Alien: Romulus (2024)

​"Alien: Romulus" stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.  Released on August 16, 2024, the film has a group of colonists surviving against ferocious alien creatures.

The film is directed by Fede Álvarez, who also directed 2013's "Evil Dead", "Don't Breathe", and "The Girl in the Spider's Web".  It is the seventh film in the "Alien" franchise.  We've been saying that no one can hear you scream in space.  But, by Hollywood standards, no one has been heeding that warning, leading to them becoming prey for some terrifying galactic species.  Much to their misfortune, the trend continues with the latest entry in the classic sci-fi franchise that's been terrorizing audiences for decades.  However, it's also another installment that doesn't have Ripley joining the fight against the dreaded Xenomorphs.  Instead, it features a group of younger space travelers surviving against the aliens' wrath.  They will definitely need adult supervision after this experience…that is, if they survive, of course.  Additionally, the film seemed to be returning to the original's roots after Ridley Scott attempted to expand his franchise with middling results seven years ago.  But is it enough to rejuvenate audiences' love (or fear) of the IP, or are we better off staying on Earth?  Let's travel into space and find out.

The story is set between the events of "Alien" and "Aliens".  It centers on a team of young space colonists from a mining colony planet consisting of Rain (Spaeny), Andy (Jonsson), Tyler (Renaux), Kay (Merced), Bjorn (Fearn), and Navarro (Wu).  While trekking through the outer reaches of space, the group discovers an isolated space station left abandoned and damaged.  They decided to investigate the ship and scavenge some of the resources they could find to live a better life.  However, what they don't realize is that the space station houses a terrifying xenomorph hellbent on killing anyone and anything in its path.  This shocking discovery pits Rain and the others in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game as they attempt to survive the alien's wrath.

For those who aren't aware, I hadn't gotten into the "Alien" franchise until I watched "Prometheus" back in 2012.  I remember liking that film for its visual atmosphere and Scott's direction, so much so that I saw it twice in the theater.  However, it was the twist involving its connection to "Alien" that made me interested in visiting the 1979 horror classic a while later, which I thought was very good.  It was a bit slow, but it's also enticing and creepy nonetheless.  That alone is enough to get me eager for its latest installment, which promises to revive the first film's survival horror vibes.  But, it was also the involvement of Fede Álvarez that got me excited for the franchise's comeback.  Not counting "The Girl in the Spider's Web", Álvarez has gone two for two in the horror genre, impressing me with his take on "Evil Dead" and his career-best "Don't Breathe".  His refreshing approach to the horror aspects, grim atmosphere, and practical effects made him a great candidate to take over Ridley Scott's iconic piece of sci-fi horror gold.  But the true test is whether he can save it from drifting further into space.

This scenario is quite similar to what "Predator" faced with its recent prequel, "Prey".  That film featured a different set of characters and a new setting but also recaptured the original's roots of relying on instincts and minimal resources to survive against an unfamiliar presence.  These elements resulted in it being hailed as the best installment in the "Predator" franchise since the first film.  This made me assume that "Alien: Romulus" would accomplish this similar feat regarding its direction and a freshly talented director's involvement.  After watching "Romulus", I'm happy to say my assumption is correct.  While it may not be my favorite installment in the franchise, this film is a much-needed course correction that might as well be Álvarez's answer to "Prey".

One reason is the story.  Following Ridley Scott's middling attempts to expand his "Alien" lore with "Prometheus" and "Covenant", "Romulus" decided to ease off on its world-building by returning to the fundamental roots of the 1979 classic.  While I did like the previous two installments from Scott, I can also admit they weren't something I'd go back to regarding their plots and pacing.  So, seeing that "Romulus" went back to the original's simplistic storytelling gave me a glimmer of hope that it'll give the franchise a step in the right direction.  "Alien" was well known for its miraculous mixture of science fiction and horror, with just enough nightmarish suspense and claustrophobic terror to make audiences feel like they're in the spaceship with its characters.  "Romulus" attempted to replicate this combination while making its younger characters likable through their development, mainly the relationship between Rain and Andy, a "synthetic" programmed as Rain's surrogate brother.  The result is a terrifying and gorgeously bleak installment that honors Scott's iconic IP and showcases Álvarez's skillful approach to horror.

Of course, due to the film returning to the franchise's basics, it can have the disadvantage of not offering anything refreshing to its formula.  Besides the surprisingly insane third act, "Romulus" delivers everything you'd anticipate from an "Alien" movie - characters attempting to survive against the xenomorphs and blood being spilled during the process.  Sometimes, a simple story can be a good thing, but for a franchise like "Alien", it can easily lead to a make-it-or-break-it scenario depending on people's expectations.  Its narrative beats would likely make people reminisce about the first two installments through its easter eggs and tone.  But to give the film credit, it focuses more on creating a separate story within the universe instead of the usual trend of uniting the original's characters with the new like the other legacy sequels.  It's also not without its tolerable characters and depiction of scientific dangers that make "Romulus" a solid improvement over the franchise's previous follow-ups, except "Aliens".

As mentioned, Fede Álvarez is another talented director with an enticing and visually unnerving approach to horror.  Along with his impressive uses of suspense and scares, Álvarez ensured that his presentation and production designs were just as terrifying as the frights.  Unsurprisingly, his direction in "Romulus" met those expectations without him breaking a sweat.  Álvarez's masterful approach to building suspense in the film more than makes up for any pacing issues, while the well-executed jump scares deliver genuine frights.  But, the biggest selling point is the technical aspects.  The "Alien" films are famous for being some of the most authentic and beautifully creepy movies in cinema history.  This is mainly due to their practical effects, cinematography, and art direction elevating their narratives and terror.  Undoubtedly, "Romulus" continues this terrifying tradition with ease, with enough atmospheric dread and dim lighting to accompany its isolated yet haunting retro-galactic backgrounds and Galo Olivares' breathtaking cinematography.  I would also give props to Álvarez and his crew for using practical effects for the aliens and the sound mixing, adding to the film's authenticity of its scares and surroundings.

The young actors also did a decent job with their performances, even though there were some moments where their acting fell a bit flat.  Cailee Spaeny continues her impressive run this year with another diverting performance as Rain.  While I still prefer her role in "Civil War", Spaeny is another young actress whose talents should not be ignored, whether in drama or horror.  If lucky, she could become another recent "scream queen" sooner or later, depending on how well "Romulus" does at the box office.  David Jonsson also made a good impression with his role of Andy.  Despite Andy being an android, Jonsson ensures his character is full of heart through his acting, showcasing that robots can feel beyond their programming.  Archie Renaux and Isabela Merced were also decent as Tyler and Kay, respectively.

Overall, "Alien: Romulus" is a nightmarishly engaging space ride of terror that serves as a much-needed reinvigoration of Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror franchise.  It admittedly plays off some familiar beats of the original regarding its story, but in all fairness, that's what made "Alien" a memorable piece of horror cinema.  It's simple yet highly effective and frightening enough to leave an everlasting impact on genre fans and moviegoers alike.  While "Romulus" may not have reached those similar heights set by "Alien" and even "Aliens", it's still a worthy entry that offers enough merits to stand alongside the first two installments.  The cast was solid in their roles, the creepy aesthetics and scares were handled superbly well by Fede Álvarez, and the technical aspects were unsurprisingly incredible.  It showcased Álvarez's directorial talents further and proved that the franchise still has enough acid blood in its veins to keep itself going, hopefully with a better direction this time.  If you're a fan of the "Alien" movies, "Romulus" is definitely worth screaming for, especially in space.

B+