I’ve been waiting a long time for “Alien: Romulus”. As a nearly 30-year-old superfan of the “Alien” franchise I’ve experienced some rocky releases in my time (“Alien vs Predator: Requiem” was a real lowlight), and while I enjoyed the likes of “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” more than many, it’s fair to say those movies are flawed, not to mention extremely divisive. What I craved was an “Alien” movie that could be enjoyed without any caveats, and “Romulus” has delivered exactly that.
This is the best the “Alien” franchise has been in a decade — the last time Xenomorph fans were treated to something this special was 2014’s “Alien: Isolation” video game — and I’m delighted to see the series back in the public eye, and more importantly, back in the conversation for a positive reason. At its core, “Alien: Romulus” is a franchise revival done right.
Naturally, I practically skipped into my local movie theater on opening night, and I returned twice the following day. All in all, I caught “Alien: Romulus” on the big screen three times in just 24 hours (and yes, I have tickets for a fourth showing later this week). After spending the weekend reflecting on the movie, here’s why I loved it, alongside a few (minor) flaws that ultimately pale in comparison to what it gets right.
'Alien: Romulus' — 5 things I love
'Alien: Romulus' looks the part
The first thing that immediately struck me about “Alien: Romulus” was how it absolutely nails the retrofuturism aesthetic of the original “Alien” movie. Heck, the movie opens with a chunky analog computer system slowly whirring to life, and it was at that moment, that I knew the franchise was in safe hands with director Fede Álvarez. “Romulus” also takes production design cues from “Alien: Isolation”, including the game’s iconic save station, which had me practically squealing with excitement. Forgoing the cleaner look of “Prometheus” was a very wise call.
Characters we care about
I won’t quite say the cast of “Alien: Romulus” is universally excellent, there are a couple of supporting characters that didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but the movie soars where it matters most its leads. Cailee Spaeny is a fantastic lead as Rain and delivered a Final Girl that is compelling, compassionate and capable of kicking some extraterrestrial butt. Then there’s David Jonsson as a reprogrammed android named Andy, who delivers the best performance in the whole movie, by a wide margin. Spaeny and Jonsson drive “Romulus” forward, and made me care about their fates.
Facehuggers steal the show
In previous “Alien” movies, facehuggers while creepy in their own right have mostly been used as mere conduits to introduce audiences to the real headliner, the Xenomorph. However in “Romulus”, these nightmarish little beasts are given plenty of time to shine all on their own. The sequence that sees Rain and Tyler (Archie Renaux) tip-toe through a corridor bursting with facehuggers had me sweating and made them feel just as terrifying as the eponymous alien. Plus, the close-up shot of one being removed after delivering its dark payload was downright skin-crawling.
Ending on a high
If there’s one aspect of “Alien: Romulus” that seems to have split opinions, it’s the third act. I’m eager to avoid spoilers here — just in case you’re reading this article without having seen the movie yet (go book your tickets ASAP) — but let’s just say it takes the franchise in an unexpected direction. On my first watch, I wasn’t sure about this part and feared the movie had jumped the shark right at the very end. But on my second and third watch, I began to appreciate the climax a whole lot more.
Getting back to basics
I’ve seen a few negative reviews of “Alien: Romulus” accuse it of being fairly derivative of the 1979 original, and while it certainly does feel like a mash-up of the franchise’s greatest hits, in my opinion, “Alien” needed to be stripped back to basics. “Alien: Covenant” whiffed because it was an ambitious swing trying to mix the philosophical ideas of “Prometheus” with the franchise’s classic horror thrills, and it failed to land with critics and audiences alike.
Instead, “Alien: Romulus” reminds me of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, a back-to-basics crowd-pleaser that can serve as a solid foundation for a more narrative-ambitious sequel a la “The Last Jedi”.
'Alien: Romulus' — 2 things I dislike
Fan service overload
Vaguely egregious fan service has become a staple of so-called “legacy sequels”, and “Alien: Romulus” is no less guilty of falling into this trap. I found moments such as Rook, an android science officer based on the look of the late Ian Holm (who played Ash in “Alien”), describing the Xenomorph as the “perfect organism” a cute reference, but for the same character to then mimic another famous line from “Alien” (“I can’t lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies”) felt far too on the nose, and the scene where Andy pinches Ripley’s most famous line from “Aliens” felt so shameless that you can practically see the character winking at the camera.
The return of Ian Holm
Disney has been experimenting with “deepfake” CGI technology for several years now, and “Alien: Romulus” serves as the House of Mouse's latest playground to digitally de-age cast members, or in this case bring a deceased actor back to the big screen. As mentioned, Ian Holm's likeness is used for Rook and while the tech is impressive on a fundamental level, it’s still not convincing enough to trick your brain into believing that you’re watching a real human performer.
Plus, there’s also the ethical question about bringing back the likeness of an actor has passed away in 2020. Frankly, it’s an uncanny valley I don’t think “Alien: Romulus” needed to cross.
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