I am a major fan of the Alien/Aliens franchise. I have more different versions, special editions, box-sets and various director’s cuts, of Alien and Aliens than I have of any other film in my collection. I have/had copies on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, Blu-Ray etc. and have watched them all several times over.
So, it was not withstanding after the disappointment I felt with the last four outings, Alien3, Alien Resurrection, Alien: Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, (I consider the Alien vs. Predator movies to be a branch off, rather than direct sequels/prequels), that I was looking forward, albeit with a sense of trepidation, to Alien: Romulus. I was hoping they wouldn’t disappoint me again – especially regarding inaccurate details in respect of the xenomorph history as detailed in the sequels/prequels to Alien/Aliens.
I consider Alien, and Aliens, to be the pinnacle of all the films released in the franchise thus far, though I do consider AVP: Alien vs. Predator to be a worthy addition to this list.
Alien: Romulus is, for timeline purposes, a direct sequel to Alien. And whilst the connection between it and it’s prequel is a little tenuous, it’s not unbelievable. And, from that establishing link onwards, Alien: Romulus is a gritty, joyful and very exciting ride which fans of the first two films will enjoy. There are numerous homages, both visually and via the soundtrack, to most of the films in the franchise, along with a very special reappearance, which, if you’re a fan like I am, you’ll absolutely delight in.
There’s not many movies which cause me, whilst watching them, to utter the word “Fuck!”, in gleeful response to what I’m seeing onscreen, but Alien: Romulus’ director, Fede Alvarez, has expertly ramped up the tension and thrills to cause me to say it during one of the more intense and exciting scenes. The performances, by and large, and especially from Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, are excellent and believable.
If I am to have any criticism of the film, it would be that the writers, Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues seem to have tried a little too hard to make a connection to some of the other films in the franchise. Just pulling back a little and not fully plagiarising one of the franchise’s greatest lines would have been a nice nod, but it comes across as somewhat cheesy, and maybe a little clumsy, in its execution. But maybe I’m being picky.
Overall, the script is tight and action-packed, with some excellent and original ideas that are executed very well. As was the case with Alien Resurrection, the titular aliens are scary as hell. Alvarez doesn’t hold back in giving fans what they finally deserve, especially in terms of frights and gore. Again, as in Alien Resurrection, the final “monster” is disappointing. I’m trying desperately not to let that colour my entire review, but I just didn’t find it scary at all and it took the edge of what was, up until then, an excellent five-star film. The original aliens are the true stuff of nightmares and, in my opinion, they should have stuck with those. With double-jawed mandibles and acid-for-blood, what’s not to be afraid of? And, in Alien: Romulus, these are delivered in terrifying numbers and capacity and should satisfy most fans of the franchise.
David E. Gates
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