TL;DR – Beware of Weyland-Yutani Corp representatives bearing gifts.  

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

Alien: Romulus Review –

I have always had an interesting relationship with the Alien films. When I was a kid, a snippet of people crawling through an air vent and a life sign catching up with them scared the life out of me. It goes without saying that Aliens have the legacy it has for a reason. However, recent entries have always pulled me in different directions. For example, Alien: Covenant was a stunningly beautiful film filled with people acting like they had no sense. However, there is a core of these films that can work, and that was what I was looking for today.

So, to set the scene, life is hard in Jackson’s Star Mining Colony, 60-odd light years from Earth. While the mines are rich, the storms constantly rain, the clouds block out the sun, and the mine continually kills people through collapse or disease. Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) has worked hard to get her quota done so she and her brother Andy (David Jonsson) can get off and go live in an independent farming colony when they discover that The Company has doubled their quota. They must stay for six more years. Rain is distraught, but her old friend Tyler (Archie Renaux) may have found an out. He and his crew, Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu), have discovered an old ship left in orbit that has an intact hypersleep chamber. If they can steal it, they could get off-planet. The only problem is why the ship is abandoned.

The first thing I must praise in this film is its production. They have gone through a lot of work to make this film feel period-appropriate while also making it work for a modern audience. I would say that the drive for nostalgia probably helped with the choice to bring back those 1980s-style computer consoles, but they committed utterly. The design of the Romulus-Remes station also completely fits that vibe. The material, the design, and the very feel of it invoke memories back to those original films. If the visuals don’t make this connection, then the music will do it for you. Benjamin Wallfisch takes hints from past musical scores and makes them into something new. They also nail the tone of the series, with some moments of tension being so engrossing that you could have heard a pin drop in my mostly full theatre.

Another strength of the film is the cast and the way they are written. At no point did a character make a decision that made me eye-roll, which is a big step in the right direction. While not all the choices are the right ones, you understand the motivations in each moment. You also kind of care about all of them because you understand why they are on that station, and while you know what is about to go down, part of you wishes that none of them die, even if you think that outcome will be doubtful. Indeed, even when people make mistakes, you can feel it is due to an understandable lack of experience in the situation or sheer self-preservation. On that front, I do want to shout out David Jonsson’s performance because he has to go through a range of emotional positions throughout the film.

The visual effects are all outstanding. When Wētā and ILM combine forces, you know you are in for a good time. There is a sequence right at the start where we break out of the planet’s atmosphere and see those rings in all their glory, and it is magnificent. We also see a wonderful interplay between the muted tones of the world and then flashes of colour to juxtapose. I also like all of the creature designs that absolutely won’t reappear in my dreams/nightmares at all. However, I think it is time to discuss reusing dead actors in new films. While it might have been done successfully/respectfully in Rogue One or here with Rook (Daniel Betts/Ian Holm) and very much not in The Flash. We need to start having a conversation if this is something we want to keep doing in the age of AI where consent, even from estates, is becoming questionable.

While I did enjoy the film, I think your engagement with the narrative might vary. Much like The Force Awakens, this film has a lot of similar narrative hallmarks to those of one of its predecessors. So, actually, come to think about it, as did many of its predecessors. Aliens loom large in this franchise, and I am not sure we will ever escape its gravity. Also, if not for the sheer creativity of the end, I would have said that this film ran a little long in the tooth. But at least everything they set up gets a payoff.

In the end, do we recommend Alien: Romulus? Absolutely. While it might cling a bit too much to the past and nostalgia. I still had a great time with the film in that it scared the heck out of me at times and engrossed me in others. If you liked Alien: Romulus, we would recommend to you Prey.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Alien: Romulus
Directed by – Fede Álvarez
Screenplay by – Fede Álvarez & Rodo Sayagues
Based on – Alien by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett
Music by – Benjamin Wallfisch
Cinematography by – Galo Olivares
Edited by – Jake Roberts
Production/Distribution Companies – Scott Free Productions, Brandywine Productions & 20th Century Studios
Starring – Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn & Aileen Wu with Annemarie Griggs, Trevor Newlin, Robert Bobroczkyi, Rosie Ede, Daniel Betts & Ian Holm
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R