ALIEN: ROMULUS Review – A Respectful Entry in the Alien Franchise
2024 has been a good year for filmmakers interested in adding their own chapters to some of our favorite franchises. First, moviegoers were given THE FIRST OMEN, which delivered a scary good time at the movies. This was followed by KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, which brought audiences not only an intense and emotional moviegoing experience but also one of the best films of the year so far. Both were great stand-alone films that respected, as well as enhanced, the universes that they were becoming a part of. Now comes ALIEN: ROMULUS, the newest addition to the ALIEN franchise.
As a huge fan of the ALIEN movies, I was disappointed with the last two entries, PROMETHUS and ALIEN: COVENANT, and could only hope for something better. Director Fede Álvarez had already proven himself a talented filmmaker with his movie DON’T BREATHE, while his entry into the EVIL DEAD series also proved he was comfortable working within an established franchise. Enjoying both of these films made me believe he was the right director to give us an impressive new installment in the ALIEN series.
Though not a complete success Álvarez does a good job bringing everything back to its roots by showing some real respect to the original films. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite make it across the finish line. It’s still missing some of the incredible suspense that Ridley Scott created in the original film, as well as the level of intense action that James Cameron delivered in the exciting sequel. The film is, at most, an interesting attempt at showing respect to the movies that came before it and some fans will be thankful for its return to form. My personal feelings, though – It just misses.
The story takes place between the events of the first two movies and like those stories, the premise is rather simple. Rain is a young woman who lives an unhappy life where she’s being forced to work in a mining colony. Her closest companion is an android named Andy and their relationship is an interesting one. Even though Andy is a synthetic, Rain never treats him as one and instead chooses to see him more like a real-life brother. Seeking to leave their unpleasant life behind, the two join a group of friends in a quest to scavenge a decommissioned space station in hopes of finding the proper technology to help escape far off into space. Well, this being an ALIEN movie, the viewer can guess what will happen next. The small group of friends run into their worst nightmare – a massive amount of cinema’s most terrifying xenomorphs.
Though not fully satisfied with the finished product, I must admit that I do, in fact, respect what Álvarez and his team have created. Cinematographer Galo Olivares’ visual style complements the excellent production design by Naaman Marshall. Together, they set an effectively gritty tone reminiscent of the first four films in the franchise. Additionally, the film makes interesting use of its sound design, especially when representing the idea of silence in space. Finally, Benjamin Wallfisch delivered a great score, which is effectively used to add to the film’s overall tension.
The action and suspense that is at the core of the movie may not reach the level of effectiveness seen in ALIEN or ALIENS, but ALIEN: ROMULUS does have its moments. The use of practical effects for many of the alien-filled scenes goes a long way, as the Xenomorphs are still really impressive to look at and the film does a great job of presenting them as scary. I especially liked the ramped-up use of the face-huggers, who are really given their time to shine. The creature design has them looking eerily like spiders lurking in the shadows, only to lunge out at their prey as they race through the space station corridors. The face-hugger attacks, as they try to attach themselves to their potential hosts, are some of my favorite moments in the film.
The movie’s real weakness comes in two areas. First and most important are the characters that are presented. Part of what made the first four ALIEN movies so interesting was that every character was fully developed with their own stories to tell. Add to that a genuine feeling of camaraderie amongst everyone and you had a series of films that stood out from the other horror/sci-fi movies of the time. All the actors in ALIEN: ROMULUS do a fine job with the material that they are given, but there really isn’t a lot for them to work with. Most of the characters lack any real depth and seem to be there only to serve the purpose of the main plot and to become prey for the aliens. The only interesting relationship in the film is between Rian, played by Cailee Spaeny and Andy, played by David Jonsson. The two actors perform well opposite each other and create an effective bond between the two characters whose history with one another becomes an interesting exploration of emotions, trust and reliability.
The final act of the film didn’t work for me either. It’s where the filmmakers decided to go all out and take a risk by attempting to take the movie in a unique direction. It brings a new threat to our heroes that is too insane for my tastes. Although I respect the filmmaker’s choice of taking a chance, it just didn’t work for me. My reaction, though, seems to be one of personal taste, as I’ve seen a lot of viewers on the internet praising the ending as fantastic. I have a feeling that the individual viewer’s overall reaction to the film will probably be based on their acceptance of these climactic moments. For me, it was a little too crazy and definitely brought my enjoyment down a couple of notches.
In the end, ALIEN: ROMULUS has some moments that work as effectively as anything we have seen in the franchise so far. Unfortunately, I found these moments a little too few and far between. What there is to like should be enough to please certain audiences, but unfortunately, when all is said and done, it turned out to be a movie that I respected more than enjoyed.
ALIEN: ROMULUS (rated R) is in U.S. theaters on August 16, 2022 and runs 1 hour and 59 minutes. Will you see it? Do you agree with my review? Let us know on socials @skywalkingpod.
