‘Alien: Romulus’ is a Well-Executed Crowd Pleaser [Review]

To start, the Alien franchise, with its dense mythology and rich history, fucking rules. Alien, and all of the movies that succeeded it, have been such unique and genre-bending experiences for audiences for 45 years now. From straight up horror, to hard sci-fi, to romping action and even silly crossovers, the Alien franchise has been there and done it all. So many names like James Cameron, Walter Hill, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Damon Lindelof among many others, but especially the architect behind it all, Ridley Scott, have steered not only this franchise, but also the horror, science fiction, monster movie and action genres in a direction that has been monstrously influential to the movie industry as a whole. To say Alien might be the most influential franchise in all of those genres would not be an understatement, even with Star Wars existing. Alien projects will always make me perk up a little bit and pay attention, even though I am generally wary of legacy reboots and have been beaten down to the point where I am so weary of the results from these legacy reboots. Alien: Romulus made me perk up and pay attention. My wariness proved to be unfounded, but my weariness has never been more at an all time high. Let’s get into it…

Let’s begin with 20th Century Studios, formerly 20th Century Fox, as they have been extremely busy since Disney acquired the studio from Fox back in 2019. To preface, I believe that 20th Century is still one of the great major film studios in Hollywood. Over the last five years or so, even during these weird times for big budget movies, 20th Century Studios has consistently been providing consumers with quality product at a healthy rate. Some of my favorite genre movies in this post-pandemic landscape have been 20th Century movies. The Empty Man, No Exit, Barbarian and my favorite movie of 2023, No One Will Save You, are extremely good, wholly original movies that play for general audiences and horror heads alike. I love those movies, and I also really like some of the recent legacy prequels/sequels/reboots/remakes that have been a twice or thrice yearly tradition. West Side Story, Prey, Hellraiser and The First Omen are all extremely well-made and effectively inventive legacy prequels/sequels/reboots/remakes that actually have a reason to exist. The White Men Can’t Jump and the abominable Cheaper by the Dozen reboots are lazy and arrest-worthy crimes against humanity. So it’s hit-or-miss, but I’m mostly just concerned with the trend. I get it. The bread needs to be buttered. And the studios look at these intellectual properties like they are cows that need to be milked until they are milk-less cow corpses. It’s not a terrible strategy in theory to keep regurgitating properties that we know and have an expectation for going in. Especially if a movie from the past was great, then why can’t a new one be automatically just as great as long as we slap the name on the cover and call an ass a donkey. To put it bluntly, studios don’t really care if it’s great or not, and they think the audience is stupid. That’s just a fact. What may be a bridge too far is to say that the studios are even preying on the filmmaking communities’ reverence for these properties, and the filmmakers that preceded them, and that it is an obvious no brainer to take the $60-$100 million to make another new Predator movie, for example. It’s not like these filmmakers will get that kind of bread to make something original. Too risky. I say it all the time, the studio’s job is to mitigate risk, and what better way than to just keep going back to the same wells for water. Only issue with that, what happens when those wells are dry? God forbid they need to revert back to original material. And in my opinion by the way, these wells are dry. All we’re doing is going backwards and in-between stories and sometimes, but rarely, forwards. For whatever reason, us, the stupid audience, all we want to do is do the Leonardo DiCaprio/Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood point to the screen meme when watching movies. Well, maybe not actually, but that’s what they seem to think. Deadpool & Wolverine, albeit enjoyable, is literally just an homage to what has come before. Are we making movies or are we playing karaoke at this point? All this is to say Alien: Romulus is no different. Yes, it’s great. But to be honest, what are we doing here? Let’s get into it…

