Theatrical Release Year: 2006
DVD Release Year: 2007
Director: Reny Harlin
Writer: J.S. Cardone
Starring: Steven Strait, Laura Ramsey, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, Chace Crawford, and Toby Hemingway
Length: 97 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures

The Covenant is an intriguing tale of the descendants of a 17th Century coven of witches. It revolves around Pogue Parry (Taylor Kitsch), Tyler Simms (Chace Crawford), and Reid Garwin (Toby Hemingway) who are lead by Caleb Danvers (Steven Strait) and are collectively known as the Sons of Ipswich, representing four of the five founding families of the town. The fifth family was rumored to have been driven off for violating a covenant of silence the coven made to avoid persecution during the witch hunts of the time. Attending the elite and upper class Spencer Academy, the boys seem to be the popular clique… allowing others to look, but not see who they truly are as magic wielding warlocks.

With their powers comes not only the cliche’d great responsibility, but the absolute lure of addiction. However, their abilities are not for free use. The more their magic is used, the more addicting it becomes, and the quicker their bodies will age and eventually fail them. This underlying morality lesson of the dangers of drugs is something that is rarely seen told in such a compelling fashion.

A newcomer to the school, Chase Collins (Sebastian Stan), challenges their social dominance. The arrogance of the group is quickly lost when it is discovered that Chase isn’t like any of the other kids… but he is much more like the members of the coven. The fifth family has returned from their exile, and the battle for power begins in earnest.

While the special effects in the action scenes can be considered somewhat mediocre by today’s standards, there are a few scenes that are completely mind blowing. Unfortunately, chances are that you have already seen them in the trailer. The acting was solid, especially for what amounts to a cast of no names. The premise of the story is by far its strongest part. While I think they did a good job in getting the generalities out there… it would have been nice to have seen some more detail for no other reason than to fill the open gap as to why exactly Chase feels so slighted by those he has never met before.

Special Features

Audio commentary and a featurette are the big draws here. Well… who am I kidding… obviously no one saved any magic for the DVD because those are the ONLY draws. Watch the movie, and if you enjoy it that much then maybe you won’t have invested in a nice shiny coaster for the coffee table after all.

Popcorn’s Rating:

Recommendations:

A movie about addictive magic deserves an addictive magic like snack… Magic Mentos Mints are addictively tasty and magically make your bad breath disappear! Can you ask for anything more?

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