Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Plot: While scavenging a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying lifeforms in the universe.
Review: No spoilers I promise, but this movie opens with a shot of space and total silence. That silence fades away and the sound kicks in when we enter a derelict space station. It’s at that moment, I knew Fede Alvarez was going to do justice with his entry into the world of Aliens.
Just that little detail of no sound in space, elevating the isolation that would come from being in such a setting, ironically screamed volumes as we’re introduced to the youngest cast of characters of the franchise to date. Rain Carradine (Cailey Spaeny of Civil War) lives on a mining planet, forced to work thousands of hours in hopes of earning a ticket off-world for her and her brother Andy (David Johnson, Deep State). Weyland-Yutani, the evil corporation that runs the mining colony, denies Rain her freedom insisting she work for yet another five years. This leads her to ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux, Shadow and Bone) who along with his sister, cousin and cousin’s girlfriend have come up with a plan to steal cryogenic pods from a damaged and supposedly abandoned space station. This leads to them finding more than they bargained for as the station reveals its secrets and their journey for a better life turns into a fight for survival.
Fede Alvarez is no stranger to taking iconic stories and making them his own, or should I say adding to them in a way that never feels like a lazy cash grab. His love for the genre is well established with films like 2013’s Evil Dead and his original stories, Don’t Breathe 1&2 showcased a director/writer who has a knack for stripping the genre down to the basics while adding solid characterisation and tight pacing to keep the audience engaged. Callbacks to other films in the Aliens franchise fit superbly here, with only the slightest of hiccups (one being the addition of a character that has caused some backlash – we’ll get to that later). And for those who complained Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Covenant didn’t have enough Xenomorphs at play, Alvarez has got you covered and then some.
Like the films before, the focus here mostly lies with Rain and her dream to one day live a better life with her brother Andy, who just happens to be a synthetic android. Previous films in the series have also used the androids as a way of showcasing the pros and cons of humanity, but never quite like this. I won’t say more as that would dip into spoiler territory but Andy’s relationship to Rain plays a large part in the story and both actors do an outstanding job of engaging viewers in their quest.
While all the characters here didn’t get as much development as I would’ve hoped for, they still managed to make me care enough to feel for them. A large part of this has to do with how well Alvarez and his team did a job of making the Xenomorphs terrifying. Not since Aliens have I seen them utilised in such an effective way; there’s always this sense of futility you feel once they’re on-screen. How do you stop a creature that was bred to be unstoppable?! The action set pieces are pulse pounding with the most memorable employing zero gravity and a shootout that gamers in the audience will surely enjoy.
Once again, I have to bring up the sound design and the score which is top notch. I must also praise the creature and visual effects that beautifully enhance the world building at play here. The set pieces feel lived in making the dark isolated space station so much more terrifying to experience, creating a setting that looks familiar and new, all at the same time.
If there are any real flaws to the movie it may lie with one character that may or may not be an issue for you, depending on how you feel about deceased actors being deep faked in films. I really don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure yet, so I’ll just leave you with my humble opinion on the matter. It didn’t bother me, outside of a few uncanny valley moments due to the awkward AI. All I’ll say is if the family of the actor/actress gave their blessings, I don’t see an issue.
At its core the Alien franchise are slasher movies in space and thankfully Alien: Romulus never loses sight of that. It’s a straightforward story of six friends finding a “cabin in the woods” and discovering the monster that lies within. Fede Alvarez and his co-writer Rodo Sayagues masterfully builds on this by grounding it with memorable characters, nightmarish environments and expanding on Ridley Scott’s universe of greedy corporations, near unstoppable monsters and the ordinary-folks-turned heroes who stand between humanity and extinction.
The highest praise I can give this movie is the same I gave to another similar franchise film, Prey. It’s a sequel so good, it can stand on its own.
Sommer’s Score: 8 out of 10
Have you seen Romulus? What did you think of it? And you can check out more film reviews worth screaming about below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More