20th Century Studios
In the Summer of 1979, no one could hear you scream in space … but there were plenty of screams coming from movie theater auditoriums as Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film Alien made its debut. The story of a small crew trapped on a ship in the farthest reaches of space with the most terrifying lifeform in the universe was a hit with audiences and critics, and the film spawned the even bigger hit Aliens in 1986. Milking this cash cow for all it was worth, 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) greenlit more sequels and even produced crossover films with another money-making alien, the Predator. Hoping to deepen the mythology of the story, OG director Scott confused audiences with Prometheus, and the studio tried to get things back on track with the sequel, Alien: Covenant, and is in the midst of producing a TV series based on the franchise for the FX Network.
When Alien: Romulus was first announced, the film was going to be made exclusively for streaming on Hulu, just like the studio’s well received Predator prequel Prey. But perhaps confidence in director Fede Alvarez’s vision led the studio to abandon that plan and go straight to cinemas with the film. Was it the right decision?
Alien: Romulus takes place about ten years after the original 1979 film (and if you’re counting, Aliens is set 57 years after Alien). This may not be crystal clear to viewers without some first-hand knowledge, so it would be wise to revisit — or visit — the original before seeing the new film for one specific reason that we cannot reveal here as it’s a major spoiler (don’t look at IMDb until you see the movie because they’ve spoiled it). You’re welcome. The situation that propels the story really isn’t connected to the original at first as a group of 20-somethings stuck living on a mining planet where their parents have worked, and where they now work as basic slaves to the Company, are looking for a way off the rock which, we’re told, has zero days of sunlight per year. Fun. Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is hoping to be released from her life in the mining colony after completing her required 2,000 hours of work so she and her brother Andy can get away and actually see the sun. After being told her quota has been increased to 20,000 hours, Rain and Andy head off to meet up with some friends … who reveal to her that they’ve discovered a decommissioned Weyland-Yutani ship drifting overhead. They plan to fly up to the ship, retrieve its cryopods and take off to a planet nine years away. But they need Andy. Turns out … he’s a synthetic person who can unlock the Weyland-Yutani system. Rain reluctantly agrees, but when they reach the ship they discover it’s actually a lab, the Romulus … and it was not decommissioned as they thought because, well, there are dead bodies and another synthetic that’s been torn apart on board.
They locate the pods but they only have enough power for a three year trip, so a journey must be made to where the station’s fuel is stored. Andy, however, is not able to access some of the locked doors so the memory disk from the other synth is removed and placed in Andy, which causes him to reboot with a very different personality and directive. Still unaware of what happened at this station, and new Andy doesn’t have all of the information either, they manage to boot up the other synth named Rook who tells them about the events on the Nostromo ten years earlier but remains cagey about what happened on the station. They all quickly find out that they are not the only living organisms on the station so it’s a race to get the fuel and get off before the alien lifeforms catch up to them … and before the station crashes into their planet’s rings, a timeline that was accelerated by a shuttle accidentally bumping the station. Will anyone survive this go-around with the xenomorphs?
20th Century Studios
Alien: Romulus is one of the most tension-filled movies that’s come along since, probably, A Quiet Place. Director Fede Alvarez seems to have really studied Ridley Scott’s process on the original film, keeping the setting bathed in dark shadows and rarely giving us full glimpses of the aliens until later in the film. He’s also amped up the tension even more by adding hundreds of the alien facehuggers into the mix, which are terrifying in their own right. I had to keep reminding myself to unclench my fists while watching the movie as my fingernails were digging into my palms. Some may complain that this film is really just a juiced-up version of the original — and it is — but it’s not just a cheap knock-off. It earns its scares honestly (even if there are one too many unnecessary loud noise jump scares), and it gives a little more depth to the original story, letting us know what happened between the first two films. Alien: Romulus also works well enough as a stand-alone film, but I’d still recommend seeing the original first.
Alvarez has also done pretty well with his casting. Cailee Spaeny is basically the Sigourney Weaver of the film, but having to become a strong, resilient woman in order to survive. She is put through her paces but she acquits herself well. Archie Renaux also does a good job as Tyler, the de facto leader of the group, the one who needs to push on while managing the unpredictable Bjorn (Spike Fearn). If there is any quibble with the two actors, it’s that their British accents are sometimes very difficult to understand. Aileen Wu is Navarro, the tough girl of the group, and Isabel Merced is Kay, who harbors a secret that becomes a major plot point later in the film (again, no spoilers). They are all engaging enough that the audience really does feel for them as they begin to get picked off by the xenomorphs. Giving a truly outstanding performance is David Jonsson as Andy. The character, when first introduced, is damaged and innocent with a single directive — do what’s best for Rain. Once he gets the upgrade, his new directive is do what’s best for the Company, and he becomes a cold and calculating creature, almost in service to the other synthetic who tells him more about the company’s plans, putting Rain in serious danger (although there is still a little bit of Andy in there who tries to help them escape while still fulfilling the company’s directive). The way Jonsson just flips that switch between personalities is surprising and masterful.
My biggest issue with the film is something that is sure to divide audiences — but again we won’t get into spoiler territory here. Suffice it to say the movie could have ended 15 to 20 minutes sooner. But overall, if you’re looking for something to scare the pants off of you before the Summer season ends, you can’t go wrong with spending two hours in space with Alien: Romulus.
Alien: Romulus has a run time of 1 hour 59 minutes, and is rated R for bloody violent content and language.
20th Century Studios
Share this post
