Alien: Romulus is the latest film in the long, arduous and varied Alien franchise. This time, the film is directed by Fede Álvarez, who takes the franchise in a new direction away from the prequels of Prometheus and Alien Covenant, wedging itself between Alien and Aliens. However, there is little to no reference to the crew of Alien.
Instead, Romulus focuses on three groups of siblings who discover a derelict space station and attempt to exploit its capabilities as they try to get off a mining colony where light is absent throughout the year. However, when they reach the space station, they realise it was not abandoned but rather destroyed by a creature from the inside.
For most of Romulus, it is a fun ride with thrills, scares and enough heart to make these scares meaningful and impactful. Álvarez provides a series of clever, tense moments that don’t just reference its predecessors but also build inventive thrills. There are moments with anti-gravity that are creative and fun but also wickedly tense. Other moments are where a specific set of parameters influences the character’s thoughts and likelihood of survival. These moments are not only creative but form real moments of thrill.
The film also benefits from its somewhat basic framework. Although the film is thick in heavy exposition that weighs it down like a lead balloon. Its simplicity of trying to escape the Xenomorphs in a contained setting returns the franchise to its genesis as a single-location horror film.
Although there are some unnecessary douchebags of human characters within the film, the two central characters, quasi-siblings Andy and Rain, provide a strong connection that roots the audience within the tension of the narrative. David Jonsson, who plays Andy particularly provides an empathetic lens to an android who is only interested in protecting Rain. Throughout the film Jonsson also alters his performance to smartly show how the obstacles placed in his way affect him.
However, the film, midway through the second act, reacquaints the audience with an actor from the original film, using CGI to recreate the actor’s face, and this falls into the uncanny valley area of looking like a video game and distracts the audience, in a decision that is both unnecessary and ill-judged.
Likewise, although the film is great fun, the setup of characters trying to escape enslavement in a mining colony never impacts the narrative beyond a slow but gripping opening act. Apart from a slight reading that their escape will aid the Weyland Yutani company’s research into Xenomorphs, there is little in the way of social or political commentary.
Alien: Romulus is a fun and thrilling addition to the franchise. Returning to the roots of the original whilst adding its own new and creative scares. Although it is sometimes let down by an overwhelming flood of needless in-world jargon and misguided CGI, it doesn’t deter from an enjoyable, simple horror flick.
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