Alien: Romulus, from writer/director Fede Alvarez, takes place right smack dab in between Alien and Aliens, on the chronological timeline of the Alien universe. Alien: Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny as the Sigourney Weaver proxy lead character, Rain. The plot of Alien: Romulus is charmingly quite simple. Rain, her “brother” who is actually a synthetic human named Andy, played by David Jonsson, and a group of same-age friends, all from the same mining colony, including Rain’s ex-boyfriend, Tyler, played by Archie Renaux, as well as three others, Bjorn, Kay and Navarro, played by Spike Fearn, Isabela Merced and Aileen Wu, respectively, make up the rag-tag crew under the thumb of the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Seemingly on lifetime mining contracts, the group is desperate to escape a life in squalor on their colony. So, the group concocts a plan to intercept a semi-nearby spaceship for its Cryo chambers in order to make the nine-year journey to the paradise planet, Yvaga. One thing to note, I love the vastness of the Alien universe. The sheer size of its universe where it takes literal years to travel makes every setting seem so isolated and that much scarier. Space is scary, and with the context of its size, makes it all the more frightening. The group intercepts the spaceship they were after, but while looking for Cryo chambers, they unknowingly stumble upon the semi-recently decimated Nostromo spacecraft (from the original Alien), and all of the Xenomorphs and face-huggers on board. The rest of Alien: Romulus plays out like a classic escape-from-the-aliens movie, in the same jest as the original Alien. But with so many callbacks to almost each and every movie of the franchise, Alien: Romulus feels like a Greatest Hits album of the entire Alien franchise. I can’t wait to dive into the technical aspects, but to keep it to the plot, I actually felt some solace in the simplicity of Alien: Romulus. To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into any specifics, but as the group stumbles further and further down the rabbit hole, it was easy to follow along with where the plot was going, generally, which made it all the more satisfying when certain plot twists would happen to alter the direction. Some of the callbacks were fun, especially the deep cuts, but some were also very questionable and downright strange decisions to make. I have some qualms for later, but for now, I would say the plot as a whole is simple enough to bring in a larger audience, layered with enough easter eggs to satisfy(?) hardcore fans but overall, it doesn’t have the depth of some of the more recent Alien movies (Prometheus and Alien: Covenant). All of this to say Alien: Romulus is a ton of fun, but deep down, not at all interesting…

Fede Alvarez is no stranger to helming legacy reboots. Alvarez’s feature directorial career began with the reimagining of The Evil Dead, back in 2013, titled Evil Dead. Side note – I love when reboots of previous movies change the title ever so slightly enough that instead of it being ‘The Evil Dead’ it’s just ‘Evil Dead’. ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ becomes ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. I guess it is better than taking the exact same name of the movie it is reimagining, which is by far the most annoying thing of all time. I’ve long believed that shouldn’t even be allowed, like legally. There should always be numbers or a different name attached to the titles. So again, what are we doing here? Anyways. Alvarez’s filmography also includes the phenomenal Don’t Breathe, which is one of the best thrillers of the 2010s. As well as The Girl in the Spider’s Web, another reboot (to an extent), which was cool, I guess, but not really. It seems as though I am criticizing Alvarez’ career, but that’s not the case. Don’t Breathe is a legitimate masterpiece in my opinion. Not many filmmakers can put a masterpiece in the can. I’m more annoyed with Alvarez’ career of seemingly just revisiting and reimagining successful intellectual properties from the past. Alvarez’s technical abilities do make him a premiere option to helm these properties, but still, I would love to see more original content from the Uruguayan filmmaker…

Alien: Romulus is technically brilliant. It really is. From the use of practical effects to the beautiful cinematography and easy-to-follow and non-dizzying action set pieces. I was pretty blown away by the technical aspects of Alien: Romulus. Two scenes in particular really stand out. First being, and this isn’t a spoiler, as Rain is battling the Xenomorphs, she has the machine gun with aim-assist, like in Aliens, and in this sequence, Rain has to simultaneously mow down many Xenomorphs in a zero gravity setting, while then also floating through a minefield of the Xenomorph blood, which is basically acid that will burn right through you. This sequence was so well-conceived as a hardcore action scene that it will have you without a doubt on the edge of your seat. The other sequence being the one similar to the John Hurt/Face-huggers sequence in Alien, but this time, the sequence is extended with a formidable build up and payoff that delivers and then some. You can tell Alien: Romulus was professionally made because of all of the countdowns to something disastrous happening. It might sound simple, but one of my criticisms of Trap, from a few weeks ago, was the lack of tension being built by way of a countdown to something. Giving the audience a sense of time and stakes. In Alien: Romulus, there is always an overarching crash countdown, or limited ammo-supply, or something chasing the characters while a door needs to be opened. All of the classic tricks were pulled to build organic tension, and if you add that tension to the inherently scary nature of the Xenomorphs and Face-huggers always being on the prowl, it made for a satisfying viewing experience, even with the issues I had with a few decisions made by the filmmakers. But more on that later…

