The pressure must have been on for Director Ridley Scott to bring the Alien franchise back into focus following the luke-warm response to semi-sequel Prometheus. You only need to look at the way Fox has marketed their new deep space nightmare to get a sense of how keen they are to return things to their roots. Claustrophobic spaceship terror? Check. A gun-wielding Ripley-esque leading lady? Check. A familiar looking threat? Yup, all the elements of a classic Alien movie are there and yet there’s something very different hiding below the surface of Covenant waiting to burst free, kind of like a… well, you get the picture. 

Ten years after meeting the doomed crew of the Prometheus we’re introduced to the equally doomed crew of the Covenant, a colony ship bound for the nearest habitable planet from Earth. It’s their job to set up the first off-world human civilisation using their cargo of frozen embryos but when their cryo-snooze is unexpectedly interrupted, things start to go awry. Responding to a mysterious transmission from a nearby planet, the crew discover a world perfect for their colonisation plans. However as their exploration begins the team discover this new-found oasis hides some hidden secrets, bloodthirsty threats and familiar faces that aim to take things from bad to worse.  

Misleading marketing aside, Alien Covenant appears to be just as much of a tonal balancing act on-screen as it is off, with Scott seemingly juggling his own personal interests with that of the studio. It’s worth noting that this new installment is billed as Alien Covenant opposed to its predecessor’s singular stand-alone title, firmly establishing itself in the franchise camp. Those who grumbled at Prometheus’s lack of identity may be pleased at this decisiveness, but overall it makes for a slightly disjointed venture.

Like the film’s creatures, Covenant’s true form hides underneath a more recognisable outer layer. Jump in expecting the gung-ho action of Aliens and you’ll likely be a bit disappointed, especially as the film heads into its introspective second act. Instead, Scott appears more interested in developing the big ideas sewn in Prometheus. He especially has fun looking at the role of faith in this darkly dystopian world, both in terms of the Big Guy upstairs and also in humanity itself and its ability to survive in a universe that, despite Peter Weyland’s (Guy Pierce) bankrolled best efforts, still appears to be lacking a sympathetic higher power. 

It’s this mix of high-brow pondering and low-brow gore that make you leave the film with Michael Fassbender’s cold-as-ice android sticking in your mind instead of the long-awaited return of Ripley’s nemesis. Interesting for sure, but not quite what was expected from this supposed Alien movie.

Alien Covenant is in cinemas now.

​Shot in a sparkling monochrome, François Ozon’s quiet drama Frantz looks at the enduring impact of grief and the unusual paths we take to become whole again. Along with screenwriter Philippe Piazzo, French director Ozon adapts Ernst Lubitsch’s original 1932 US film Broken Lullaby with the same soft-touch elegance and pensive pace we’ve become accustomed to in foreign movie fare. It’s a refreshing role reversal considering audiences are typically used to seeing the process fumbled the other way around. 

When her beloved fiance Frantz is killed in action during World War One, young Anna’s (Paula Beer) life grinds to a halt. Gone are her dreams of happiness and marriage and in their place lay pensive trips to the graveyard and evenings spent with Frantz’s grieving parents in rural Germany. However when she spies a mysterious and clearly pained stranger visiting the same grave things begin to change. She learns that the mourning newcomer is Adrien (Pierre Niney), a sensitive Frenchman who claims to have had a close friendship with Frantz during his final days on the battlefield. 

Taking solace in shared memories, Anna and Adrien strike up an unlikely friendship, helping each other break through the gloom of grief and see the colourful potential of happiness once more. Even Frantz’s heartbroken parents find relief in Adrien’s appearance, with his hard-nosed father attaining absolution from the guilt he feels from pressuring his only son into a fight he was destined to lose. It’s not all smooth sailing though, and as the cultural wounds of post-war Germany make life increasingly difficult for Anna’s new French friend, we discover there’s more to Adrien and Frantz’s battlefield encounter than we were originally led to believe.

Much like the unpredictable paths our lives often take, Ozon’s Frantz keeps you guessing about the motivations and ultimate destinations of its tortured characters. Throughout the whole endeavor we’re presented with a recurring vision of Manet’s painting Le Suicidé, lingering like a haunting reminder of how quick an escape from pain can be. It’s something that draws both Anna and Adrien’s attention when they’re at their darkest points but with Ozon’s levity and cinematographer Pascal Marti sensitive lens, this reverse adaptation somehow manages to turn a tale of grief and desperation into a celebration of life and its potential. While it may take its sweet time finding peace, Frantz proves that no matter how dark the situation, a light can always be found. 

Frantz is in cinemas now. 

“Barbra! Baboons! Bollocks!” These are a few of the first words yelled in new Brit comedy Mindhorn as a once-beloved now-forgotten actor practices some rather unconventional vocal warm-ups. It’s a bit of a silly start but a fine indicator for what the next 90 minutes or so have in store.

The babbling actor is Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt) star of the eponymous Mindhorn, an Isle of Man-set 80s cop serial that made Knight Rider look like James Bond. Kitted out with a bionic eye that could literally see the truth, Mindhorn bonnet-slid his way to the big time. However as the line between success and excess began to blur, it wasn’t long before Thorncroft discovered the fickle and fleeting nature of fame. Cut to present day and he’s a nobody, forced to make ends meet by advertising men’s girdles and unflattering thrombi-socks, but when a deluded murderer demands to speak to his fictional alter-ego Thorncroft spies an opportunity to rise to the challenge and more importantly, give his career a bit of a boost. 

Returning to his TV show stomping ground he soon sets his sights on old flame Patty Deville (Essie Davies), much to the bemusement of her new husband and ex-Mindhorn stunt-double Clive (Simon Farnaby). However with personal problems building and a police case looming Thorncroft finds himself faced with his toughest Mindhorn mission yet - not being an complete arsehole. 

The Mighty Boosh man Julian Barratt may have kept a relatively low-profile since the success of his colourful telly hit but with the help of Farnaby he proves himself a force to be reckoned with on the big screen too. Using Thorncroft’s unashamed pomposity, the duo take a comical stab at the often absurd nature of the acting world. From treating real life policing like a second-rate acting gig, to Thorncroft’s incessant need to don his shoes before really ‘becoming’ the character, Mindhorn is littered with barbs at the ridiculousness of acting. The pair have a great on-screen rapport which makes for some funny stuff and while the film gets a bit bogged down in its own perfunctory plot halfway through, there’s enough laugh-out-loud gags to keep you grinning throughout, especially as it sprints through its crazy final act. 

With a history of character comedy, it’s probably no surprise that Barratt has created something of Brent or Partridge-like potential (Speaking of which, Coogan gets in on the fun too) that struggles to stay within the confines of a cinema screen. Throw all these elements together and Mindhorn seems destined for cult hit status so don’t be surprised if we see more of this clueless detective in the future. 

Mindhorn is in cinemas now. Follow the link to read my interview with Julian Barratt for The Big Issue North.