“Alien: Romulus” Review
Trapped on a space station, Cailee Spaeny (Left) and David Jonsson star in "Alien: Romulus" and must band together to defeat the terrifying creatures hunting them.
With 2022’s “Prey” having revived interest in the “Predator” franchise, it was to be hoped that 20th Century Studios’ other science-fiction horror series, “Alien”, would get similar treatment following the company’s purchase by Disney. While I have enjoyed recent offerings in the series, like “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant”, the fanbase has been quite divided on these films. Truly, there hasn’t been an “Alien” film that has united us lovers of xenomorphs and acid blood since James Cameron’s legendary sequel “Aliens”. Now, from the wonderful Fede Álvarez, comes a film that just might ensnare die-hard fans and newcomers alike. “Alien: Romulus” is a stunning summer blockbuster that does a remarkable job capturing the horror of Ridley Scott’s original film while also injecting unique action, likable characters and a sense of tangibility to the series.
Set in between the events of “Alien” and “Aliens”, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is an employee of a mining colony on a planet where the sun never shines, conditions are terrible and worker deaths are quite common. Seeking a way out, Rain and her android friend Andy (David Jonsson) are recruited by a group of old friends to leave the planet and infiltrate the decommissioned space station Romulus where they hope to find technology that will allow them to go to another planet. However, they soon discover that the space station is derelict for a reason as the crew finds themselves among a host of xenomorph aliens.
While the previous two films in this series were helmed by original “Alien” director Ridley Scott, Fede Álvarez is more than capable to take on a title held by filmmakers like Scott, James Cameron and David Fincher. Two of his films, “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe”, are excellent showcases of isolation horror, a concept that is essential for the “Alien” franchise. Seeing Álvarez take on such an ambitious project was remarkable, especially on the grounds of production design and the impressive cinematography by Galo Olivares. As a massive fan of the “Alien” films, I loved returning to the retro-future of the 1979 original. Watching “Alien: Romulus” gave me flashbacks to playing the game “Alien: Isolation” (a must play for fans) on the Ps4 and being scared out of my wits by these aliens.
Written by Álvarez and his long-time writing partner Rodo Sayagues, the script is quick to get things moving. Within the first ten minutes, the environment, characters and basic goals of the film are given and they’re already on their way to space. The characters don’t need to spend a lot of time convincing the audience how terrible life is because it’s pretty obvious from a visual standpoint. Once that core, sibling-like relationship is established between Rain and Andy, that’s all that’s needed before the real fun can begin.
When Rain, Andy and their friends do make it to the station, I was delighted at just how long Álvarez waited before anything frightening was on display. In both “Alien” and “Aliens”, it is quite a while before any creatures show up (the infamous “chest bursting” scene occurred about an hour into the original film) and “Alien: Romulus” understands the desire to establish a creepy atmosphere, especially with such a small cast that you don’t want to kill off too quickly.
As the film’s protagonist, Cailee Spaeny is excellent and continues her impressive hot streak of critical and commercially successful films like “Priscilla” (which won her the Best Actress Award at the Venice International Film Festival) and “Civil War”. The desperation she feels in wanting to escape her terrible life is immediately identifiable and Spaeny showcases the balance of tenacity and vulnerability that many great actors before her have given to the series.
David Jonsson also is remarkable as Andy with his character having so many levels. While he is an android, he’s a malfunctioning one and doesn’t have the strength and capacity other android characters in the “Alien” films have had. But this does change over the course of the film, leading to interesting developments. The relationship Andy has with Rain is the main emotional core of the film and was always compelling. You want to see these two make it out of the station and their comradery is endearing. As for the rest of the characters, actors like Isabela Merced and Archie Renaux bring a good deal of likability to their roles, elevating them from alien fodder.
As for the film’s horror elements, these aliens, despite being shown in several different films, managed to disturb me with their presence. When you look at how these creatures are designed and how they are created within this world, there is this inherent sense of violation that is fully realized in “Alien: Romulus”. The fact that both the xenomorph aliens and the facehuggers that create them are mainly achieved through practical effects make them all the more terrifying.
“Alien: Romulus” may have plenty of solid tributes to the look of the original, but the film also carries over some of the ideas of Ridley Scott’s recent offerings in the franchise he helped create. Not only are they utilized in a fascinating way within the story but it also does help bridge Scott’s prequel films to the original series. In particular, the climax was an excellent combination of exciting action, inventive scenarios and terrifying themes of creation that made for a memorable ending. It feels like Álvarez has taken everything he loves about each “Alien” film and has found a way to effectively use all of these qualities while introducing new elements into the series that are most welcome.
“Alien: Romulus” may have many familiar moments for fans of the series but there’s also a strong desire to push even more boundaries and to give the audience a strong thrill. Given how scared I was and how enthralled the action made me feel, I think that the film is a success. If you want to end the summer blockbuster season on a good note, “Alien: Romulus” may just be the film to scare that right out of you.
