Alien: Romulus – Movie Review (4/5)

ALIEN: ROMULUS is the latest film in the ALIEN sci-fi horror franchise, and the horror element is at the forefront. A few bits here and there are misses, but the story works, so you’ll want to watch this in a movie theater. Read our Alien: Romulus movie review here!

ALIEN: ROMULUS is out in theaters, and you do not want to miss out on the latest installment in the sci-fi horror franchise. The story takes place in 2142, so we’re around 20 years after Alien (1979) and 37 years before Aliens (1986).

The vast majority of the film takes place in outer space aboard a space station, so in that sense, the film leans heavily into the vibe of the first film from 1979. There are a few elements that fall through, but it’s clearly “fan service”, and overall the story is well executed.

Continue reading our Alien: Romulus review below. Find it in Theaters from August 16, 2024.

The rebellious youth

In Alien: Romulus, we follow a group of young people who all want a better life. They’re on a gray and barren planet where the sun never shines. However, if they “just” work X number of hours, they will get the opportunity to travel to a better planet.

However, the rules of the game change all the time, so it doesn’t work out. As soon as they meet the requirements to travel to better places, their quota is changed and they have to spend a few more years (or five) on the current planet.

The director of Alien: Romulus has stated that the idea for this film came from a deleted scene from Aliens. In the scene, you see a group of teenagers running around on this sad planet. This made him wonder about their lives when they reached their 20s.

In the latest chapter of the Alien sci-fi horror franchise, we’re following a group of young space colonists as they discover a possible way off of this barren planet. An abandoned space station drifts around close enough that they can reach it via a freighter.

This way they can try to move on to another planet – leave behind all worries of meeting quotas, and finally see the sun.

It works for me that these young people do what it takes in their pursuit of a better life. Also, this matches what the younger generations are feeling right now in our real world. Obviously not a coincidence. Often, fiction and art can be inspired by real-life facts.

Facehuggers and Xenomorphs galore

As already mentioned, horror is prevalent in Alien: Romulus. It takes around 45 minutes to introduce the core characters and set the stage, but then things get wild and crazy really fast.

I didn’t scream during the screening, but I definitely jumped in my seat. More than once!

There are so many Facehuggers or Xenomorphs during this movie. And yes, the story does explain how and why this is the case. We also meet a character from the very first Alien film.

Of course, this does require a bit of computer magic, which I don’t think works perfectly. Unfortunately. On the other hand, it works well for the story, so I live with the visual shortcomings.

Also, the visual issues with effect are only concerning this one character. Everything with Facehuggers and Xenomorphs works super well. And there are a lot of them. It’s awesome!

Parasites and reproductive organs

If you haven’t thought too much about how a Facehugger “plants” its parasite seed in a human, then I promise you, it will be very clear and visual now. The same must be said about the transition to an actual Xenopmorph.

Admittedly, I am blessed with a dirty mind, but I feel confident that most people will find it impossible not to think of other (very human) organs when they watch these scenes.

They are clearly visual counterparts of human reproductive organs. You will see this over and over throughout the last half of the film. And it results in a scene that I can then only conclude has been foreshadowed by this.

The ending also offers several moments that I can’t help but call “fan service”. Now, I love fan service when it’s done right. For Alien: Romulus, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Their heart is in the right place, but the attempts aren’t always sticking to their landing. So to speak.

And while we don’t get a new Ellen Ripley with this film, Cailee Spaeny (Devs) is highly effective and believable in the lead role of Rain. Overall, however, this is much more of a title character movie than a focus on the human characters.

Okay, fine, it’s both!

Watch Alien: Romulus in theaters!

A true master of horror is behind this new sci-fi horror film. Director Fede Alvarez directed this latest Alien endeavor and I hope he will be making more movies in the Alien franchise.

He previously directed Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016). Also, he wrote the script for Alien: Romulus with his regular writing partner Rodo Sayagues Mendez.

The director of the first Alien, Ridley Scott, is of course also still on board as a producer. He most recently directed an Alien movie with Alien: Covenant (2017).

In addition to Cailee Spaeny in the lead role, David Jonsson plays a key role. The rest of the young rebels are played by Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. As I said, there is also a familiar face from Alien (1979), but to avoid spoilers, I won’t say it here.

From the very first moment, when the 20th Century Studios intro leads into an Alien vibe, I knew we were back in the original vein of the franchise. Not least via the silence, which immediately made me think of “In space, no one can hear you scream”. Simply delicious!

Also, the score is just perfect as it consists of choir voices that sound like something from Dante’s Inferno. It is terrifying and supports the visual images gorgeously.

Alien: Romulus is out in theaters from August 16, 2024.

Details

Director: Fede Álvarez
Writers: Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues Mendez
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu