Alien: Romulus Review
Introduction
Despite the Alien franchise's 45th anniversary on April 26th earlier this year (when I recorded a lovely podcast with Film Feeder's Jack Martin), I hadn't seen any of the Alien films until the leadup to seeing Prometheus in May 2012. From there, I didn't have much interest in the franchise (don't judge me too hard—I was maybe watching a dozen films a year at this point) until I played Alien: Isolation in January 2015.
Soon after, I became so invested in the franchise that I bought the Alien Anthology Blu-ray box set shortly after getting a corporate job. I used it to help me fall asleep for about a year before I finally decided to watch the films in release order, focusing only on the Special Edition cuts. I started this journey in March 2017 and finished by May 2017, leading up to the release of Alien: Covenant.
The Alien Franchise Legacy
Each entry in the Alien franchise has attempted to bring a unique vision to the franchise:
Alien: Ridley Scott's big idea was to make the Xenomorph both a force of nature and something to fear, and remains one of the best horror movies I've seen.
Aliens: James Cameron focused more on what a Space Marine's response would be to a Xenomorph infestation.
Alien 3: David Fincher puts Ripley in a prison colony with a Xenomorph and repeatedly demeans her character in a gritty prison survival tale.
Prometheus: Scott's return to the franchise that focused on humanity's origins.
Alien: Covenant: Scott abandons Prometheus in favor of a Halo: Reach-esque film, with touches of fantasy and action added in.
Of these, my ranking of the films is as follows:
Alien
Aliens
Prometheus
Alien: Covenant
Alien: Romulus
Alien3
Alien: Resurrection
Plot Overview
Alien: Romulus follows a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, encounter the deadly Xenomorphs. As they fight for survival in the claustrophobic corridors, they uncover dark secrets about the station's past and face escalating threats from the alien creatures.
While the premise of Alien: Romulus sounds exciting on paper, the execution of these ideas is terrible. Director Fede Álvarez and his team have crafted an Alien film that not only borrows heavily from previous entries in the franchise but also fails to build anything new or interesting on top. Ostensibly, the film feels like the "greatest hits of the Alien franchise". For example, the narrative structure is ripped from the original Alien, with a group of unprepared individuals facing off against a deadly creature in an isolated environment. On top of that, many of the set pieces directly call back to iconic moments from earlier films in a way that felt ripped straight from Marvel Studios' playbook. What's worse is that the creature design, while the practical effects look fantastic compared to the prequel's CGI-laden creatures, the designs don't offer any elements or evolutions that we haven't seen before. And speaking of the prequels, unlike Prometheus or Covenant, which at least attempted to lace the franchise with larger philosophical questions, Romulus seems content to play the same notes repeatedly without delving deeper.
Performances
(L-R): Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy in Alien: Romulus. Photo by Murray Close. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Despite the film's lack of originality, the performances were the only thing that kept me watching. Cailee Spaeny brings a compelling mix of wonder, yearning, and fear to the portrayal of Rain. Her approach to the character adds some much-needed depth to even the most familiar scenarios and provides a fresh perspective on some well-worn tropes.
David Jonsson's Andy serves as an effective audience surrogate, with a background that often proves more intriguing than the main plot. His performance grounds the film and provides some of its most human moments.
The supporting cast, including Archie Renaux as Tyler, Isabela Merced as Kay, Spike Fearn as Bjorn, and Aileen Wu as Navarro, all deliver decent performances that I would've loved to see more of. However, they're often limited by the script's reluctance to take risks and break new ground.
Direction
Director Fede Alvarez on the set of Alien: Romulus. Photo by Murray Close. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved
Fede Álvarez got me back into the horror genre with his work on Don't Breathe, bringing a competent yet uninspired approach to Alien: Romulus. While he demonstrates a clear understanding of the franchise's visual language and tone, Álvarez fails to leave his distinctive mark on the series. His direction feels chained to paying homage to the Alien universe rather than delivering a unique look at the Alien universe.
Writing
The screenplay, written by Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues, is functional but suffers from a lack of originality. Characters often make decisions in service of recreating scenes from previous Alien films rather than something the characters thought of themselves due to their personalities, backgrounds, and motivations.
