It’s been nearly 30 years since a standalone ‘Alien’ film has been directed by someone with a name other than Ridley Scott, and although he is certainly the architect of the franchise, a new vision is sorely needed to invigorate the universe. Enter director Fede Álvarez and his new film ‘Alien: Romulus’, the seventh ‘Alien’ picture and first under Disney’s ownership of 20th Century. First planned as a Hulu release, ‘Romulus’ pivoted to a release on the big screen, hoping to recapture the magic of Scott’s 1979 horror classic. With a brand-new cast of up-and-comers, it’s designed to please older fans while terrifying a generation of new ones.
We first meet Rain (Cailee Spaeny), a worker on a mining planet many light years away our solar system. This sunless colony provides no hope for Rain to return to her home planet, one she dreams about nightly. Her brother, Andy, is summarily revealed to be an older model android that has been trained by her late father to protect her. However, humanity’s hatred of these robots means that Rain is usually the protector of Andy rather than the other way around. After being rejected by her employer, Weyland-Yutani, who seem to always raise their quotas in order to keep workers trapped in their jobs, Rain is summoned by her ex-boyfriend Tyler who promises something big. Meeting up with Tyler, his sister Kay, his cousin Bjorn, and Bjorn’s girlfriend Navarro, Rain learns that an abandoned ship hovering above the colony could have the technology to get her and her friends home. After reluctantly saying yes, Rain and her friends arrive on the ship to discover exactly why the ship has been scuttled: an infestation of horrifying creatures.
Fan Service and Frights Galore
Director Fede Álvarez, well-versed in the horror genre through his work on Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe, is clearly a massive fanboy for ‘Alien’. Set between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’, ‘Romulus’ is primed to be the connective tissue between the two films, and Alvarez doesn’t shy away from referencing those original films. Although there are certainly lines and scenes that are fun nods to both movies, it never feels like fan service just to be fan service. However, there is one glaring and shameless direct connection to ‘Alien’ that simply doesn’t work, for a multitude of reasons. Even worse, the connection is so integral to the plot that it appears again and again through the film’s 120 minute runtime. Much like the titular creature, there seems to be no escape from it.
Much like the prior films, there are great sequences and moments of horror and tension. One scene, in which the characters have to walk silently through a room of facehuggers, is perfectly executed. The use of mostly practical effects, like animatronics and puppets, certainly helps realize the fear of the group. The fear is made all the more believable by the performances, led by Cailee Spaeny. Rain is terrified throughout the film, but her intelligence and bravery slowly reveal themselves as the stakes ratchet up. Spaeny balances Rain’s fright and her determination deftly while navigating a script that sometimes yields stilted dialogue. However, she overcomes the weakness of the screenplay to deliver a great performance. David Jonsson, playing Rain’s android brother Andy, is another standout. He embodies the awkwardness of a robot clearly programmed jankily, while still delivering empathy and emotionality.
‘Romulus’ certainly mirrors the beats of the original film, but its third act diverts in a big way. Alvarez introduces a horrifying and disgusting new concept that is sure to divide the audience but moreso fans of the franchise. Regardless, it’s a brave and unique twist that ensures that ‘Alien: Romulus’ will be a memorable episode in the ‘Alien’ universe.
Although it doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of the original films 40 years ago, ‘Alien: Romulus’ is a bold, new installment in the ‘Alien’ franchise. It manages to pay homage to classic moments without feeling like overt nostalgia bait, and provides enough gross and shocking scares to sustain a consistent feeling of tension.
Alien: Romulus releases in theaters on August 16.
