------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating : 6.5/10
Directed By : Renny Harlin
Steven Strait (Sky High)
Laura Ramsey (Venom)
Sebastian Stan (The Architect)
Taylor Kitsch (Snakes On a Plane)
Supplied By : Sony Pictures
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Nov. 28, 2006
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PLOT In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families with untold power formed a covenant of silence. One family, lusting for more, was banished'their bloodline disappearing without a trace. Until now. Four young students at an elite private school who are descendants of the original families who settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600s, are bound by their sacred ancestry and special powers. When the body of a dead student is discovered after a party, secrets begin to unravel that threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| THE REVIEW In Renny Harlin's newest film, THE COVENANT, we find ourselves in the town of Ipswich Massachusetts. For four young teens, growing up there has been a little different as they all share a bond due to an ancient secret shared by their respective families. The young men are descendents of witches that all held supernatural powers, powers in which the families vowed to keep quiet about - powers in which they all have. They had always been told that their were 5 families that shared the powers, but as fate would have it, the fifth family was so overcome with greed, that they abused their gift and betrayed the pact. The four teens known as "The Son's of Ipswich" by their peers are now students at a private academy - their family history they are aware of but not to the full extent - that is until the 'son's' leader Caleb Danver's 18th birthday soon approaches. It is said in their history that when a generation's oldest Male reaches the age of 18, they graduate to the next stage in their powers, thus becoming stronger - but when a student turns up dead, suspicions arise between the boys, is it one of them, or could it be someone whom knows a lot more about them than they are aware of? Well, I guess I should start out with saying that I am not exactly a big huge fan of Renny Harlin, not in the least bit. He has through the years, tortured me with films such as DRIVEN and made me sit through bland prequels like EXORCIST : THE BEGINNING - but in his latest, THE COVENANT, he has finally directed something that I have really enjoyed. Of course the plot isn't all too original, nor is it really detailed, but it gives us just enough back story along with likeable characters, and belivable chemistry between those said characters to make it a story, you may soon get lost in. But with that said, there has been a lot of criticism on this film due to things such as cheesy dialogue and stiff acting. I will agree on the point that some of the dialogue is seemingly botched up and rushed, but I saw no problems with the acting - more importantly from Strait and Ramsey for that matter. What I did see a problem with was that some of the scenes looked and felt like they belonged in another film and were totally out of place, like they belonged in a romantic drama of some sorts, not the adventurous supernatural Horror film they are found in, and the fact that some shots seemed very awkward (the car scenes mostly) But for it's few flaws(ok maybe more than a few, but since I dug it I don't see them) there are a lot of great things happening in THE COVENANT. I loved the atmosphere found in this film, as the film is lit very grimly in it's entirety giving a dark and gloomy look to the film throughout - much like the other film produced by the same folks that brought of this one, UNDERWORLD. And as I lightly touch upon earlier, the acting is very likeable as well. This was a great film in my opinion, but I have to admit that is it had not been for Steven Strait's strong performance as Caleb, it more than likely would've been just another teen angst Horror film. I have to say that I found myself really liking Laura Ramsey in this as well - boy was she hot! I first saw Laura in VENOM, another film everyone seemed to hate yet I found myself liking - call it coincidence if you want. To close, a lot of people have already bashed the hell out of this film but it is a matter of opinion to me and, if I am the only one to say I like this one, then well so be it, i'm happy with that. Some people will see this as just another teen Horror flick and down to the point it just very well may be, but to me, the approach, performances ranging from average and above and fast paced action. it is a film just to sit and have fun with, rather than perform constructive surgery on.... | ||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| GORE
METER No gore to really speak of |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| MUSICAL
SCORE 6/10 I really found myself liking the soundtrack here, from the remix of "More Human Than Human by White Zombie in the opening credits, to the hard hitting original tunes by tomandandy found within, it's a score that keeps the viewer's attention |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Call me dumb, stupid, or what have you, but I really dug this flick. It's definitely not perfect by no means or is it award winning, don't get me wrong, but I found this to be one of Harlin's best movies since CLIFFHANGER. I recommend this to fans of films like THE LOST BOYS, and THE CRAFT, all films share similarities so if you like those, you might just find yourself liking THE COVENANT. This DVD will be released on January 2, 2006 |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| STILLS | ||||
|
