Alien: Romulus Review
Alien: Romulus : 20th Century Studios
Runtime: 119 min Release Date: August 16th 2024.
Director: Fede Álvarez
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu
Screenplay: Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues Score: Benjamin Wallfisch
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
The Alien film series has always held a special place in my heart. I could honestly argue that Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) is a borderline perfect film, and while I personally believe James Cameron's sequel, Aliens (1986), leaves some things to be desired, it’s also a fantastic film in its own right. Following the success of the 1986 sequel, the Alien franchise embraced the popularity of action movies that boomed in the 1980’s. In the years since, fans have wondered when the series would return to its roots in the horror genre that we last saw in Alien. With the most recent installation of the franchise, Alien: Romulus, we finally revisit those roots.
Alien: Romulus follows a group of twenty-somethings trying to escape their miserable lives on a Weyland Yutani mining colony. Rain (Cailee Spaeny), shares a close bond with a synthetic android named Andy (David Jonsson), who was programmed by Rain's deceased father and now serves as her last connection to him. Rain is sought out by the others for a mission after she’s been denied exit from the colony due to a “labor shortage,” which has extended her required hours by another five years despite the fact she technically completed her service.
The mission is to board a derelict space station orbiting their planet and retrieve some cryo-status pods to help them travel to a different planet colony outside of Weyland-Yutani's control. Rain is invited because Andy is a Weyland-Yutani mining android that can access and open doors on the station that the team otherwise couldn’t on their own. Simple enough, right? Wrong! Upon reaching the station, horror unfolds as they uncover the dark secrets and terrifying creatures lurking within.
Alien: Romulus : 20th Century Studios
In the near two weeks since its release, Alien: Romulus has received mixed reviews earning itself an 80% Rotten Tomatoes. Many reviewers, myself included, really enjoyed the film but were bugged by a few things. In many ways this film is more traditional slasher than sci-fi horror, and while I felt the visual effects for all the kills in the film were well done, I still felt there was more they could have done with this premise. Similarly the practical effects and set design are absolutely fantastic; I just wish something with a bit more substance was attached to it all. That being said though, I did have a lot of fun with it, minor gripes aside. It is a thrilling roller coaster ride full of blood and body horror, and I feel most people into these types of films will enjoy it. As a long-time fan of the series, it didn’t quite meet my expectations, however, if you’re a fan of the Alien series, practical effects, and/or interesting sci-fi concepts, I highly recommend you get yourself to the theatre and check it out.