Music and Sound Design
The score for Alien: Romulus, composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, attempts to capture the eerie atmosphere of Jerry Goldsmiths's score of the original Alien film, James Horner's action-packed Aliens score, Elliot Goldenthal's industrial score for Alien 3, and the eroticism of John Frizzell's score for Alien: Resurrection. To my ears, Wallfisch succeeded in this department, creating a score for the film that feels otherwordly, alien, and unlike anything I've heard from previous Alien films. There's a great track called "He's Glitchy" that perfectly encapsulates what I'm talking about.
On a similar note, the sound design by Lee Gilmore and the entire sound team is the best I've heard in any Alien film. The iconic hisses and screeches of the Xenomorph are present, as well as some new sonic treats that I won't spoil that blew me away, even when the rest of the film wasn't.
Cinematography and Editing
Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in Alien: Romulus. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Galo Olivares's cinematography captures the claustrophobic nature of the space station setting effectively. However, it rarely pushes the boundaries beyond what we've seen in previous entries. The use of shadows, red emergency lights, and tight corridors build tension effectively but lacks the innovative visual storytelling that could have set Romulus apart.
Jake Robert's editing is serviceable but frequently falls into predictable rhythms, especially during action sequences. The pacing struggles to maintain tension throughout and is strained by the point we reach the franchise's trademark fourth act, coloring moments that should be filled with absolute dread feel empty, rushed, or even unnecessary altogether.
Production Design, Costumes, and Makeup
Xenomorph in Alien: Romulus. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved
Naaman Marshall's production design is perhaps Alien: Romulus's strongest visual element. The space station feels like it has a history to it and has an attention to detail that I appreciate. The space station's design felt ripped out of Alien: Isolation while also introducing new elements like a scene set inside a cryo chamber and some other examples I won't spoil for you here.
Carlos Rosario's costume design is nothing to write home about. Like many aspects of the film, the costumes play it safe, aligning with the franchise's established aesthetic rather than pushing boundaries.
Outside of that, the work of effects companies Legacy Effects, Studio Gillis, and Wētā Workshop, who created the practical effects for the Xenomorphs, chestbursters and facehuggers, using animatronics, rod puppets or creature suits, Filmefex Studios's prosthetic makeup, Tippett Studio's stop motion animation, as well as computer-generated effects studios Industrial Light and Magic, Fin Design, Image Engine, Wētā FX, Wylie Co., Atomic Arts, and Metaphysic, all work together to create an incredibly impressive and tangible creature design that's rare to see in horror films, much less sci-fi horror films.
Score and Recommendation
Alien: Romulus, despite its impressive production design, effects work, sound design, and strong performances, ultimately fails to leave a mark on the franchise. It's a film that seems more concerned with recreating the past than charting a new path forward. The film is best suited for casual streaming viewing rather than buying it, which is ironic, given the film was slated for a Hulu release before switching to a theatrical release. So, if you're curious, wait to see this film on Hulu on November 21st.
★★ out of 5 stars
Conclusion
Alien: Romulus represents another missed opportunity by Walt Disney Studios to breathe new life into one of 20th Century's most bankable franchises. While it boasts strong technical elements, particularly in its practical effects, sound design, and production design, the film falters in its storytelling and creative vision.
Director Fede Álvarez demonstrates a clear understanding of the Alien universe but fails to leave his distinctive mark. The result is a film that feels more like a greatest hits compilation than a fresh entry in the series. The strong performances, particularly from Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, provide some bright spots but aren't enough to elevate the derivative plot.
Ultimately, Alien: Romulus serves as a reminder for franchise directors not to confuse fan service and paying homage to what's come before. It's a film that panders to the cravings of Alien fans who seek to recreate the magic they felt with the first two films rather than iterate on what makes the franchise so compelling and launch it into a new era. As the franchise moves forward with a sequel to Romulus, I only hope that the creative team takes more risks and allows for things we haven't seen before in the Alien universe.
For now, Alien: Romulus stands as a competent but uninspired entry in a series that once redefined science fiction horror. It's a film that makes me appreciate the original Alien all the more while leaving me wondering what could have been with a bolder creative vision. Here's hoping Noah Hawley's Earth-based Alien series on FX and the eventual Alien: Isolation sequel delivers.
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