The Covenant (2006 film)

This article is about the 2006 film. For other uses, see Covenant (disambiguation).

The Covenant
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Renny Harlin
Written by	J. S. Cardone
Produced by	Gary Lucchesi Tom Rosenberg
Starring	Steven Strait Sebastian Stan Laura Ramsey Taylor Kitsch Toby Hemingway Jessica Lucas Chace Crawford Wendy Crewson
Cinematography	Pierre Gill
Edited by	Nicolas de Toth
Music by	Tomandandy
Distributed by	Screen Gems
Release date	September 8, 2006 (2006-09-08)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	United States Canada
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$37.6 million

The Covenant (sometimes stylized as THE COVENAN+) is a 2006 American supernatural horror film written by J. S. Cardone, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, Taylor Kitsch, Jessica Lucas, Toby Hemingway and Chace Crawford. The film, despite receiving very negative reviews, was a moderate box office success.

Plot

In the town of Ipswich, four high school boys - Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler, together known as the Sons of Ipswich - are the descendants of colonial witch families and thus wield magical abilities which first manifest on their 13th birthday and grow stronger until they Ascend at 18. The Power is linked to their life force; the more they use, the faster they age. This becomes more dangerous as, upon Ascending, their powers reach their full strength and become so addictive, seductive as they say, that some cannot resist. Caleb - who is closest to his 18th birthday - exhibits restraint.

While attending a bonfire, Caleb meets Sarah, a transfer student from a public high school in Boston. The Sons also meet Chase Collins, a new student at Spencer Academy. Their meeting is cut short when cops appear to break up the party. The boys escape by using their combined power. After a student is found mysteriously dead near their campus, various paranormal occurrences take place, with Sarah and her roommate Kate being the focus of it. Upset, Caleb suspects Reid - the most reckless of the warlocks - but he angrily denies any abusive usage of his powers.

Caleb and later Pogue see a "darkling", a dead spirit and a malicious omen. Meanwhile, Caleb and Sarah quickly become romantically close. During a swim race, Caleb notices Chase, who had befriended the group, displaying magic usage. After researching, Caleb concludes that Chase descends from a fifth family, one believed long extinct, that he is the bastard son of Goodwin “Goody” Pope and that he is the true perpetrator. As the Sons discuss this revelation, Pogue learns that his girlfriend was rendered comatose by a spell. Enraged, he hastily challenges Chase, who swiftly hospitalizes him.

Caleb visits Sarah, only to fall into Chase's trap. Chase reveals that he was unaware of his magic's origin, having been adopted. After locating his biological father, he learned of the price for Ascension; but it was too late and he has become too addicted to using magic. His biological father then transferred power to him. Chase wants to force other "Ascended" witches to transfer power to him as well, starting with Caleb. Despite Caleb's warning that having more power does not save him from aging to death, Chase ignores him. Before leaving, Chase threatens harm on Caleb's family and friends if he does not get what he wants. Caleb reveals the truth to Sarah and takes her to his father, a man of 44 years with a decrepit old body, exhausted from magic abuse. When Sarah suggests that one of the other three transfer their power to Caleb so he could evenly match Chase, Caleb immediately refuses, explaining that doing so will cost them all their lives.

On the night of Caleb's 18th birthday, he leaves to face Chase alone and has Reid and Tyler safeguard Sarah in public. However, Chase easily kidnaps Sarah. At an old barn, the two confront each other. Chase reveals a spellbound Sarah and gives Caleb an ultimatum of his life for hers. Caleb declares he will not will his power away or let Sarah come to harm. They duel and Caleb is clearly outmatched. At the exact minute of his birth, he Ascends and his power fully matures, which allows him to mount an offensive. However, as Chase has more than one magical share, he still proves superior and the temporary turn of tide does not last long. Back at home, Evelyn, Caleb's mother, begs her husband to save Caleb. He sacrifices himself and transfers his power remotely to his son. Once his father's power is infused within him, Caleb hits Chase with a final blow that engulfs him in a ball of flame. Sarah, Kate and Pogue awaken, freed from their curses.

Firefighters arrive on the scene. Caleb and Sarah wait until inspection of the barn's wreckage is complete; they are informed that a third person was not found, suggesting that Chase somehow survived and escaped. The pair get into Caleb's car and he casually uses magic to fix the busted windshield, which seems visibly unsettling to Sarah. He reassuringly holds her hand and they drive off.

Cast

• Steven Strait as Caleb Danvers - the main protagonist; one of the four Sons of Ipswich, he attends Spenser Academy along with the other Sons and is the oldest and most responsible and protective of the four. He is very cautious about using the Power, due to the effect it has had on his father, and is the first to Ascend.
• Sebastian Stan as Chase Collins - A new student at Spenser who befriends the Sons of Ipswich, and is the film's main antagonist.
• Laura Ramsey as Sarah Wenham - A new student at Spencer who transfers from a Boston public school and Caleb's love interest and Jessica's friend.
• Taylor Kitsch as Pogue Harry - One of the four Sons of Ipswich; the oldest after Caleb and his best friend, he's also Kate's boyfriend.
• Jessica Lucas as Kate Tunney - Sarah's roommate and Pogue's girlfriend.
• Toby Hemingway as Reid Garwin - One of the four Sons of Ipswich and the most reckless and sassiest of the four, who often butts heads with Caleb.
• Chace Crawford as Tyler Simms - One of the four Sons of Ipswich; the youngest of the four, who is the closest to Reid and usually takes his side.
• Kyle Schmid as Aaron Abbot - A pompous student and jock.
• Sarah Smyth as Kira Snider - A snobby student and Aaron's girlfriend.
• Wendy Crewson as Evelyn Danvers - Caleb's alcoholic mother, who worries about her son Ascending and becoming like his father.
• Stephen McHattie as William Danvers III - Caleb's father.
• Kenneth Welsh as Provost Higgins - Head of Spenser Academy.
• Jon McLaren as Bordy Becklin
• Steven Crowder as Party Kid

Release

A comic book prequel to the movie was released by Top Cow Comics.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 4% based on 72 reviews, and an average rating of 2.84/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Covenant plays out like a teen soap opera, full of pretty faces, wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense." The film is also the site's "Worst of the Worst" list, ranking 31st. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 19 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office

Upon its release in the United States, the film managed to top the box office charts with a $8.9 million opening on what was called a "weak" weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, The Covenant earned $23.3 million in the U.S. and $13.9 million in other territories for a total of $37.3 million worldwide). The film cost roughly $20 million to produce, not including marketing.

Home media

The Covenant was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 2, 2007. It went on to sell 1,618,891 units, which translated to revenue of $26,578,576.

See also

• The Craft (1996 film)

External links

• Official website
• The Covenant at IMDb
• The Covenant at Box Office Mojo
• The Covenant at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Covenant at Metacritic