Review: Fede Alvarez’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ is Proper Scary Sci-Fi Horror
by Alex Billington
August 16, 2024
“Run!!” There’s a new Alien movie in town. Time to get everyone together to go to back to theater for a great time at the cinema watching something dark and scary. Alien: Romulus is the seventh movie in the sci-fi horror Alien franchise, following the original four Alien movies and the two Ridley Scott prequels from 2012 and 2017. There were also two other Alien vs. Predator movies, but we don’t really talk about those (save that convo for another time). FirstShowing was in its heyday during the releases of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and one thing I remember from when those two came out – most people are extremely critical of Alien movies. Yes, it’s an unquestionable fact that Alien and Aliens are two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. Alvarez’s new creation borrows from both, it’s literally set in between the two movies, and references them both in obvious and thrilling ways. I’m glad to say I enjoyed Alien: Romulus quite a bit. Much like Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey, it’s a properly entertaining, actually scary, supremely atmospheric one-off Alien movie.
Because both Alien and Aliens are held in such a high regard, everyone has their own set of standards and expectations when it comes to any other Alien movies after these two. We can debate & argue & discuss all of them for hours, which is one of the good things about this franchise. Alien: Romulus steps back from the more grandiose, “who made us?” philosophy of Ridley Scott’s two sequels, and instead shifts right back to Ridley Scott’s original 1979 classic. It’s set primarily on one spaceship – well, technically a small spaceship and also a derelict space station which is empty because, as you already know, some xenomorphs got loose and killed everyone. One key facet of the Alien franchise is that most of the main characters are incredibly stupid and make mistake after mistake leading to their demise. This is a feature, not a bug, going all the way back to first Alien when Ripley (and maybe also Ash) was the only one on the crew who could outsmart the creature. This is especially evident in Romulus, as the group of teenagers (they’re not even a crew this time) are some of the dumbest ever in this sci-fi franchise. However, as horror fans have already pointed out, this is Fede Alvarez paying homage to 80s summer camp slashers where a bunch of dumb teens get slashed up.
This time around there are, like the original, two characters that might just be smart enough to make it out – another android and a female human being. Cailee Spaeny stars as Rain, and David Jonsson (from the wonderful Rye Lane) stars as Andy, her robot pal. Technically he’s not her brother, but she treats him like her brother. He’s an entirely new kind of android different from the Ash or David or Walter or Call models we’ve seen before. He’s my favorite character in the whole movie, his innocence is adorable, and Jonsson’s performance is phenomenal. As with any Alien movie, it takes a while to figure out what kind of android he is (good? bad? suspicious? helpful?) but once he settles in it’s a near perfect performance as an android that deserves the love he’s getting so far. Much like Michael Fassbender’s David/Walter, the android once again stands out and is involved in a number of the more nuanced ethical and moral choices in the movie. There’s also another surprise character that everyone is talking about, but rather than spoil that now, we can argue about it later. His appearance never bothered me, even though there are a few flaws, I think his importance to the story (in the grand scheme of the Alien sci-fi universe) is more interesting than any other criticisms.
Above all else, the look and feel of this thing is gorgeous. Not only does it have spectacular sci-fi elements to it, including having the icy rings of a mining planet play a major role in the story, but the distinctly realistic feel makes it all the more believable. The blend of massive practical sets and VFX filler works wonderfully. Alvarez successfully hearkens back to the gritty, analog, “old school” tech roots of the Alien franchise, with clunky computers and flashing lights galore. The sets and sounds and xenomorphs and world building and atmosphere are all top notch. Even though I have some issues with the overall story structure and the way it plays out, it’s hard to find anything to complain about regarding how Alien: Romulus looks and feels and sounds. I want to go back and visit this world. Right now. Maybe I don’t want to live on this planet or in this space station, but as a sci-fi geek, I was enamored with the whole entire sci-fi vibe of this movie. This is what makes it all worth it. Compared to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s steam-filled Alien: Resurrection, the set design and cinematography in Romulus is so much better, sometimes reminding me of Blade Runner more than Alien.
I need to watch Alien: Romulus a few more times to get a better sense for where I’d rank it in the franchise, but my initial feeling is that I actually do like it slightly more than both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. I prefer this movie being a simple story of humans on a space station trying to escape from the xenomorphs. The third act is pure nightmare fuel, which is cliche to say nowadays, but this seriously deserves that label. It’s a tad goofy, I rolled my eyes at first, but eventually I was grasping my arm rests and holding my breath. Romulus is legitimately scary in a few spots, which is not easy to pull off anymore… It’s also entertaining and engaging throughout. And the franchise’s philosophy and contemplative ideas are still there, regarding immoral androids and evil corporations and humanity’s existence in space. I do not care that it doesn’t “do something new”, as I’ve seen some critics complain about. Alvarez isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, he just wants to bring us on another xenomorph thrill ride again. He gets to let his gory slasher horror side flourish while his love for the original movies shines through as well. Not everyone will agree, of course, but I’m glad to say Romulus is terrific. I can’t wait to watch it again late at night to see if it rocks a second time around.
Alex’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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