The films in this franchise are so varied it is often joked that you can tell whether someone loves horror or sci-fi depending on which Alien film they like.
That is why fans have been scouring the internet for any information on what Alien: Romulus is going to deliver. There was speculation that it would be an almost remake of the original film, other people speculated that the younger cast meant that the film would be aimed at a new generation of fans. And of course the inclusion of director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) suggested that the franchise might be returning to its horror roots.
The latter turns out to be true as Alvarez takes us back to the year 2142 (the film is set between Alien and Aliens) and introduces us to a team of mine workers who realise that their only chance of escaping the company they work for is to travel up to a deserted ship that is floating above their planet and take what they need to get to the paradise they have heard of.
That team of colonists are made up of Rain (Cailee Spaeny – Priscilla), her ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux – Morbius), his younger sister Kay (Isabela Merced – Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and their cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn – The Batman). Also along on the journey is the pilot Navarro (newcomer Aileen Wu) and Rain’s synthetic ‘brother’ Andy (David Jonsson – Industry).
At first it seems like it is going to be an easy job that will take only half an hour with the only trouble being with Bjorn’s hate for Andy for being synthetic, but as they board the ship they soon realise its dark secret – it is infested with Xenomorph hatchlings.
One of the fears that many seem to have about Alien: Romulus was that the younger cast was going to mean that the film felt like Dawson’s Creek in space. Nothing could be further from the truth – the characters here may be younger, but as an audience you quickly find yourself warming to Rain, and while perhaps the film could have been made better with more characterisation for the other characters there is more than enough going on here to make the audience personally invested in what is going on.
In fact I would argue that perhaps Romulus is most like the original film. There have been some films along the way that feel so different from the original that they almost feel out of place in the franchise, I’m looking at you Alien 3, but with Romulus this looks and feels like a rightful sequel.
It pays tribute to the past with good use of Rook (a CGI likeness of Ian Holm is used) while Alvarez and his co-writer Rodo Sayagues (Don’t Breathe) go back and recapture that genuine mix of horror and science-fiction that made the original film so unique.
That also seeps into the look and feel that Alvarez manages to create as a director. Yes, on the surface the story at hand is pretty basic but Alvarez manages to create an environment where it feels like at any moment there may be something lurking around the next corner that is about to take out any of the characters. While there is not a lot of originality here, you certainly can’t say that Alvarez doesn’t ramp the suspense right up through the roof.
When it comes to the acting, only two cast members really get to show what they are capable of. Cailee Spaeny shows that there is more to her acting than what we got to see in Priscilla and her performance here alongside her recent role in Civil War shows why she may be one of the most important finds in Hollywood in recent years.
She is also well supported by David Jonsson, who manages to pull off playing a character with zero emotion so remarkably well that he often steals the limelight during certain scenes. It will be interesting to see what roles he is offered after this one.
To sum up, Alien: Romulus is a film that should be enjoyed by those that love the horror aspect of this franchise. It pays tribute to the past while providing enough fodder for future storylines. At the end of the day though it is the fact that the film embraces the horror genre so well that makes it well worth a look.
Alien: Romulus is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘15’.
3.5/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus