With Alien being 45 years old, it’s hard to think of a franchise that has covered more diverse genres than it has. Sure, its foundation is science fiction, but they run the gamut from horror, to pure action, and even philosophical discussions. Love or hate them, you can hardly argue that there hasn’t been a ton of variety. With Fede Alvarez’ (of Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe fame) taking the helm, we were expecting him to lean into his horror roots, and he strongly resurrects that aspect. However, by refusing to make bold choices, he doesn’t advance the story as much as use nostalgia to make a film that seems afraid to try something new despite doing everything else right.
Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her synth “brother” Andy (David Jonsson) are essentially slaves on the mining planet of Jackson’s Star, and they both long for a better life. Her ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux) invites them on a mission to plunder a derelict spacecraft for the supplies they would need to escape, and they reluctantly agree. Things go horribly wrong when they learn that the ship functioned as a research lab studying the demonic Xenomorphs, and as the beasts wake from their cryosleep, their odds of living through the ordeal dwindle with every passing minute. Survival, not escape, has become their prime objective.
Alien, Romulus, and Prometheus are now my favorite films, in that order. I know it’s blasphemous not to include Aliens, but it’s a close fourth. Alien is essentially a haunted house film, and Romulus picks up exactly where it left off both figuratively and almost literally, and that nearly works perfectly. It doesn’t try to be either a reboot or a remake but gives us everything we love and amps it up to a level of terror that will make anyone jump out of their seat.
The amount of detail and thought invested in every second makes the horror palpable. You can almost smell the viscera of the Xenomorphs and their victims, and it pulls no punches with the devastation that takes place. The brilliant use of lighting and camera work pulls us onto the screen and leaves us feeling claustrophobic and uneasy. Many of us even rated it a “BC” because it’s a “butt clencher” of a movie. It’s something you’re not going to forget for a long time after leaving the theater.
But as much as all of this is great, it’s also its biggest issue as this plays out like the greatest hits of previous films. It is well-known that Alvarez was anxious to impress Ridley Scott, and in doing so, it feels like he wanted to pay too much of an homage to get that approval instead of doing something different. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve stated above, what he does, he does well, but it doesn’t take us into uncharted territory which I think we were all hoping for. Sure, there are some “new” things in the third act, but even then, it still somewhat feels like a rehash, and a fresh set of eyes should have brought something new.
That said, this does return the franchise to its roots and breathes new life into it after Covenant and both Alien vs Predator films. It’s grim, dark, and has no problem making you realize that no one is safe no matter who they are or what circumstances they are in. While it does play it too safe by sticking to the formula, the fact that it’s not afraid to, “go there,” means that it’s going to give you chills in ways you couldn’t have expected. This may not have been a bold step forward, but the familiar path it walks us down is still plagued with death and madness that will forever be etched onto our souls. Scream as a loudly as you want because I’m sure the person next to you will be doing the same thing.