After seeing the previews for this, I went in expecting to see something like a slightly cheesier version of "The Craft," but with boys, and I wasn't disappointed. At the most basic level, the premise is similar: four teenagers at a private school dabbling in supernatural power/magic. However, while "The Craft" is by no means a brilliant film, the writing and acting are both substantially better than what's seen in "The Covenant."
The story has a lot of potential, but it's not very well presented. There's very little explained before the last 30-45 minutes of the movie, and even then there's very little of the background explained. Combined with the poorly written script, this makes it difficult to develop and real interest in the characters. The protagonist (Caleb Danvers, played by Steven Strait) comes across as unrealistic, and the antagonist (Chase Collins, played by Sebastian Stan) as annoying at best. And Sarah (played by Laura Ramsey) is little more than a plot device.
And despite claims to being a horror movie/thriller, there's really nothing scary about it- unless you've got a fear of badly written dialog and cheesy special effects.
With all this in mind, it does have some redeeming qualities. There's plenty of eye-candy: all of the leads are gorgeous, and the boys spend a considerable part of the film shirtless. And there are a few moments that make for a good (if unintended) laugh. Over all, it's entertaining. Not that bad for a PG-13 movie with a target audience of young teenagers- but I'd recommend either catching a matinée or waiting for the DVD to arrive at your local Blockbuster.
The story has a lot of potential, but it's not very well presented. There's very little explained before the last 30-45 minutes of the movie, and even then there's very little of the background explained. Combined with the poorly written script, this makes it difficult to develop and real interest in the characters. The protagonist (Caleb Danvers, played by Steven Strait) comes across as unrealistic, and the antagonist (Chase Collins, played by Sebastian Stan) as annoying at best. And Sarah (played by Laura Ramsey) is little more than a plot device.
And despite claims to being a horror movie/thriller, there's really nothing scary about it- unless you've got a fear of badly written dialog and cheesy special effects.
With all this in mind, it does have some redeeming qualities. There's plenty of eye-candy: all of the leads are gorgeous, and the boys spend a considerable part of the film shirtless. And there are a few moments that make for a good (if unintended) laugh. Over all, it's entertaining. Not that bad for a PG-13 movie with a target audience of young teenagers- but I'd recommend either catching a matinée or waiting for the DVD to arrive at your local Blockbuster.