S M G

Search Films
reviews

STEPHEN'S MOVIE GUIDE

reviews

STEPHEN'S MOVIE GUIDE

The Covenant (2006)

Review: written Apr 2010

Glossy, teen-friendly supernatural thriller

The Covenant (2006)

This gothic overtoned movie is first and foremost a teen movie, and then secondly has some supernatural thriller elements. If approached on that basis, it's quite passable and indeed quite slick in its production. The story is Twilight - lite, but transposed to the world of witches rather than vampires, and with far less teen angst. Four teenage friends in Ipswich hold a secret - they are actually descendants of witches, and have special powers.. powers which are magnified when they reach their 18th birthday. However, the powers come at a terrible cost. Two newcomers to the private school they attend make things complicated - a beautiful woman (mmhh.. wonder what happens there, then...) and another schoolboy - who turns out to have a link to the other 4. The hero finds himself having to choose what to tell the lady about his secret - and just maybe he will have to make a decision... his powers, or the girl.

It's not rocket science, and holds few surprises. The cast are all standard eye candy Hollywood teens, the school seemingly entirely populated by ‘perfect’ specimens. The production looks glossy but is brilliantly clear in the high definition transfer I watched it in - The dark scenes (and there are plenty of those) are crystal clear, the condensation in the obligatory "woman-feels-like-she-is-being-watched-in-the-shower" scene actually feels real, and the few special effects scenes - the car crashing into the truck, for example, are just vivid enough in HD in sight and sound to help wake you up just when you are getting bored with the dragging plot. Watch out for the surprisingly convincing cgi spider.

The ending feels more like a set up for a sequel than a satisfying resolution in itself, but overall if you're not expecting much - there are worse ways to kill a couple of hours. Movie making by numbers, perhaps - but the numbers add up to passable if unsurprising entertainment.

The Covenant (2006)




Return to Top | Home Page | About | Contact






© Stephen's Movie Guide

Inverurie Website Design