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Movies / On DVD / The Covenant
The Covenant

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The Covenant (2006)

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Reviews Counted:17

Fresh:0

Rotten:17

Average Rating:2.9/10

Consensus: The Covenant plays out like a teen soap opera, full of pretty faces, wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense.

Rated: PG-13 [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:Sep 8, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $23,292,105

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

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Release:

Sep 2, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • To the students of the Spenser Academy, the Sons of Ipswich are the baddest boys on campus. But that's not all they share. The four friends also share a 300-year-old secret: they're warlocks, the teenage descendants of a 17th-century coven of witches. So when the long-banished fifth son suddenly appears and threatens to kill their loved ones, they realize they must face their enemy in order to prevent him from stealing their powers and shattering the covenant forever.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for The Covenant

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    1 - 17 (sorted by date)
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    [A] muddled and most unmagical offering.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    09/30/06
    Justin Chang
    Justin Chang
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There is not a scary scene in the whole movie.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    09/15/06
    Stephen Cole
    Stephen Cole
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This is cobbled-together teenybopper tripe about feuding male witches with nothing to offer but classic bad dialogue.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    09/13/06
    Gregory Kirschling
    Gregory Kirschling
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The Covenant is just a copycat.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    09/13/06
    Stephen Williams
    Stephen Williams
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Movies like this are why we have eyelids.

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    09/13/06
    Colin Covert
    Colin Covert
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No one has bothered to develop a coherent story or remotely likable characters to sustain the CGI effects, ear-splitting music, and hyperactive editing.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    09/13/06
    Reece Pendleton
    Reece Pendleton
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Anyone with half a brain is not this movie's target audience.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    09/13/06
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... a supernatural teen drama that wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to pay good money to see it.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    09/12/06
    Peter Hartlaub
    Peter Hartlaub
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [An] eardrum-punishing, uninspired composite of X-Men and the Harry Potter series ...

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The Covenant has excellent special effects (spiders and specters, oh my!), but it is strikingly lacking in suspense.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    David Hiltbrand
    David Hiltbrand
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... as chilling as a steam shower.

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Lisa Rose
    Lisa Rose
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... if this mild teen thriller were a cigarette, it would be a Salem light.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Kyle Smith
    Kyle Smith
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's super lame.

    comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Nathan Lee
    Nathan Lee
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... profoundly mediocre ...

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The Covenant is a terrible movie, a bucket of water on the teen-witch genre.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Michael Ordoņa
    Michael Ordoņa
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... Covenant is devoid of any real scares.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Frank Scheck
    Frank Scheck
    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    All that's truly scary about The Covenant are the words that appear before the title: 'A Renny Harlin Film.'

    Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
    09/10/06
    Christy Lemire
    Christy Lemire
    Associated Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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