6. Alien: Covenant (2017)

Alien: Covenant looks pretty good on paper: a sequel to the also pretty good Prometheus, starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, and Billy Crudup, with tons of throwback references to Alien lore that even includes an appearance by Peter Weyland of Weyland-Yutani fame (played by Guy Pearce). Ridley Scott even directed it (he’s only otherwise done the original Alien and Prometheus), so people were hopeful the 2017 film would be rock solid. And there are some shining moments in this film, particularly in Scott’s clear determination to ask and examine existential questions that the original movie only briefly touched on.

Unfortunately, Alien: Covenant tries too hard to be both an Alien movie and a Prometheus sequel, which results in it kind of feeling like neither. Though many people can (and do) argue that Prometheus sticks out like a sore thumb in the Alien pantheon, I think it’s more egregious to try and make a film that fits in both buckets. Covenant is by no means a bad movie, but it just falls a little flat, especially if you watch it back-to-back with Prometheus. — Alyssa Mercante