Introduction
When The Force Awakens premiered in 2015, it served as a soft reset on the Star Wars universe. All the previous elements and history were there but with a safer take on the new mythology. Fede Alvarez’ Alien: Romulus serves the same purpose as the Alien franchise. It will be sure to entertain or annoy whichever fan you happen to be.
If you are the type of Alien fan who leans into the nostalgia and quality of the previous installments, this will hit every marker. If you are looking for a self-contained story that forges its own path, temper your expectations. Regardless, the film is gory, thrilling, and expertly crafted and performed. Everyone should find something to like.
Plot
Cailee Spaeny stars as Rain, a young space colonist on a desolate mining colony in the future. Rain’s brother Andy (David Jonsson) is a glitchy android who Rain considers a brother. After being denied leave from the colony, Rain is recruited by old friend Tyler (Archie Renaux) to scavenge an abandoned space station to relocate to a different colony. Joining the group is Tyler’s sister Kay (Isabela Merced), their cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Bjorn’s pilot girlfriend Navarro (Aileen Wu).
On board the Romulus space station, the crew races against the clock before it crashes into the planet’s local asteroid belt. On board, the group finds a cryo-tube necessary for their journey, but they also encounter alien facehuggers. Racing against the clock and the nature of the beings, the group attempts to survive without any support from the rest of the universe.
Creatures/Effects
As far as aesthetics, the film looks and sounds incredible. Alvarez has long been a believer in practical effects over CGI, and nothing proves his point better than this film. Instead of actors appearing in front of an obvious green screen and a constant suspension of disbelief, there is a tangible feeling that all this is actually occurring. The first-class art direction, sound design, and lighting stand out.
The creatures themselves are more alive than ever. Particularly the facehuggers are a real threat like they haven’t been in previous installments. While they previously seemed like unknown things you shouldn’t get too close to, this version turns them into agile aggressors who are as big of a threat as the xenomorphs.
Does the film lean a little too heavily into the ideas and themes (not to mention references and direct dialogue) of previous films? Big time. But, these are not the types of films that are culturally obscure. These films are a part of the film fabric many people grew up with. Why not have more nods to those films than necessary? Some of the biggest cheers came directly from those nods and lines.
Cast
Spaeny is beginning to cement herself as one of the most talented young actresses of her generation. Her brilliance is working inside her own capabilities. Rain is not the chosen savior or ostensibly smarter than anyone else. She just has a knack for survival. Spaeny imbues her with a sense of rational humanity the audience needs for all the darkness and dread. Jonsson comes out of nowhere to deliver the surprise performance of the film. He actually gets to play a version of two characters that defies expectations at every turn.
Renaut and Merced get to be the stock characters who the audience also gets to root for, with that inevitability about their fate already instilled. Regardless, they have a nice gentle sibling chemistry. Fearn is probably the most annoying character, but even his motivations are clear for why he acts the way he does. Wu gets the least to do, but she still posits herself well.
Conclusion
You’ll get out of Alien: Romulus what you put into it. If you enjoy the franchise’s nods and bloody effects, you should really enjoy it. If you get too bogged down in the over-reliance on nostalgia, it won’t be for you. That being said, this certainly was for me.
