*Warning: spoilers ahead!*
The Covenant (2006), directed by Rennie Harlin, is a supernatural-action and horror film that follows the Sons of Ipswich (Caleb Danvers, Pogue Parry, Tyler Simms and Reid Garwin), who go to an elite prep school in New England and have to defeat the vengeful and power-obsessed fifth descendant of their secret coven.
With a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Covenant (2006) encapsulates everything an early 2000s supernatural teen movie should have. For example, the new girl who falls in love with one of the warlocks, the small, quiet town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and gorgeous characters with hidden magical powers.
Although the film was a box office success — grossing $37.6 million — the film was met with many negative reviews, and I can see why.
The overall script was weak, but the acting was amazing. Notably, Sebastian Stan, who played Chase Collins, the new student that becomes friends with the Sons of Ipswich. He seemed to have a lot of fun while playing the character. However, one of Stan’s dialogues was all over the place. After telling Caleb — played by Steven Strait — to meet him at Putnam Barn, Chase is about to leave the scene; instead, he stays. This decision leads to a weirdly placed escalation, where Chase and Caleb start fighting after Chase escalates the spell he put on Sarah to show that he was serious about his threat. It should have been placed before Chase tells Caleb the location of their meeting, so that the scene doesn’t feel dragged on.
Another stand out actor was Laura Ramsey, who plays Sarah Wenham, the love interest of Caleb. Her horror acting stood out during the bathroom scene, where she was spooked by a smokey figure spying and preying on her. When the figure goes to grab her bare shoulders, Ramsey flinches and gasps before turning around to see who almost touched her. I really believed that she was terrified at that moment. Also, the scene is reminiscent of the shower scene from Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Along with the weak script, the characters are one dimensional. The greatest example of this is Tyler, played by Chace Crawford, who barely contributes anything to the film. He is just there to be beside Reid, who is played by Toby Hemingway.
Some are just used for the plot, such as Pogue, played by Taylor Kitsch. He is established as a jealous, hot-headed, but loyal and extremely close friend to Caleb. His hot-headedness is used to forward the plot. He learns that his girlfriend, Kate Tunney, who is played by Jessica Lang, has been hurt by Chase. Pogue immediately gets on his motorcycle and plans to confront Chase. Unfortunately, this backfires as Chase uses his powers to cause Pogue to have a motorcycle accident. At the end of the altercation, while Pogue is laying in the middle of the street, Chase reveals that Pogue is bait to lure Caleb to him.
However, it seems the film forgot about that, because later, Chase uses Sarah as bait for Caleb.
I did enjoy the special effects and CGI of the film. The effects made the boys’ powers more believable and realistic. My favorite scene was when Caleb collided with a log truck. He is able to use his powers to not only save himself, but also reassemble his car back into one piece.
Another enjoyable factor of the film was the soundtrack. It includes songs from The Killing Joke and White Zombie, who had my favorite song in the film.
Overall, I would give the film a 3.5 out of 5. It was a good watch to feel the same nostalgia I get from watching Twilight (2008) or Vampire Diaries (2009 – 2017). Although the script was weak, the dialogue weird, and characters used to forward the plot, I would watch it again. Because of how nostalgic they make me, I absolutely love films like this one. Moreover, I love almost all kinds of supernatural media. In closing, I would recommend The Covenant (2006) to anyone that feels the same.
Edited and Reviewed by Kien Powell