With a limited cast, due to the fact that there were really only six characters in this story, it was crucial for the casting and performances to be on point. I’d say they most definitely were on point, in terms of casting as well as the performances themselves. A fun aspect of the Alien franchise is there always seems to be a knack for casting the crew who will inevitably be battling the Xenomorphs. Look at it like building a sports team. Each Alien movie has a star player, the lead, but they also have incredible role players, the supporting cast, who are always in sync and provide the audience with real stakes, because generally, all of the characters are likable. From supporting performances like Bill Paxton in Aliens to Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender in Prometheus and Danny McBride in Alien: Covenant, anchored by leading performances from Katherine Waterston in Alien: Covenant and Noomi Rapace in Prometheus and of course, Sigourney Weaver in all of her iterations of the famous Ripley character. All of these great performances are absolutely critical to these stories working. Even with the technical brilliance that most, if not all of the movies share in common, the performances are always what gives the Alien franchise a heartbeat. Alien: Romulus continues that trend…

The obvious place to begin regarding performances in Alien: Romulus has to be with Cailee Spaeny as Rain. The female leads in this franchise have always been great, and Spaeny is just as great. It’s early in her career, so I’m not totally familiar with Spaeny, but she most definitely radiates superstar energy in a completely different way than her contemporaries. Spaeny’s energy is very unassuming and plays the Rain character that way. She is very expressive, but in a very understated way. Rain as a character is very smart, and seems to know the correct way to go about something at every turn, no matter how unpredictable, but it never felt like she was unrealistically navigating every situation perfectly. Rain genuinely seemed cunning, and I believe that’s credit to Spaeny for delivering on what Rapace and Waterston had also done so well. I will say that in terms of the heavy action, it wasn’t on the same level as Sigourney Weaver and the Ripley character. But Weaver is so much more physically imposing and compelling than not only Spaeny, but pretty much every other female actor in the business. There’s just not that many performers who can sell the action like Sigourney Weaver can. The rest of the cast was also much less well-known than the surrounding cast of Alien movies in the past. Which really felt different. But since they all played their parts alright, it didn’t take away from the movie, even though it wasn’t entirely additive. Authenticity in performances doesn’t have a shred of importance in this franchise, so I don’t totally agree with going with a lesser known cast, but the fact that this cast could end up all being very well-known sooner than I think might end up being an interesting wrinkle down the line. David Jonsson as the synthetic human Andy was also a noteworthy performance, as it is so unbelievably hard to follow in the line of previous synthetics played by Michael Fassbender, Ian Holm and Lance Henriksen, as David/Walter, Ash and Bishop, respectively. Andy is an interesting addition to the legacy of synthetics…

Again, without diving into any spoilers, I will say the final act of Alien: Romulus is far and away my favorite part of the movie. The final act is an amalgamation of different homages to a few different movies in the Alien franchise. Besides the cringeworthy regurgitated lines ripped from previous movies, I thought that the lore being utilized in Alien: Romulus from different pieces of the franchise was done so tastefully and effectively. I’ve seen some blowback to a certain surprise cameo in a sense that comes up with a famous character from the series being labeled distasteful, but I thought just the opposite. I thought the inclusion of that particular character was perfect because it used the character’s past motives as a way to keep the familiar audience on their toes. Either you aren’t familiar and you have no idea where this would be going, or you are familiar, and the actions of the past are so hard to ignore to the point where you are aware of the past intentions, and wondering how it is going to play out with this character in this movie. I was an example of the latter. But back to the final act, I was blown away by the technical execution as well as the thrilling plot twist that reminded me of why I love this franchise so much. The whole movie plays out like a crowd pleaser, mostly for the sci-fi horror crowd, but the final act is the high point in the movie and it’s not even close. I’d imagine people who have a familiarity with the franchise, especially the recent Alien movies, would be most satisfied by what appears in the final act, but it is also scary enough to work with a general audience as well. Just really good movie-making in that final act, albeit some franchise low points in terms of shameless and cringe callbacks to famous quotes…

