Alien: Covenant (2017)

Alien: Covenant, the follow-up to Prometheus (2012) begins with a disaster on board the colony ship Covenant, bound for a new and distant planet.  Many of the colonists and crew are killed, but there is a glimmer of hope in the discovery of a much closer Earth-like planet.  The crew decide to examine the planet closer, and make some startling discoveries.  After some horrifically disastrous contact with a dangerous alien spore, the Covenant's crew are taken in by the android David (Michael Fassbender), last survivor of the Prometheus.  The crew discovers that in his time on the planet, David has become something of a Dr. Moreau type, experimenting with the title creatures and refining them into the fearsome killing machines we see in later films.  After this point, the movie follows some familiar patterns, as the crew on the planet fight to survive while the others still aboard the Covenant desperately try to make contact with them.
As befits Ridley Scott's return to the Alien franchise, Alien: Covenant contains a good helping of thrills and tension, as well as a few gruesome shock scenes.  While the crew of the Covenant don't have the deepest characters in cinema, there is enough detail to make them distinctive and memorable.  In particular, I enjoyed watching Daniels (Katherine Waterston), who seems built for a crisis situation, and shares many personality traits with the more famous Ellen Ripley.  Also notable is acting-captain Tennessee (Danny McBride), who goes through a range of emotions over the course of the movie.  Finally, Michael Fassbender gives a very impressive performance, playing both David and the Covenant's android crew member Walter.  Although the two characters are essentially the same, Fassbender plays them with enough variation that they appear different in subtle ways.
The visual effects are about what's to be expected for an Alien film, although it does seem to lean a little more on the side of CGI effects over the physical element.  That being said, it makes the scary moments no less scary for it.  This atmosphere is helped along by the moody, synthetic sounding score of Jed Kurzel.
There are some philosophical and religious undertones to Covenant, but they seem to serve as a framework that the film is built on rather than communicating any sort of deeper message. (apart from the obvious 'don't play God' themes)  This is a welcome relief and contrast from the uproar Prometheus caused in some political/religious groups back in 2012.
If you were to ask me if Alien: Covenant is a good movie, I'd say yes.  However, if you were to ask me if it's better than Alien, I would question the reasoning of your comparison.  The fact is, there is never going to be another movie that matches the tone and style that Alien created, as much as some fans might want that.  Alien: Covenant is a good piece of sci-fi horror, and an interesting addition to the Alien canon.  Of course, if you'd rather just see Alien again, I suggest you stay home and let other people enjoy the movie.