The Covenant (2006)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writer (WGA):

J.S. Cardone (written by)

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Only the power of hell can help them.

Plot:

Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died out. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart.

Plot Keywords:

Warlock | Magic | Massachusetts | High School | School

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
Christian Baril	...	Dead Teenage Boy
Basia Jasinski	...	Nicky's Bar Waitress (as Barbara Basia-Jasinski)
Rob Burns	...	Mr. Pennyworth
Robert Crooks	...	Ryan Bael

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, sexual content, partial nudity and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41452) | Malaysia:U | Norway:15 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:12 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:13V

Filming Locations:

Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

The outdoor shots of Spenser Academy were made at Bishop's University, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, filmed in the fall of 2005. The director had to compromise on many of the shots as it rained for much of the duration of filming.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The string on Steven Strait's harness is visible during the battle in the barn when Caleb and Chase are throwing farm equipment at each other.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reid Garwin: What's up fellas?
Tyler Sims: Where were you? I stopped by to give you a lift.
Reid Garwin: Had things to do. How's the party?
Pogue Parry: Don't know. Just got here.
Reid Garwin: Well hell boys,
[eyes go black]
Reid Garwin: let's drop in.
[jumps off cliff]
Tyler Sims: Shit, yeah!
[jumps off cliff as well]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Breaking the Silence: Exposing the Covenant (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Desperate Hearts

Very Entertaining, But Could Be Much Better

In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families of powerful witches commit to a covenant of silence to protect themselves against the witch hunters, but one of the families transgress their pact and is banished from their lands. Along the centuries, the power and the covenant are transmitted through their descendants and when the eldest son is eighteen years old, he ascends to a higher power. However, the use of magic addicts and if used in excess, ages the warlock. In the present days, four wizards teenage friends are in high school and their leader Caleb Danvers (Steven Strait) is close to his eighteenth birthday and consequently to ascend. He has just met Sarah Wenham (Laura Ramsey) and they are dating, when the appearance of darkling and supernatural dreams haunt the group. Sooner they find an evil warlock, descendant of the fifth ancient family that wants to strip Caleb's power.

I liked "The Covenant", a supernatural teenager movie in the style of "Angel", Buffy", "Charmed" or "Supernatural". This film has good special effects, but the story and characters are not well-developed and some lines are terrible. The acting is only reasonable, but Laura Ramsey is extremely beautiful and natural in her great performance, and I liked this unknown actress. In the end, I found "The Covenant" very entertaining, but could be better and better with minor improvements in the screenplay. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Pacto" ("The Covenant")