The Alien franchise has had an enduring history over the years since Ridley Scott’s original 1979 film, branching off into multiple sequels, crossovers, and spin-offs. Nothing matched the success of the first sequel Aliens, which offered the perfect blend of action and horror that far succeeded the first film. With a lot riding on it, Alien: Romulus honors the legacy of what came before by bringing the horror back into the franchise and relying on old-school techniques to give audiences a perfect escape into the creepy parts of space. With Fede Alvarez at the helm, this latest installment is a visually stunning and narrative-driven horror flick that should impress fans of the franchise.
Alien: Romulus follows a small crew of mining laborers as they make a trip to an abandoned space station to gather some cryosleep pods in order to escape to a better future on a hospitable planet. Audiences are introduced to our young heroine Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic sibling Andy (David Jonsson) as they join this group with a promise of a better life for themselves. With a wrecked spaceship in the middle of nowhere, danger lurks at every turn as these young people come across facehuggers and the Xenomorphs themselves. It is a fight for survival as everyone tries to make it out alive before they become prey to the extraterrestrial apex monsters.
What is great about Alien: Romulus is the way it was made through film techniques that were used in the earlier movies. The production design is very reminiscent of the first film as it matches up with the aesthetic of the classic TVs and retro control stations. As it takes place between Alien and Aliens, the camera angles and the sets look almost the same and feel quite nostalgic. Even the use of practical effects with the creatures is pretty impressive, making them just as terrifying on screen. The idea of having a catastrophic environment in space become the scariest place to be is what made these films a pure adrenaline rush, so seeing that utilized in Alien: Romulus is a big plus.
Among the cast, Cailee Spaeny leads with an incredible performance as Rain. Her sibling relationship with David Jonsson’s character Andy is a major driving force in the film. Audiences get to see their dynamic evolve throughout the whole plot, something that has never been touched in the franchise when portraying an artificial being as most of their roles have been antagonistic. Spaeny gives a powerful act as a young girl looking to escape her predicament but ultimately faces the consequences of her decision with her friends as they fight for survival. Jonsson’s performance as Andy is quite effective playing off an android stuck between his loyalty to Rain and Weyland-Yutani’s programming, who still functions as the evil corporation in the franchise. The actor gives off a similar performance to Michael Fassbender’s David in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but also shows a different perspective on his sibling relationship with Rain.
After many Alien films that have come before this latest installment, the challenge for Fede Alvarez is how to keep the film entertaining without messing up the formula. The good news is that the Don’t Breathe director has found a way to stick to the basics while also creating inventive ways to make these creatures just as terrifying. A great action sequence involving zero gravity works really well to showcase the Xenomorphs in their most deadly form. Audiences don’t just get one creature as this cast of characters has to deal with a whole swarm of them in this deserted space station. The final act might end up dividing people with its cross-breed showdown, but the rest of the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel by staying on course to deliver what essentially is a haunted horror film in space.
Alien: Romulus ultimately is a pure horror film all the way through and it is a great piece of filmmaking from Fede Alvarez. By going back to basics, this installment gives what fans want in the franchise by becoming a pure escape into a thrill ride. There are some flaws that may put audiences off a bit with some CGI involved, but it doesn’t take away the fact that this movie delivers on giving a terrifying experience full of gore and blood. Alverez gives the best parts from the franchise, creating a scary atmosphere to experience in the theater. The film really helps build off its own legacy without relying too heavily on nostalgia. With a talented young cast and great production design, Alien: Romulus is a great addition to the growing mythology that pays homage while keeping things fresh to keep audiences on their toes and at the edge of their seat.
Alien: Romulus is now playing in theaters.
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