Movie Review ~ Alien: Romulus

In space, everyone can hear you cheer for a franchise revival done right.

Ever since Ridley Scott’s landmark 1979 fright fest, truly one of the most incredible films of all time, horror or otherwise, the Alien franchise has long been a crucible for visionary directors.  James Cameron’s Aliens brought relentless action, David Fincher’s Alien³ delivered a dark psychological edge, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien: Resurrection added a surreal touch.  Now, genre mastermind Fede Álvarez is joining this impressive line-up, crafting a new chapter that channels the essence of its predecessors while carving out fresh, unnerving territory.  If you’re wondering if this latest installment lives up to the monumental expectations set by its slimy sci-fi lineage, prepare yourself: Alien: Romulus doesn’t just live up to them; it digs its claws into the soul of the series.

Set roughly two decades after Ripley’s first encounter and 37 years before she awoke from cryo-sleep, Romulus introduces us to a fresh-faced crew of colonists who should’ve heeded the age-old advice: never poke a sleeping alien.  Young scavengers, desperate to escape their lonely existence on a mining colony that keeps adding time to their tour, board an abandoned space station with plans to hijack it and head to a faraway planet.  Divided into two sections, Romulus and Remus, the decommissioned station has been left to drift for a reason.  Their exploration of the ship reveals a dark secret, one they awoke when they boarded.

Nurtured under Scott’s guiding hand and enriched by Cameron’s script advice, Álvarez has a clear vision for Alien: Romulus, and it’s not just fan service.  He breathes a new life into a mythology that has fascinated audiences for decades.  Instead of rehashing old scares, it evolves them because Álvarez has learned through his filmmaking that today’s viewers respond to more than just shadows and screams to keep them chomping their popcorn on the edge of their seats.  Along with his co-writer Rodo Sayagues, this feels like the most clearly conceived Alien film since Cameron’s follow-up and the most consistently entertaining one, too. 

In his effort to create a world that feels both familiar and terrifyingly new, Álvarez and Sayagues present characters that stand on their own while simultaneously carrying the weight of the franchise’s history.  That’s a tall order to ask of anyone, especially a cast of relative unknowns.  While undeniably talented, they skew younger than we’ve seen in previous Alien films – a decision that may work in the context of the story but feels slightly unsatisfying considering the weighty performances we’ve received in the past.

Cailee Spaeny (Civil War and a near Oscar-nominee last year for Priscilla) as the determined Rain Carradine leads with a quiet intensity to anchor the film while Rye Lane’s David Jonsson’s Andy, a synthetic and Rain’s surrogate brother, brings a layers performance that rides the line between the complexity of human emotion and a machine’s cold logic.   Archie Renaux (Voyagers) and a notable Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) add tension as Tyler and Kay, siblings with a fraught past complicating their survival. The Batman’s Spike Fearn’s Bjorn and Aileen Wu’s Navarro round out the group, each contributing to the film’s near-relentless pace and intense sense of dread.

Known for his work on Don’t Breathe and the gorgeously bloody Evil Dead reboot from 2013, Álvarez proves he’s more than up for helming a big-budget sci-fi horror tentpole feature.  He brings a knack for tension-building and authentic scares that pair nicely with the creepy chill of space, finding new places for danger to lurk behind every shadowy airlock.  He’s brought a fine group of artists with him as well.  Naaman Marshall’s production design is exquisite, down to the grime on the rarely used buttons in the deserted space vessel, and Carlos Rosario’s costume design gives a nod back to the gritty, worn aesthetics of the original film, grounding the characters in a tactile reality that feels both lived-in and suffocating.  Galo Olivares’ cinematography captures the eerie beauty in the expanse of space and the claustrophobic interiors of the Romulus with a laser focus, and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score pulses with its own identity, resisting the urge to mimic past themes while still honoring the franchise’s sonic legacy.

The xenomorphs, slimier and deadlier than ever, are brought to life with stellar effects that are at times disgustingly beautiful.  Álvarez has devised a few imaginative ways of putting our hapless crew in harm’s way, further confirming the creative energy running at lightning speed through the entire evening.  However, one jarringly bad effect in a pivotal scene momentarily yanks viewers out of the immersively suspenseful experience.  Similarly, while bold and ambitious, the film’s climax doesn’t quite stick the landing, potentially leaving the audience with a slight taste of disappointment amidst the rush of adrenaline they’d been feasting on thus far.

Despite minor missteps, Alien: Romulus is a worthy addition to the spooky franchise.  It’s a film that will please longtime fans without being an outright lovey-dovey recreation of what we’ve seen before.  This feels like the natural progression of where the franchise would have gone after Alien had Álvarez been on the scene and before Cameron had the idea to bring Sigourney Weaver back for her Oscar-nominated performance in his ground-breaking follow-up.  With a new Alien series in production now and slated for TV/streaming in 2025 and potential film sequels in the works, Alien: Romulus is the first blip on the sonar that this franchise is back and has returned with reverence and innovation.