... this falls well short of the Buffy-level resonances at which [Harlin] was presumably aiming.
The Covenant (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:69
Fresh:2
Rotten:67
Average Rating:2.8/10
Consensus: The Covenant plays out like a teen soap opera, full of pretty faces, wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, sexual content, partial nudity and language
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:08-12-2006
Synopsis: Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2, DEEP BLUE SEA) directs this supernatural thriller about descendants of powerful New England families. The sons of Ipswich are legendary at Spenser Academy, the local... Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2, DEEP BLUE SEA) directs this supernatural thriller about descendants of powerful New England families. The sons of Ipswich are legendary at Spenser Academy, the local boarding school. Handsome and popular, these four teenage friends can trace their roots to the founding families of the Ipswich Colony, settled in the late 1600s. For years these Massachusetts families have harbored the secret that they possess supernatural powers. Their descendants--Caleb (Steven Strait), Reid (Toby Hemingway), Tyler (Chace Crawford), and Pogue (Taylor Kitsch)--have inherited magical powers that first manifested themselves when the boys turned 13 years old. In a nutshell, they can do anything. As they approach their 18th birthdays, they are preparing to "ascend," which means their powers will grow stronger. The downside? The magic is seductive and addictive, and causes premature aging with each use. Ringleader Caleb tries to keep his friends from using magic recklessly, but as the school year begins, strange events and a strong gut instinct convince Caleb that someone is using very powerful magic. Meanwhile, Caleb is exploring his newfound affection for transfer student Sarah (Laura Ramsey). To Caleb's dismay, Sarah becomes a pawn in a power struggle with a descendant of the fifth founding family of Ipswich, a line thought to be lost during Salem's witch trials. Is Caleb strong enough to maintain his power and keep his family and friends safe, or will he yield to this new threat and sacrifice himself? The film draws interesting parallels between the luring, addictive power of magic and the addictions real teenagers face. The sufficiently creepy setting echoes New England and sets the stage for supernatural phenomena. THE COVENANT also stars Sebastian Stan as Chase Collins, a wealthy newcomer to Spenser, and Jessica Lucas as Kate, Sarah's roommate and Pogue's girlfriend. [More]
Starring: Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford
Starring: Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford, Jessica Lucas, Laura Ramsey
Director: Renny Harlin
Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: J.S. Cardone
Producer: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Andre Lamal
Composer: Tomandandy
Reviews for The Covenant
The Covenant looks less like a movie and more like an extended boy band video -- and with about the same amount of depth.
Flying scenes, frat-boy face-offs and pyrotechnic punch-ups are punctuated by excruciating expository dialogue.
A patently silly supernatural teen drama, in which a bunch of Young Hollywood types flex their abs and aim their perfectly-calibrated glances at each other.
Daft but nonetheless enjoyable supernatural thriller, featuring some hilariously bad dialogue, impressive special effects and some genuinely creepy scenes.
Director Renny Harlin helms like a bat out of hell, and obviously doesn't know a pentagram from a mammogram.
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.
Director Renny Harlin ("The Long Kiss Goodnight") phones in this thoughtless teen horror flick from screenwriter J.S. Cardone ("The Forsaken").
This forgettable supernatural-teen thriller is the kind of WB-style soap opera where the characters have names like Chase Collins and Reid Garwin.
It's a horror film for the MTV generation, a horror film for the audience of "Laguna Beach"...
The inclusion of a romantic subplot that feels as though it'd be more at home in a Harlequin novel...
O máximo que este O Pacto consegue é transformar-se, em seus instantes finais, em uma espécie de Mortal Kombat para imbecis. E, ainda assim, com dificuldade.
It's not a work of originality and the handheld camerawork gets tedious, but let's hope the message that power corrupts gets through
Terribly acted, shamelessly unoriginal and executed with little redeeming sense of humour.
"A truly lacklustre direct-to-video teen thriller filled with corny effects, chiseled jaw stares and a lot of hokum about Salem witchcraft"
More nonsensical than scary, THE COVENANT conjures a cautionary tale for prep school pretties.
The film is not at all suspenseful or creepy, and the cast was apparently chosen for looks rather than acting ability.
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