Alien: Romulus (2024)
Alien: Romulus is the seventh
movie in the Alien series, not counting the two lousy Alien vs.
Predator movies. It certainly can't compare with the first two films, Alien
(1979) and Aliens (1986), which are the best of the bunch, but it's
better than anything that has followed. Let's face it: the last film, Alien:
Covenant (2017), was the lowest point for the series, so it's a pleasant
surprise that Romulus has turned out so well.
The story here takes place about 20
years after the events of the first film, and it involves orphaned colonist
Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her android "brother" Andy (David Jonsson), who are
down on their luck. Rain reluctantly agrees to help her friends scavenge a
derelict space station, which could help her and Andy find a better life.
Once on the space station, which is
divided into two parts, Romulus and Remus, they inadvertently revive frozen Facehuggers.
Of course we all know that these pesky Facehuggers latch onto a person's face
and plant an embryo inside of their chest, resulting in a Chestburster that
grows into a large and vicious Xenomorph.
Romulus is directed by Fede
Álvarez (Don't Breathe), and his screenplay, co-written with Rodo
Sayagues, is overly familiar as it ties not only to the first Alien but
also Alien: Resurrection (1997) and Prometheus (2012). Sometimes
this reliance on these connecting threads strains the credibility of Romulus'
plot. And, like all of these reboots/belated sequels, the cutesy call backs to
the better films are generally annoying.
However, Álvarez is a good director and
excels in scenes of suspense and claustrophobia. There are some great set
pieces in Romulus, like the sequence involving zero gravity and the
Xenomorph's acidic blood.
There are definitely memorable action
scenes here, but what make it all work are the well-written characters of Rain
and Andy, as well as the terrific performances by Spaeny and Jonsson. The other
characters, however, aren't that memorable as they are just there for the
slaughter.
Alien: Romulus is as good as you
are going to get with a new Alien movie, unless they actually let
filmmaker Neill Blomkamp make his direct sequel to Aliens.
