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Covenant, The
EMAILPRINTColumbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing

Overwhelming dislike
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 118 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Horror | Suspense/Thriller
Written by: J.S. Cardone
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 8, 2006
DVD: January 2, 2007
Running Time: 97 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, sexual content, partial nudity and language
Starring Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford, Taylor Kitsch, Laura Ramsey, Jessica Lucas, and Wendy Crewson
Privilege and beauty abound at Spenser Academy, a New England boarding school for the region's reigning elite. Directed by Renny Harlin, The Covenant tells the story of the Sons of Ipswich, four young students bound by their sacred ancestry. As descendants of the original families who settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600's, the boys have all been born with special powers. When a fifth descendant suddenly moves to town, secrets begin to unravel which threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years. (Sony)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Cliffhanger Deep Blue Sea Driven Exorcist: The Beginning Mindhunters
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand
Harlin, with his customary visual brio, has created a film that is deliriously watchable. It's just not all that interesting. In the end, The Covenant is simply a glossier version of TV's "Charmed."
Read Full Review >Empire Helen O'Hara
Utterly stupid and full of lazy plotting and lazier dialogue, this is just idiotic enough to entertain on nights when you want to give your brain a rest.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Profoundly mediocre supernatural thriller.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
When the villain is revealed, you are neither surprised nor scared. You just think, "That guy?"
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
The Covenant is dopey, formulaic stuff for the Friday night fright crowd. Worse for them, it's never remotely scary.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Amelie Gillette
Okay, so it isn't challenging. There are worse things for a horror-thriller about supernatural high-schoolers to not be. Like not scary. Or not thrilling. Or not as entertaining as an episode of "Charmed."
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Luke Y. Thompson
The idiocy and sheer laziness of the whole concept ought to be the sort of thing director Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea) could make into glorious cinematic cheese, and occasionally he cuts loose with a swarm of CGI spiders or a final battle that resembles nothing more than a live action game of "Street Fighter II." But he's hamstrung by the PG-13 rating and the budget.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
As boredom sets in, the viewer realizes that "The Covenant" does possess one magical power: It afflicts its audience with restless leg syndrome.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
For the most part, the proceedings are slow, solemn and tedious.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
It fails utterly as a horror picture, although it delivers plenty of PG-13-rated flesh and unintentional laughs.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
Surely nothing Hollywood did in its darkest, most debauched hour could possibly justify the penance we're paying that allows Harlin to continue directing movies.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Director Renny Harlin, whose colon-studded credits include "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" and "Exorcist: The Beginning," knows the deal here: Pay homoerotic homage to youth and beauty, crank up the heavy metal on the soundtrack, and spare no effort to backlight the omnipresent rain.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Nathan Lee
That's the one with a car that explodes and gets put back together by magic, right? Yeah, that’s pretty much the coolest part.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 118 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Emeric C. gave it a5:
It would've been a good movie they've been thinking a little bit more about the plot. Like in the beginning, why did the cops chase them? Or about the darklings?
Jon gave it a10:
One of the best movies I've seen.
wolf fang gave it a10:
it was AWSOME!!!! i luved it the special effects where just WICKED!!!!! an the guys were so HOT!!! please make a seconed one
Cristine gave it a10:
I thought the movie was good, Everybody is complaining how it should have been darker and more scary....But come on people, from all the Saw sequels GIVE IT A REST! I loved the concept of the power being addictive, and it aging the body. If magic were real I honestly believe it would be addictive to the big bads of this world. Can't wait till the sequel comes out!!!!!!!
hannah gave it a4:
This was the saddest thing i've seen in so long....the only reason i watched it (several times) is because the guys were hot. Chace Crawford had about 20 words in the entire film, Steven Strait and Sabastian Stan were basically the same character, and they basically just strutted around half naked blabbering on about nothing. By the end, i had no idea what was going on, and why everything was happening, i watched it over and over, trying to figue out what evreyone was talking about (and they did alot of talking) at the nd of the day, all you can really hope for is a strange movie where you don't have to concentrate, and can just stare at some eye candy for 90 minutes.
Ashley gave it a10:
I really enjoyed this movie, i hope there is a sequel because it was thrilling and it had a great effects and the movie had a great plot.
Valerie P gave it an8:
I thought it was okay but what helped me get through it was the cute guys and the locker room scene. :)
