The Covenant (film)
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| The Covenant | |
 Theatrical Release Poster |
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| Directed by | Renny Harlin |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Gary Lucchesi Tom Rosenberg |
| Written by | J. S. Cardone |
| Starring | Steven Strait Sebastian Stan Laura Ramsey Taylor Kitsch Toby Hemingway Jessica Lucas Chace Crawford Kyle Schmid |
| Music by | Tomandandy |
| Cinematography | Pierre Gill |
| Editing by | Nicolas de Toth |
| Distributed by | Screen Gems |
| Release date(s) |   September 8, 2006 October 12, 2006 |
| Running time | 1 hr 37 min |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Gross revenue | $37,597,471 |
The Covenant is a 2006 supernatural thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by J. S. Cardone.
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[edit] Plot Summary
In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families with magical abilities, referred to as "the Power", form a covenant of silence to protect themselves from persecution. Four of the five bloodlines survive to this day; one family, lusting for more power, was banished, their bloodline disappearing without a trace until now.
The Covenant tells the story of the Sons of Ipswich, four young students at the elite Spenser Academy who are bound by their sacred ancestry. As descendants of the original families that settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600s, the boys have all been given amazing supernatural powers.
But their ability to shape-shift, defy gravity and perform superhuman feats of strength comes at a terrible cost: every time one of the Sons of Ipswich uses his magical powers, he ages prematurely, and the temptation to abuse the power makes it more addictive than any drug. What's more, life is only going to get harder for the young friends; at the moment each boy turns 18, he will "ascend," gaining far more potent—and addictive—powers.
With Caleb's birthday just a few days away, his mother Evelyn (Wendy Crewson) is terrified her son will find it impossible to resist the lure of power like his father before him. Caleb assures her he'll be able to handle his new abilities. But will he really? And what if he needs his power to fight an evil force that threatens everything he loves?
As the new school year begins at Spenser Academy, students have gathered for a wild outdoor party to mark the end of summer. Hundreds of feet above the gyrating bodies, Caleb Danvers (Steven Strait) and his three best friends walk to the edge of a dizzying precipice and drop unseen and unscathed before casually joining the fray. At the party, gorgeous newcomer Sarah Wenham (Laura Ramsey) is introduced to the boys by her equally stunning roommate Kate (Jessica Lucas). The girls also meet an intriguing transfer student named Chase Collins (Sebastian Stan), who quickly ingratiates himself into the group.
When the police arrive to disperse the partiers, they discover the body of a student, dead of an apparent drug overdose. The school headmaster (Kenneth Walsh) immediately suspects Caleb and his friends are somehow involved. Meanwhile, as Sarah, a former Boston public-school student, tries to adjust to dorm life at the elite prep school, she can't shake the creepy feeling that someone—or something—is watching her every move.
Unaware of the danger that lies ahead, Caleb continues life, as normal as possible, until danger finally starts showing and its up the Caleb and his friends to figure out whats going on, before its to late.
[edit] Cast
Steven Strait ... Caleb Danvers
Laura Ramsey ... Sarah Wenham
Sebastian Stan ... Chase Collins
Taylor Kitsch ... Pogue Parry
Chace Crawford ... Tyler Simms
Toby Hemingway ... Reid Garwin
Jessica Lucas ... Kate Tunney
Kyle Schmid ... Aaron Abbot
Wendy Crewson ... Evelyn Danvers
Stephen McHattie ... James Danvers
Kenneth Welsh ... Provost Higgins
[edit] Other media
Despite the popular misconception, The Covenant is not based on a comic-book title. According to the dvd's special features it is based on a novel by Aron Coleite featuring the Ipswich boys when they first get their powers, except instead of having Tyler, there is Miller. The confusion comes from the fact that Sony had a comic-book of the same name created for the purposes of promoting the movie. Neither the authors of the comic-book miniseries nor Top Cow Comics is mentioned in the movies’ credit sequences, so the comic-book miniseries is not regarded as source material by the makers of this movie.[1]
[edit] Reception
The Covenant was widely panned by critics, getting a 3% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Upon its release in the United States, the film still managed to top the box office charts with a $9,000,000 opening on what was called a "weak" weekend.[3]
As of October 15, 2006, The Covenant has earned $23,292,105 in the US (Worldwide:$37,256,954). The film cost roughly $20 million to produce, not including marketing.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "From Film To Comics: Coleite & Rodriguez tackle "The Covenant"". Comic Book Resources. July 8, 2005. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=5305. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Review at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ 'Covenant' Hovers Over Weak Weekend
- ^ The Covenant (2006) - Box office / business
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Invincible |
Box office number-one films of 2006 (USA) September 10, 2006 |
Succeeded by Gridiron Gang |
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