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Alien: Romulus
Review: ‘Alien: Romulus’ is a Near-Perfect Specimen of a Sequel and a Return to Form for the ‘Alien’ Franchise
August 14, 2024Ben MK
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When it comes to sci-fi horror, few films can conjure up the terror in audiences or the reverence from genre fans as the Alien franchise. Whether it's the claustrophobic scares of Ridley Scott's original, the gung-ho action of James Cameron's followup, or the world-building of Scott's own prequels, the iconic series has engrained itself in the psyche of moviegoers like a chestburster laying its eggs in an unsuspecting host. It's a legacy that most filmmakers aspire for their movies, but only a select number actually achieve. And with Alien: Romulus, director Fede Alvarez is adding to Alien's impressive legacy, in this back-to-basics sequel that focuses less on the expansion of the legendary franchise's mythology and more on taking it back to its relatively humble sci-fi horror roots. Set two decades after the events of Alien and 37 years before Aliens, the story follows Rain (Cailee Spaeny), an orphan and just one of the many souls with no other option in life than to work for the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Stuck 65 light years from Earth on the Jackson's Star mining colony along with her brother, an android named Andy (David Jonsson), Rain has been anxiously anticipating the day when she can leave Jackson's Star behind for the greener pastures of the planet Yvaga III. However, when she's informed that she still hasn't met the quota of hours required for the termination of her contract, she's forced to consider other alternatives. Joining forces with her friend Tyler (Archie Renaux), his sister Kay (Isabela Merced), their cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and the pilot Navarro (Aileen Wu) aboard their spaceship, the Corbelan IV, Rain sets out to make the long, nine-year journey to Yvaga. Before that, though, they'll have to steal some cryo pods from the Renaissance, a derelict Weyland-Yutani research station recently pulled into the planet's orbit. With only 36 hours until the Renaissance crashes into the planet's rings, Rain and her friends must work fast if they're to secure the equipment they need for their trip. What they can't foresee, though, is the sinister evil that awaits them the moment they set foot on the station. Confronted by a small army of Facehuggers and hunted by the predatory Xenomorphs that have emerged from the bodies of the Renaissance's now-dead crew, this unsuspecting group soon find themselves being picked off one by one, becoming either victims of this so-called perfect species or hosts for future Xenomorphs. Their only hope for survival lies with making their way to the other side of the Renaissance and retrieving a unique compound that was being developed aboard the research station — but with time quickly running out and a gruesome demise lurking around every corner, will they be able to accomplish this mission before the Xenomorphs have slaughtered every last one of them? Written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, the result is equal parts Alien and Aliens, with a dash of Alien: Resurrection thrown in for good measure. Hybridizing the slow-burning suspense of Scott's first Alien film with the explosive action of Cameron's critically and commercially lauded blockbuster, Romulus harkens back to the early days of the series, delivering a nostalgic throwback to the franchise's most popular entries, while also blazing an intriguing new narrative tangent for future installments. From the thoroughly terrifying practical effects used to bring the Xenomorphs to life to the stellar production design, which does a bang-on job recreating the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the original movies, Romulus isn't one to let the hardcore Alien fans down. Its greatest achievement, however, is the way it's able to excite moviegoers and reinvigorate the series — something not even Prometheus and Alien: Covenant were as effective in doing. Suffice to say, audiences who have been waiting for an Alien sequel that restores the iconic franchise to its original glory are in for a treat. And while it might be hard to imagine a followup capable of topping the sheer grandeur of Aliens, Alvarez's vision of terror certainly comes close. Make no mistake, there will always be those eager to decry the film as pure, unadulterated fan service. For fans who have seen the series through thick and thin, however, Romulus is as near-perfect a specimen of a sequel as we're likely ever going to get. Alien: Romulus releases August 16th, 2024 from 20th Century Studios. The film has an MPAA rating of R for bloody violent content and language. Its runtime is 1 hr. 59 min. |
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