By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Between those spidery parasites, the violent, chest exploding alien births, and the hair-raising hunts of those acid-blooded predators, “Alien: Romulus” has everything and then some for fans of this six-decade long franchise. Since the original “Alien” premiered back in 1979, there have been seven additional sequels, prequels, and crossover films that have terrorized audiences, with this one being the ninth. “Alien: Romulus” is both a sequel and a prequel as it is set shortly after the events in the original, but before “Aliens.”
Life on a mining colony 65 light years from Earth that hasn’t been fully terraformed yet is pretty bleak, and the only options are to either work the life-shortening mines or find a way to obtain a travel permit to escape the sunless drudgery. Desperate to leave the depressing planet, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her beloved android companion Andy (David Jonsson) link up with like-minded youths who have a risky plan. Tyler (Archie Renaux), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), Kay (Isabela Merced), and Navarro (Aileen Wu) have found a derelict space station hovering listless above their planet.
Looking to scavenge the station of the valuable resources needed for deep space travel, the group has a limited window of time to achieve their criminal goal before the station is destroyed after its inevitable collision course with the icy rings of the planet. When they come face to face with those memorable Facehuggers and their monstrous offspring, a terror they could never have imagined grips them in an icy embrace. With primordial creatures lurking around every corner, their chances of survival diminish every minute they stay aboard the ill-fated death trap.
Uruguayan writer/director Fede Alvarez delivers a sci-fi/horror film that fans of the franchise will appreciate and cheer. As a student and fan of the “Alien” saga himself, Fede wanted to ensure he produced a movie that honored its history while still bringing something new to the table. He even incorporates the likeness of Ian Holm, who portrayed Ash in the original film and has since passed away in 2020. Conferring with James Cameron, director of “Aliens” (1986), on the script and Ridley Scott, director of “Alien” (1979), after his first edit, allowed him the opportunity to fine tune it to a level that fits very well between the two classics. In fact, this is the best entry in the franchise since 2012’s “Prometheus.”
Fede Alvarez is no stranger to the horror genre, having successfully directed “Don’t Breathe” in 2016 which was a surprise hit. He masterfully harnesses that claustrophobic suspense that’s reminiscent of those first two installments. He specifically sought out the special effects team from Cameron’s “Aliens” to capture a similar look and feel of the creatures with updated technology. From the slime to the acidic blood to the menacing visages, these murderous monsters instill heart pumping terror. Fede’s gruesomely crafted scenes, like the alien’s explosive birth, will leave the audience white knuckled and with lasting images that will haunt their dreams.
The sound and cinematography play important parts in the filmmaker’s fear inducing space thriller with sickening bone crunches and not so distant screeching along with tightly shot camera angles to enhance the level of horror and suspense. Then there’s that spine tingling score infused with classical music that is a trademark of the franchise. Despite Fede’s focused level of detail, he does make some tactical errors that are noticeable like scenes involving the gravity resets in the station or the scene involving the climate-controlled room that should have logically faltered as soon as the door was opened.
Typically, a young cast of unknown actors and actresses would be the glaring weak spot in a horror film, but they do an impressive job of holding their own and bringing a dynamic energy that holds viewers’ attention. Leading the cast is Cailee Spaeny, whose performance in “Civil War” earlier this year was eye opening. She does a terrific job of providing depth to her character who lost her parents to the mines at a young age and only has the android as her emotional connection. Cailee successfully integrates a child-like innocence with a dark edginess and determination that rivets the audience to her character.
David Jonsson’s performance is also worth mentioning. Even though he portrays an android devoid of emotion, this is a trickier character to play than the androids in prior “Alien” films. His character tends to frequently glitch, leading to spasming seizure-like states, and he seems to have a mental disability that also gives him a child-like demeanor. Not to mention, his programming is equipped with a plethora of dad jokes that brings some much-needed comic relief. Look for him to next appear in “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.,” which is scheduled to be released this Thanksgiving.
With multiple references and easter eggs to the other films, longtime fans of the franchise will be very pleased with this entry that epitomizes the atmosphere of its predecessors. “Alien: Romulus” offers the nostalgic scares and thrills of the original while also branching out to expand the lore in unexpected ways. This is the first and possibly only must-see theatrical event of the month, don’t miss the opportunity to catch it on the biggest screen you can.
This movie earns:
