A mixture of scares old and new
Alien: Romulus is the first new Alien film not to be directed by Ridley Scott since 1997’s Alien Resurrection. Scott, despite the hurdles that frequently crop up in his narratives, rarely fails to deliver a film that is, at the very least, visually or thematically interesting. Romulus is also the first Alien film to be made since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox.
What I’m saying is that director Fede Álvarez had a lot to prove to Alien fans, both for his own creative sake and on behalf of Alien’s new rightsholders. The world of Alien is essentially a sandbox; all you really have to do is take an Alien and put it in a setting where it can wreak havoc. In terms of making the story unique, you can make the movie about motherhood, or capitalism, the origin of life or whatever the hell you want, assuming you’re given enough creative control.
In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream
Rain (Cailee Spaeney) and her android “brother” Andy (David Jonsson) join a group of friends in an attempt to flee off-world from their grim lives as miners. Their mission: board a derelict spacecraft that has drifted close to their colony and pilfer the on-board cryostasis chambers that will allow them to survive the journey to their new lives. But the spacecraft is derelict for a reason…
I liked what I was seeing from the beginning of Romulus. The colony that Rain and Andy live on feels appropriately dystopian. It has that ‘used futuristic’ feel of the original Alien while also expanding on that world by presenting something new. In a very short span of time, Álvarez conveys the hopelessness of Rain’s situation, informs us of the struggles in her family life, and sets up the premise and stakes. It’s smart, efficient writing set to a delightfully detailed production design that’s just fun to watch.
Cailee Spaeney and David Jonsson do wonderfully convincing jobs, too. Andy the Android is in far from peak condition, and Jonsson portrays his poor motor skills and stuttering voice with unerring accuracy. Spaeney, too, gets across Rain’s love for Andy, but we understand that she’s not blind to the fact that Andy isn’t, technically, a person.
As the setting shifts from the mining colony to the derelict spacecraft, we’re given some characterisation for the various members of the group Rain finds herself with. This is done in broad strokes, but I was pleasantly surprised by the layers some of these characters—who any horror fan will clock as cannon-fodder—display over the course of the story.
You Look Like You Need a (Face) Hug
Then we get to the Alien stuff. The investigation of the derelict spaceship inevitably brings to mind the setting of the original Alien. Some will see this as a point against the movie. In terms of where we’re playing in the Alien sandbox, we’ve been here before. Creepy hallways and flickering lights and the nearby vacuum of space are undoubtedly familiar. While I do think it would’ve been more exciting for the story to take place in a setting fresh to the Alien series, Álvarez does a terrific job with this one.
The nature of exploring a spacecraft already ravaged by Xenomorph presence adds a new layer to the proceedings, as does the dramatic irony—any audience familiar with Alien knows more than the characters, and there’s some great tension to be had in the moments where you know that the characters are making a mistake, but they remain clueless.
Álvarez also finds plenty of unique opportunities to explore the dangers and weaknesses of the Aliens. These were some of the most enjoyable parts of the movie. Seeing a familiar horror explored in a new way was exciting, as was watching Andy’s development after he gets a little upgrade. His fluctuating relationship with Rain and the humans again brings to mind elements of Alien, but giving him a “sister” adds a whole new dynamic.
Legacy Problems
Honestly, whenever the movie is striving for something new—even in a familiar setting—it really works. It was only ever the unnecessary callbacks to the original movie that ruined the immersion for me. Some references work seamlessly. I was particularly excited to see the writers work in some elements from Prometheus. It was done by achieving the sweet spot of not hitting the viewer over the head with the reference while also not being something that would confuse people who haven’t seen the Alien prequel.
Then there’s the more egregious references. I honestly don’t know how to talk about the worst one without spoiling it, but I really can’t help it. It happens early enough in the movie, but here’s your warning, anyway:
Spoilers for one element of Alien: Romulus ahead
For some bizarre reason, the filmmakers decided to resurrect the likeness of the late Ian Holm for this movie. Holm, who played the android ‘Ash’ in the first alien movie, died in 2020, but here he is in Alien: Romulus playing a different character. Yes, he’s not even playing Ash, but a different android called Rook. There is absolutely no reason given for why these androids look the same.
The effects are also pretty awful. I guarantee that even a casual viewer of Romulus who doesn’t know who Ian Holm is or that he’s dead won’t be able to help but notice the obvious CG effects used to create his face. Thankfully, Rook isn’t in the film a lot, but the moments where he’s on-screen are borderline insulting. It’s like they thought we’d be hooting and hollering at the screen, shouting ‘I remember him! I remember that guy!’
Attempting to play on the nostalgia people have for Alien by bringing the dead back to half-life like this is a slap in the face to Ian Holm’s original performance and audience intelligence. We don’t want this. Nobody wants this. It’s creepy. Stop doing it.
End of spoiler section
Game Over, Man
Smaller references to other Alien movies persistently crop up, too. Visually referencing iconic shots; characters speaking lines of dialogue other characters spoke in other movies; even the structure and pacing of the climax is ripped from Alien. How much you notice these and how much you’ll be pulled out of the story by them will vary from person to person, but in my opinion, they don’t ruin the movie.
Yes, it would’ve been better to not have any of this self-referential stuff in Romulus at all—the more standalone stories like this lean on better movies, the less cultural impact and influence it will have—but there are enough original elements to make it a worthwhile watch. I’m happy to report that the climax of Romulus was maybe the most terrifying thing I’ve seen on the big screen all year.
There’s lots to love about Alien: Romulus. Hardcore and casual fans of the series will have different experiences, but both are overall positive. Álvarez keeps his characters’ backs against the wall, and he really relishes in the horror of the situation. Remove the pandering to fans, and you have a perfectly exciting and frightening Alien sequel.
***
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