“The Covenant” (Screen Gems)
Well, The Special Effects Are Good
“The Covenant” is a movie with no stars, and only a semblance of a plot. But it does have super special effects and a hard-hitting musical soundtrack. Who is to say it won’t find a fan base one way or the other. Stranger things have been known to happen. The fact it is directed by Renny Harlin of “Cliffhanger” and “Die Hard 2” fame might bring in some viewers.
In the film, four friends are at a private high school. They seem to have a pact between them to take care of each other. They include Caleb Danvers (Steven Strait), Pogue Parry (Taylor Kitsch), Reid Garwin (Toby Hemingway) and Tyler Sims (Chace Crawford). When newcomer Chase Collins (Sebastian Stan) tries to make friends with the group they are mildly cordial but don’t welcome him into their circle.
Then when Chase seems to be hitting on Pogue’s girlfriend Kate (Jessica Lucas) they really freeze him out. They don’t want anyone getting too close and learning their secret. They are heirs to the powers of four men of Ispswich. Caleb has the most power and when he “ascends” on his eighteenth birthday he will have an extra amount of power.
There is a new girl on campus. Her name is Sarah (Laura Ramsey) and she attracts Caleb’s eye. They start a romance but an unknown person is trying to threaten Caleb through Sarah. Finally it is made clear that Sarah is in danger unless Caleb cedes some of his power to another.
This gobbedygook plot is hard to follow, but makes some sense by the end of the movie – some sense but not a lot. The fun of the film comes from the special effects that occur when the four try some tricks or do battle against others.
The five guys look like refugees from Abercrombie and Fitch advertisements, while the girls are only mildly interesting. Ramsey looks like she stumbled in from the wrong audition and doesn’t know why she is in the film.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity, violence and brief nudity.
When the special effects are flashing on the screen and the rock soundtrack is pulsating in the background the movie is watchable. But when it tries to explain its difficult plot it bogs down. So watch it with your eyes but don’t tax your brain by trying to understand it all.
I scored “The Covenant” a warlock 4 out of 10.
