive collection of Deleted and Extended Scenes, intriguing in-character promos that bridge gaps between films, notably featuring the android David. The "Master Class: Ridley Scott" featurette stands out by covering nearly every aspect of production with profound detail across its segments. Additionally, the Production Gallery and insight into David's experiments in "Advent" provide a fascinating deep dive into the lore and artistic vision behind "Alien: Covenant".

Extras included in this disc:

• Director Commentary by Ridley Scott: Scott provides insights and justifications for his creative decisions.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes: Including extended prologues and key scenes adding depth to the narrative.
• USCSS Covenant: Promotional shorts providing background on the crew and the android Walter.
• SECTOR 87 - PLANET 4: Segments that explore the story between "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant".
• Master Class: Ridley Scott: A detailed documentary segmented into story, characters, setting, and creatures.
• Production Gallery: A comprehensive gallery showcasing concept art and designs.
• Trailers: Promotional trailers for "Alien: Covenant".

Ridley Scott attempts to reconcile the follies of "Prometheus" with "Alien: Covenant," steering the franchise back towards its horror-thriller roots while retaining a fragment of its predecessor's grandiosity. The film sheds much of "Prometheus'" philosophical pretensions for a narrative that revisits familiar territory, hinging on the unnerving appeal of its lethal Xenomorphs and introducing a new crew with more relatable, albeit flawed, characteristics. The transition is underscored by the reuse of Jerry Goldsmith's original score, contributing to an atmosphere that closely mirrors the 1979 classic, despite the film's struggles to maintain consistency in its storyline and character development.

Set a decade after "Prometheus," "Alien: Covenant" follows the crew of the USCSS Covenant, diverted from their colonizing mission by a mysterious signal that leads them into a deadly trap set by an unsettlingly familiar antagonist - the android David from the lost Prometheus expedition. Ridley Scott crafts scenes filled with tense, atmospheric dread, enhanced by Dariusz Wolski's gloomy cinematography, which embellishes the film's return to a more straightforward, albeit gory, creature-feature formula. Despite this directional shift, the sequel introduces convolutions through its cast's dynamics, notably complicating matters with Fassbender’s dual role as androids David and Walter - an element that intriguingly explores themes of AI but occasionally feels overwrought.

While "Alien: Covenant" decisively steers away from the loftier ambitions of its direct predecessor, aiming to repurpose the essence of the original Alien allure, it entangles itself in its own narrative trappings, notably through its uninspired handling of legacy characters and a somewhat predictable plot progression. Nonetheless, it manages to engage with its classic horror elements, providing moments of genuine suspense and terror amidst its chaotic venture into the origins of its iconic monster. The movie represents both a homage and a course correction, striving to blend the cerebral undertones of "Prometheus" with the visceral horror that defined the Alien saga, albeit with varied success.

Alien: Covenant," Ridley Scott's latest installment in the Alien franchise, while not groundbreaking, manages to entertain with its cocktail of horror, narrative, and high production value. Its release on 4K UHD Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment enhances this experience, offering a remarkable upgrade in both video and audio quality over its Blu-ray counterpart. Equipped with crystal-clear Ultra HD visuals and an exemplary Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the release doesn't skimp on the technical aspects, ensuring a top-tier home viewing experience. Additionally, it contains a comprehensive collection of extras, mirroring that of its simultaneously released predecessor, "Prometheus," catering well to the fanbase's expectations.

The film itself may traverse familiar territory, eliciting mixed feelings among the franchise's followers. For those seeking answers to "Prometheus's" lingering mysteries, "Alien: Covenant" might prove frustrating as it introduces its conundrums without offering substantial resolutions. However, for enthusiasts craving the visceral thrill intrinsic to the Alien saga, it provides a satisfactory detour back to its horror thriller essence, albeit with a sense of predictability. The cast, including Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, and others, bring their reputable talents to the fore, somewhat mitigating the film's narrative and pacing shortcomings. The release's visual and auditory fidelity, along with special features, is commendable, making it a must-have for franchise fans and avid collectors of HDR and 3D audio excellence.

In conclusion, "Alien: Covenant" on 4K UHD Blu-ray stands out for its exceptional technical presentation, elevating the overall viewing experience even if the film doesn't reach new heights within the franchise. While it may not satisfy all curiosities spawned from "Prometheus" or offer groundbreaking cinema under Ridley Scott's direction, its return to the series' horror roots and commitment to high-quality home entertainment cannot be overlooked. For fans of the Alien series and collectors of premium home media formats, this release is a worthy addition to their library, promising hours of high-definition scares and behind-the-scenes insights.