So, onto the critiques. To provide some context, Alien: Romulus is on one hand a brilliant horror movie, made on a semi-modest budget ($80 million) comparatively to other franchise blockbusters with practical effects, but it is also a love letter or homage to its predecessors. I find myself so back and forth on love letters and homages. On one hand, I really do enjoy them. Sometimes it is comfortable to just watch something where I feel like they are just playing the hits for me, and it plays out like a karaoke version of a movie, or live-action museum of a franchise’s past. I liked this aspect a lot in the recent Scream reboots. Sometimes revisiting something with a fresh and new spin but also paying respects to the past can be effective. Tricky needle to thread though, especially since so many of the key homage moments require a level of subtlety in order to avoid being too on the nose and straight up stupid. On the other hand though, I deeply loathe the general lack of courage from the studios to take chances on new stories, and spend significant money on those fresh ideas from creative minds. So many of the modern filmmaking generation are locked up in IP prison. Of course, there are plenty of original and important movies still being made, and I harp on this far too often, sometimes even just to myself, but Alien: Romulus was a two hour reminder of where we are generally at with the modern state of movies. Fan-fiction has become way too pertinent in the movie industry. Yes, Alien: Romulus is really good. But I really wish at some point we/they push forward with new ideas, even if it has to be under the Alien umbrella to ensure public interest, without having to fall back on self referential quips and gags. Alien: Romulus is absolutely jam-packed with references and quotes from its predecessors, and even though some worked for me, it was way too much. I feel like it was trying so hard to pay respect that it keeps forgetting it is its own movie. When Rain and Andy were spewing classic Ripley lines for a cheap audience laugh I was doing the Arthur clenched fist. Other than being overly referential, and also it being a sad reminder that we will continue to get horror karaoke every six months because studios are mostly risk averse weasels, it was hard for me to be any bit critical of Alien: Romulus. I really enjoyed it for what it was. The filmmaking was excellent, and it delivered as an Alien movie that will be worth rewatching at some point soon, and should hit with general audiences. Who knows, they might remake Alien: Romulus in forty years. I can’t wait to eventually see re-imaginings of reboots inside of remakes. The movie industry, directed by Christopher Nolan…

Overall, I really enjoyed Alien: Romulus as an entertaining time at the movies, and the box office is tracking to hit over $100 million globally opening weekend, so it will end up being a pretty significant success, but I also find it to be a gloomy reminder of where the industry is at the moment, and has been for some time. Out of all of the recent legacy prequels/sequels/reboots/remakes, Alien: Romulus is one of the strongest, albeit one of the most mind-numbingly self-referential as well. Hoping for this trend to stop, or at least slow down, is a pointless endeavor. As long as the game of ‘Monopoly’ studios are playing with franchise rights continues, then more likely than not we will be seeing the same slew of movies reimagined over and over again. I just hope to god we abandon the soul-crushingly boring prequels and remakes and move more towards creative sequels and new stories, even if they have to attach these movies to financially successful franchise IP by essentially name only, at least it’s something new and unpredictable. Enough of the origin stories and playing the Greatest Hits albums on screen. It’s mindless, repetitive and uninteresting. Alien: Romulus was flying way too close to the sun in that regard. So I’ll say it one more time, what are we doing here? 

Go see Alien: Romulus in a movie theater if you can though. It’s really good…

Wicked Horror Rating: 7.5/10

From 20th Century Studios., Alien: Romulus is playing exclusively in theaters as of August 16th, 2024.