Alien: Romulus (2024)
Director: Fede Álvarez
Screenwriters: Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renauz, Isabela Merced, Spike Dearn, Aileen Wu
The Alien franchise has had its ups and downs. The first film, from 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott, is a stone cold classic, one of the best horror and science-fiction films of all time. Many argue that the 1986 James Cameron sequel, Aliens, is even better. Then, unfortunately, people start getting in the way. David Fincher’s first film, Alien3 (1992), had scripts by William Gibson rejected, directors fired, and producer interference. It was so disruptive that Fincher almost quit filmmaking before he started. Alien: Resurrection (1997), with a script aided by would-be ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and The Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon, is, a few moments aside, a fundamentally bad film. After that came the two crossover films with the Predator franchise, AVP: Alien vs Predator (2004) and Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007), the first a stupid if not entirely un-entertaining film by Paul W.S. Anderson, the 2nd a stupid and entirely un-entertaining film from The Strause Brothers. Ridley Scott then came back to make 2012’s Prometheus, an underappreciated film in the same universe but with connections only to the first film. People decided that they didn’t like that, and wanted more Alien, so Scott’s plans for Prometheus 2 became the inferior but still good Alien: Covenant (2017), with Scott changing a lot of what he wanted to do to yield to fan pressure. Surprise surprise, people didn’t like that even more.
Fast forward seven years and we arrive in the present day, 2024, where modern horror stalwart Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) has made an Alien film going back to the franchise entries everyone unanimously loved, Alien and Aliens (though there is far more of the first film than the second of these films in Romulus). Ripping out the guts out of the thoughtful and introspective past two franchise entries, Álvarez gives us a back-to-basics Alien film, with a small cast in a contained location for a traditional base-under-siege story in space.
Trying to escape the Weyland-Yutani corporation’s mining colony on Jackson’s Star after their work contract is extended, a small group of young men and women fly up to a derelict space station that has come into orbit. They hope to salvage the ship’s cryo-stasis pods and make a getaway to Yvaga-6, a planet far, far away. Unknown to them, the station (split into the two halves of Remus and Romulus) was a science-station that, months beforehand, picked up the xenomorph from the Nostromo ship of the first film. And, although the crew are now dead, other things are not.
Niggles aside, Alien: Romulus does what it sets out to do. It gets quickly to the heart of the matter, offers mystery throughout its first thirty minutes, gives us chest-bursters, face-huggers, full xenomorphs, slime, deaths, and androids; the full works required for an Alien film. Gone are any pretences regarding attempts to take the concepts further, or to try to ask deeper questions regarding the meaning of creation and life, as Prometheus and Alien: Covenant did. Instead, the film’s only intention is to give us xenomorph horror – to present monsters jumping out at us from dark shadows, running down corridors, explosions, a synthetic with questionable allegiances, a final ten-minute twist after a countdown to destruction.
On this front, it certainly succeeds, even if it isn’t as horrifying as it wants to be. Most of the action sequences are well constructed, deftly paced and organically integrated into the story, with little moments aptly set up to be paid off near the end without feeling out of place. The visuals are beautiful, the xenomorphs done justice, and the score by Benjamin Wallfisch effective. Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are a great couple of leads, with Jonsson the shining light on the acting side, giving an eerie halfway house between likeable and unknowable. He tells awful space jokes as one of his character quirks, which is a really nice touch.
Irritatingly, however, Alien: Romulus decides that it wants to have a few moments of fan-service that make no logical sense other than to please the crowds in a way that is usually only reserved for legacy-sequels. It tries as much as it can to stay away, but like a child seeing an open box of chocolates with no adults around, it can’t resist pinching a few before anyone notices.
That, unfortunately, is how big franchise films work these days. They have to include these moments or studio executives will complain there aren’t enough references, enough reasons for viewers to see the film on streaming, enough things for YouTube videos entitled ’50 things you missed during FILM X’ to mention and generate interest from.
It makes Alien: Romulus safe. Certainly not as daring or as flawed as Ridley Scott’s two prequels. But, thankfully, it is never anything but a good time at the movies.
Alien: Romulus is strong and stable Alien; it’s uncontroversial and simple, but also beautifully crafted.
Score: 18/24
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