Directed By Fede Álvarez; Written By Fede Álvarez & Rodo Sayagues; Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.
Alien: Romulus is a standalone sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien, as well as a prequel to James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens. The story follows a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with a xenomorph. This is the ninth installment of the franchise overall. I don’t have too much familiarity with this saga. I’ve only seen the first two films as well as the prequels, 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
Under Fede Álvarez’s direction, he creates quite an atmosphere that harkens back to the original film. From the font of the opening titles to the practical sets and effects to the technology the characters use. Sequences where there is zero gravity makes it feel as if the audience is on a theme park ride. The xenomorphs, one of the most iconic movie monsters in history, look so lifelike. There’s some very inventive soundscape heard throughout. Benjamin Wallfisch creates a musical score that is not only pulse pounding, but also makes some nods to Jerry Goldsmith’s work in Alien.
Like the first installment, this one has a principal cast of only half a dozen or so people. None of them feel as if they were only just there to die. They feel more like three dimensional characters. Álvarez takes his time to introduce each and everyone of them before all hell breaks loose. Cailee Spaeny is very likable as Rain Carradine, an orphaned miner who makes for an unlikely hero. She shares great chemistry with David Jonsson, who gives an excellent performance as her surrogate brother, Andy. The rest of the cast gets their own opportunities to shine such as Archie Renaux as Tyler, Isabela Merced as Kay, Spike Fearn as Bjorn, and Aileen Wu as Navarro.
Alien: Romulus successfully takes this legacy franchise back to the roots of the original. Especially with the feel of it being a haunted house in outer space. There’s plenty of easter eggs for fans of the saga sprinkled throughout used quite effectively. Not to mention that the story makes so many unpredictable turns as it goes on. Thank goodness Disney gave this a theatrical release instead of sending it straight to Hulu (the latter of which was the original plan). Experiencing a movie like this on the big screen is really something to behold.
Rating: 4/5
Alien: Romulus is a standalone sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien, as well as a prequel to James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens. The story follows a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with a xenomorph. This is the ninth installment of the franchise overall. I don’t have too much familiarity with this saga. I’ve only seen the first two films as well as the prequels, 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
Under Fede Álvarez’s direction, he creates quite an atmosphere that harkens back to the original film. From the font of the opening titles to the practical sets and effects to the technology the characters use. Sequences where there is zero gravity makes it feel as if the audience is on a theme park ride. The xenomorphs, one of the most iconic movie monsters in history, look so lifelike. There’s some very inventive soundscape heard throughout. Benjamin Wallfisch creates a musical score that is not only pulse pounding, but also makes some nods to Jerry Goldsmith’s work in Alien.
Like the first installment, this one has a principal cast of only half a dozen or so people. None of them feel as if they were only just there to die. They feel more like three dimensional characters. Álvarez takes his time to introduce each and everyone of them before all hell breaks loose. Cailee Spaeny is very likable as Rain Carradine, an orphaned miner who makes for an unlikely hero. She shares great chemistry with David Jonsson, who gives an excellent performance as her surrogate brother, Andy. The rest of the cast gets their own opportunities to shine such as Archie Renaux as Tyler, Isabela Merced as Kay, Spike Fearn as Bjorn, and Aileen Wu as Navarro.
Alien: Romulus successfully takes this legacy franchise back to the roots of the original. Especially with the feel of it being a haunted house in outer space. There’s plenty of easter eggs for fans of the saga sprinkled throughout used quite effectively. Not to mention that the story makes so many unpredictable turns as it goes on. Thank goodness Disney gave this a theatrical release instead of sending it straight to Hulu (the latter of which was the original plan). Experiencing a movie like this on the big screen is really something to behold.
Rating: 4/5