Alien: Romulus returns the Alien franchise to its roots: A classy horror movie with plenty of unforgettable moments!
It feels like they keep making these Alien movies but the last one came out 7 years ago (Alien: Covenant). Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the franchise and the events depicted occur between Alien and Aliens. Directed by Fede Alvarez, it is a terrifying, superbly engaging and worthy addition to the series that has been enrapturing audiences’ imagination since Ridley Scott’s Alien was released in 1979.
Like that movie warned, ‘In space, no one can hear you scream’, Romulus begins in haunting silence as a spaceship glides. Right away the images are striking; making a strong impression. The excellent photography of the movie resembles Ridley Scott’s Alien as well as Blade Runner. Rain (a transformed Cailee Spaeny that’s all growns up and ready to be a kick-ass action star) lives in a mining colony on a planet with no light. She dreams of sitting peacefully staring at the horizon where the sun shines and the wind blows. Things that we take for granted, in the bleak future depicted in the franchise, are a pleasure available to few.
She isn’t all alone though. She has friends; a boyfriend called Tyler (Archie Renaux), and an android companion called Andy (David Jonsson). Rain’s father had a major part to play in Andy’s creation as his key directive is to do what is in Rain’s best interest. Andy isn’t as bright as the other androids we’ve seen throughout the series. He’s the blue-collar version created by the Wayland-Yutani Corp for mining purposes compared to the top-of-the-line likes of Ash (Ian Holm in Aliens) or David (Michael Fassbender in Prometheus).
Desperate for a less miserable life, Rain, in a moment of weakness, accepts Tyler’s request to visit a derelict spacecraft to steal the cryogenic chambers and tech that will allow them to travel to a planet with better living conditions. Accompanying them are Tyler’s sister Kay (Isabela Merced), Tyler’s cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn, playing the obligatory dumb/asshole character in horror movies) and Navarro, the pilot (Aileen Wu). The most vital member of the group is Andy since he can access the Weyland-Yutani systems.
The spacecraft is abandoned for a reason; it’s a blast from the past so the avid fans of the series know what mayhem led to its current condition. And Rain’s group is led by emotion rather than pragmatism. They aren’t following company directives. These are ordinary people unwittingly walking into the lion’s den. Romulus takes a minute to set the scene, but once it does, shit gets real.
In the beginning, it’s one of those horror movies where we know what’s in store for the characters and we see them figure things out. But Alvarez and his writing partner Sayagues’ script finds inventive ways to feed the information to Rain and co. and bring them up to speed. Then, they take the story to interesting places while staying within the confines of a horror movie in a spaceship. They rack up the stakes, and keep building the tension while we wonder how can one survive such insurmountable odds!
Xenomorph aliens are as smart as humans and emphatically more resilient. They are the perfect organism that rapidly adapts to their surroundings while reproducing at a bewildering speed. Fighting them is almost futile. On the other side of this battle, we have Rain and her loyal android Andy. Jonsson has given a fascinating performance as Andy. As a malfunctioning android Rain has to care for, he is weak and requires protecting. But once he gets a software update on the wrecked ship, he transforms. This duality is intriguing, thanks to Jonsson’s portrayal.
Alien movies are at their finest with a protagonist we implicitly root for. We get that in Rain. On paper, she’s just as meaty as Ripley. And Spaeny brings the raw intensity needed to portray Rain. Check out the review of this year’s Civil War starring her.
Where Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (the last two movies of the franchise) build a larger mythology, Romulus aspires to be a horror film. However, it does open possibilities that can be explored at a later time in the larger story. Focusing on the horror where Alvarez’s expertise lies, he has made a movie which like 2019’s Joker works as a standalone feature and hence, provides chills on par with the best of the franchise. With plenty of turns you won’t see coming (a mark of a good horror movie) Alien: Romulus is a heart-pounding edge-of-the-seat thriller, with stunning visuals that’ll set the standard for future movies.
Tyler – ‘Is this really where you want to spend the rest of your life?’
Rain – ‘You know I don’t.’
Tyler – ‘Then this is our only ticket out of here.’
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