The Covenant (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Covenant

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caption = Theatrical Release Poster
director = Renny Harlin
producer = Gary Lucchesi Tom Rosenberg
writer = J. S. Cardone
starring = Steven Strait Sebastian Stan Laura Ramsey Taylor Kitsch Toby Hemingway Jessica Lucas Chace Crawford
Kyle Schmid
music = Tomandandy
cinematography = Pierre Gill
editing = Nicolas de Toth
distributor = Screen Gems
released =
runtime = 1 hr 37 min
country = U.S.
awards =
language = English
budget = $20 million
Release Date: September 8th, 2006 (wide)
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:334173
imdb_id = 0475944

"The Covenant" is a 2006 horror/thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by J. S. Cardone.

tory

In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families with magical abilities, referred to as "the Power", formed 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, by the right of their heritage.

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.

With tensions rising at the school, Caleb and his friends close ranks. Although they appear to be normal teenagers, they share an unspoken bond: Not only are they descendants of the original families that settled Ipswich Colony around the time of the Salem witch trials, they also inherited their ancestors' 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?

The Sons of Ipswich

*Caleb DanversCaleb Danvers, played by Steven Strait, is the captain of Spencer Academy's swimming team. He is the oldest of "The Sons of Ipswich" and the only child of William and Evelyn Danvers. He is exceptionally competitive and expects nothing other than the best from himself. A star student and freestyle champion, his future is lined with his intelligence, hard work and strong will to win. Sarah Wenham is his girlfriend, whom he met while attending an end of summer party and quickly falls in love with her. He is the most cautious in the group and is always careful not to use his powers too much. However, the legacy of the Danvers family weighs heavily on him. Living at his big family estate, he harbors a dark secret which he eventually shares with Sarah. He is the only one of the four who has seen up close the terrifying effects of their growing abilities. Now as his 18th birthday approaches, Caleb's abilities will escalate and his powers will be beyond imagination.

*Pogue ParryPlayed by Taylor Kitsch, is the second oldest "Son of Ipswich". He is possessive of his longtime love, girlfriend Kate Tunney and gets jealous of her talking to other guys. He's usually rude and disorderly when not in the company of Caleb. As the only son of one of Ipswich's most well-known families, much is expected from him. However, he is an average student and lacks academic interest. When he is not with girlfriend Kate, he spends his free time riding his beloved motorcycle in ways that would make the most reckless daredevils stare in awe. Pogue is an adamant friend no matter what or how tough the situation. He tends to pair off with Caleb.

*Reid GarwinDeceitful and roguish Reid Garwin, played by Toby Hemingway, is the third oldest "Son of Ipswich". He is a brash and a persistent practical joker. He is always looking to stir up trouble, he even gets into a fight with Caleb for picking a fight in a bar. He also finds Sarah attractive and becomes jealous of Caleb but backs off when their secret is at risk. He enjoys using his powers more, perhaps excessively more, than anybody else in the group. However, he isn't a rebel and does look up to Caleb to help him out of messes. Although he is reckless, he is very loyal to his friends.

*Tyler SimmsThe youngest of the Sons of Ipswich, Tyler, played by Chace Crawford, is shy and quiet. He can act somewhat awkwardly in front of girls and tends to pair off with Reid. He also has a new Hummer which he is very proud of. He is uncomfortable around tension and has a tendency to state the obvious once in a while. He also looks up to Caleb and is very loyal to his brothers of Ipswich.

Other media

Despite the popular misconception, The Covenant is not based on a novel, graphic novel or any comic-book title. The confusion comes from the fact that Sony had a comic-book of the same name created for the purposes of promoting the movie. Just prior to the release of this movie, Top Cow Comics printed a four part comic-book miniseries by Aron Coleite and Tone Rodriguez titled ‘The Covenant’. 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. []

Reception

"The Covenant" was widely panned by critics, getting a 3% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/covenant/] 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. [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2153&p=.htm 'Covenant' Hovers Over Weak Weekend ] ]

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. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475944/business The Covenant (2006) - Box office / business ] ]

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0475944|title=The Covenant
* [http://www.jointhecovenant.com Official Site of "The Covenant"]

Box Office Leaders USA
before = Invincible
date=September 10
year = 2006
after = Gridiron Gang