ALIEN: CONVENANT

R, 122 minutes. Starts today at Waterford, Stonington, Lisbon, Westbrook, Mystic Art Cinemas, Niantic. The “Alien” franchise has always been battleground for the philosophical and physical tussles for dominance between human, alien and artificial intelligence. While “Alien” set up the themes, character types, and iconography of this universe, 2012’s prequel “Prometheus” established an origin story and philosophy, bringing up questions of faith, spirituality and the risks of creating life. “Alien: Covenant,” once again directed by Ridley Scott, is the second prequel in the series, chronologically following “Prometheus,” and exploring the fallout from the events of that film, while offering a rich terrain for an epic battle between the differing forces in this world. The questions posed in the film are universal, and primal, and easy answers are never forthcoming. The humans in the story are a plucky crew of space explorers; a tight-knit group of couples piloting a ship of colonists to a new planet that holds their dreams of a fresh start and new life. When a random shockwave hits the ship’s solar recharging sails, damage is incurred, lives are lost, and the team is diverted from its course. A rogue, seemingly human, transmission offers the opportunity to explore a closer, previously hidden planet, so they decide to try their luck. Rogue transmissions, planets that seem too good to be true, and a motley crew of space explorers? It sounds a lot like the “Alien” we know. “Covenant” uses the mythology established by “Prometheus” and fuses it with the story and character types of “Alien.” Scott explores the tensions between spirituality and science, faith and family, emotional and analytical intelligence, and manages to do all that in the style of a slasher horror film. The story is a whirlwind smash-and-grab as the group is slowly pulled in different directions and picked off one by one, until a final girl, or woman, is left standing. The final woman is played here by Katherine Waterston. She is broken, in mourning, trying to put herself back together and keep fighting for her dream. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service kinds of embarrassments and toilet humor that tend to make up most middle school lore. Five years later, a fourth film, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul,” is hitting theaters, with a completely new cast making up the Heffley family. Director David Bowers, who helmed the “Rodrick Rules” and “Dog Days” installments of the franchise, returns to wrangle this particular out-of-control-minivan down the freeway. This story of a family vacation gone wrong could have just been subtitled “Road Trip,” but it turns out “The Long Haul” is an ironically apt descriptor for this film. One hesitates to refer to it as a “comedy,” as the jokes are few and far between. No, “horror” was the word that popped into mind frequently during these grim ninety minutes. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” is a deft exploration of the horrors of modern life in the tech-obsessed, neoliberal, advanced capitalist 21st century America; a world where social media rules our brains and behavior, and constant connectedness means constant work. This family’s road trip illustrates how America has become a polarized nation obsessed with nostalgia, gripping tight to the construct of a “real” America in light of rapid cultural change. Some fun. It’s also a terrifying cautionary tale about distracted driving — adults in the audience may cower every time one of the Heffley parents behind the wheel takes their eyes off the road or uses their phone while shepherding a teen, tween, toddler, spouse, piglet and boat trailer behind the cursed minivan. Fittingly, the central conflict of the film is about technology and screen time. Mom Susan (Alicia Silverstone) confiscates all electronic devices so the family can enjoy real face time on their road trip — but dad Frank (Tom Everett Scott) hasn’t taken the days off work, while titular wimpy kid Greg (Jason Drucker) and metalhead brother Rodrick (Charlie Wright) are scheming to get to a video game convention. Greg’s determined to clean up his online reputation after he becomes the star of an embarrassing meme, and thinks a video with his hero, star gamer Mac Digby (Joshua Hoover) will do the trick. Their juvenile and selfish meddling takes the family trip from bad to apocalyptic. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING

PG-13, 96 minutes. Starts Today at Stonington, Lisbon and Westrook. Starts Friday at Waterford. An 18-year-old woman, confined to her house in a protected environment because of an illness, forms an attachment to the boy next door and yearns to experience the outside world. With Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Ana De La Reguera, Anika Noni Rose. Written by J. Mills Goodloe, based on the book by Nicola Yoon. A review wasn’t available by deadline.