The Covenant

Super

When I realized that Renny Harlin was helming The Covenant, I immediately anticipated something high-quality. The Finnish born director proved his prowess for balancing hard-hitting action with first rate drama in the 1990 Bruce Willis starrer, Die Hard 2. He definitely retains it with this horror thriller that ushers in Hollywood’s Fall season.

Bolstered by dazzling special fx ( one in particular showcased in the trailer simply blows your mind) and a young cast virtually unknown to me, The Covenant is the story of the sons of Ipswich; Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler. Their families plus one that was banished ,founded the Ipswich colony of Massachusetts in 1692. They possess supernatural powers descended from their ancestors and have maintained a “covenant” of silence for over 300 years. The bloodline of the fifth has supposedly vanished. That is until handsome young Chase (Sebastian Stan) shows up at their elite Spenser Academy.

As the illegitimate descendant of the ousted clan, Chase harbors the same craving for power as his ancestors. When several “incidents” occur at school Caleb’s group reallizes that someone has breached their centuries old silence and is in danger of being completely broken. Eventually they must save their future by facing the awesome power of the new kid on the block.

I was relieved to see that Harlin and casting director Mindy Marin chose a breed of talented young faces to breathe life into J.S. Cardone’s characters. I mean these people can truly act in a 3 dimensional way without being too cliché . Steven Strait’s Caleb who will “ascend” on his eighteenth birthday, is leader of the pack, disciplined and seems to be in good control. On the other side is Toby Hemingway’s Reid . Not a bad kid, just likes to show off his powers whenever the opportunity arises. Pogue, played by Taylor Kitsch, is apparently the jealous type and goes ballistic if he finds his girl Kate (Jessica Lucas) talking to another boy. Chace Crawford’s Tyler is probably the only one of this supernatural tetrad whose character isn’t fully explored. I got the feeling that his head was on straight though. Because Chase’s ancestral breed was exiled, Cardone appropriately decided to tweak his background a bit more than the others.

With all their powers, the boys are still regular American teenagers with the usual hang-ups, including girls. Not just one , but two essential love interests attempt to soften the film. Sarah (Laura Ramsey), the newest student at Spenser is nearly smitten with Caleb the first time they meet. And vice versa. Pogue already has a budding , sometimes rocky relationship with Sarah’s roomie Kate (Jessica Lucas). The rockiness is exacerbated by Kate’s chatting with Chase when Pogue’s not around.

Wendy Crewson (Air Force One) is probably the only recognizable actress, playing Caleb’s worn alcoholic mother he’s dedicated himself to taking care of. Despite her drinking she worries about her son’s “acension”, warning him that his powers may lead him to death like his father.

I always enjoy how film makers and their cinematographers create an “American “ city from Canadian locations. D.P. Pierre Gill takes advantage of beautiful Montreal (of course it’s supposed to be Massachusetts) combining natural and artificial contrasts that reveal the light and dark sides of the boys and the innocence of Sarah.

Caleb and Chase’s ferocious wizard’s duel show down has more hard-hitting than an Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson fist fight. It’s like Harry Potter vs. Draco Malfoy on steroids. Other than the special effect mentioned previously, this is the major highlight of the film. And the ending should be particularly satisfying to all.