Fede Alvarez is a director who has no hesitation in putting all his influences in his films for everyone to see. His Evil Dead reboot has callbacks to the original but also has enough of his own personality and talent that it feels new and innovative even while walking through well-trod paths. The Alien films, however, are not Evil Dead – vastly larger budgets, larger scope, and a larger possibility of failure.
While Alvarez was likely very eager to play in that sandbox, there are far more eyes on him this time, and that kind of scrutiny can be intimidating. Also, when you have the director of the franchise’s best and most respected film producing Alien: Romulus, it can be a heavy burden to carry.
So, fans are eager to know out of the gate – is Alien: Romulus worthy of the Alien franchise? Absolutely. Are there missteps? A couple, but not enough to detract. Is it all nostalgia and callback? That’s a complicated question and one that needs to be addressed, but this review won’t be able to dig too far into it without spoiling, and there are some wonderful and surprising moments in Alien: Romulus that were not telegraphed by the trailers that I would be wrong to talk about at this time.
There is one aspect of the film that I will need to discuss, but I will do my best not to spoil anything about it. I’m certain it will be the most controversial aspect of the movie for those who see it, and I want to get on record as best I can about where I stand on it.
Alien: Romulus takes place right between Alien and Aliens, and that is important to know going in because Alvarez gracefully immerses us into that world, and for me, it felt right out of 1979 again, which used future aesthetic that makes the Alien films at their best feel like a reality that could exist. Even the screens on the ships are delightfully retro.
It is 20 years since the destruction of the Nostromo, and Ripley is somewhere out in space, adrift. For the indentured workers of Weyland-Yutani, there is little future and even less hope. Rain (Cailee Spaeny) works as a terraformer on a backwater world, working for the Company in hopes of eventually being able to leave the planet with her “brother” Andy (David Jonsson), a malfunctioning android that Rain’s deceased parents found for her as a companion. Andy knows a bunch of bad dad jokes but isn’t a top-line model and can’t protect Rain to his full abilities. But the two are inseparable.
But Rain is running out of options – when she discovers that she’s indentured to Weyland-Yutani for another six years, she decides to take matters into her own hands and try to leave the planet with Andy. Her only option is to hop on a skiff piloted by Tyler (Archie Renaux) and his crew and go off-world. The problem is the journey to their destination takes at least eight years, and their ship doesn’t have cryotubes for hypersleep.
However, there is a derelict space station, abandoned by Weyland-Yutani, in orbit above that should have the pods and the cryofuel necessary for the trip. All they must do is break in and retrieve them. They must be quick about it, too – the station’s orbit is declining, and in a matter of days, it will crash into the planet’s rings, destroying it. But there is a reason Weyland-Yutani abandoned it, and the secret hidden aboard threatens everyone onboard the Corbelan IV.
Alvarez does something great with Alien: Romulus: like his predecessors Ridley Scott and James Cameron, Alvarez shows restraint and allows us to get to know these characters. People forget that the Alien films are about setting a mood, a sense of dread, and a tone that isn’t something that should be rushed. He meticulously builds this world, and Alvarez and screenwriter Rodo Sayagues expand on what we’ve seen and known before, showing us something new while remaining within the parameters of what has already been established.
For some, it may be too much callback and not enough substance, but speaking as someone who has been a fan of these films since 1979, I felt that Alien: Romulus strikes just the right balance between the two. Alvarez knows what audiences want to see in these movies, and he also wants to scare and thrill us with his own ideas and talents. The result is that while Alien: Romulus is very much a part of this franchise, it also feels like its own thing.
The Alien films have always felt real in a way that many science fiction films do not – whether it’s the settings, the corporate themes of capitalism run amok, or the creature effects, these movies set the standard for so many science fiction films since, and Alvarez knows that he’s walking on hallowed ground. Alien: Romulus’s practical effects work, the gorgeous, terrifying cinematography of Galo Olivares, the immaculate set design, and the amazing score by Benjamin Wallfisch that references other films as well as taking its own path – Fede Alvarez is paying respects while making sure that his own stamp is put on the material.
Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are wonderful additions – both give very strong performances and are unique and compelling characters. Spaeny’s Rain is capable but lonely, stuck in a situation that she was not responsible for and trapped on a world she did not choose to be on. Weyland-Yutani’s corporate villainy has always given these films a sense of verisimilitude – in space, there are monsters, both human and otherwise, and there is very little hope to escape. Rain is an ordinary person in flux to extraordinary forces, and Spaeny makes you feel it.
David Jonsson joins a long line of great android performances in this franchise, and he not only holds his own, but he creates a character as timeless as Ash, Bishop, or David. Andy goes through many changes throughout the film, and Jonsson effortlessly navigates those changes in the character. His is the best performance in the movie, and Jonsson and Spaeny have a very nice chemistry together. You can believe these two would cross the stars to save the other.
Just how much does Alien: Romulus pay homage to the other films in the franchise? Is it too much? Barring the Alien vs. Predator movies, which do not factor into this, I’d say every film gets touched upon in some way, and I do mean all of them. That’s both good and bad, depending on your mileage with these movies. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant also get their say, and more than anything else in the movie, those segments feel like Ridley Scott making his presence known, making sure that Alien: Romulus doesn’t stray too far afield.
There are some egregious callbacks—pieces of dialogue here and there that are too overt for their own good—but they are few and not enough to upset the balance. There are also moments that reflect some of the series’ worst tendencies, especially some of the later films’ propensity to throw subtlety out the airlock at key moments.
If Alien: Romulus was simply another nostalgia sequel, elbowing you in the ribs while calling attention to other movies in the franchise, the film would simply fold into itself. But Alvarez brings enough that is new and refreshing that those callbacks are flavor for the dish that Alvarez is serving. Alvarez brings his nasty sense of humor – if you’ve seen his other films, Alvarez knows when to hold back and when to let loose, and Alien: Romulus is no different – and one particular sequence which quickly became one of my favorites in the series.
Once all the pieces are set, Alien: Romulus is as thrilling, scary, and exciting as the best of the Alien saga. Fede Alvarez was absolutely the right choice for this movie, and he directed the hell out of it. It’s a blast to watch.
There is one callback that is sure to give Alien: Romulus the most controversy, and in some of the reactions I’m seeing, I feel like there will be critics sharpening their knives over this particular plot point. I can’t defend this as much as I would like without spoiling, so I’ll simply say this – I audibly gasped when it happened in the film, and while visually it may be a little spotty for some, the filmmakers do it with the utmost respect and in a way that feels markedly different than the way it’s been done before in other movies.
There’s even a little context for the way it looks on screen, and I feel like it absolutely works for the story that Alvarez is trying to tell. I’m surprised that it didn’t get out before now, so I’d advise fans to see Alien: Romulus as quickly as possible before it gets out. I may have something more to say about this once people get their eyes on it, but for now, I think it works tremendously well, I love the choices made that caused it to happen, and there was no better way to bring these movies together.
So where does Alien: Romulus stand in line with the other films? My current ranking is Alien (always and forever my favorite) – Aliens – Alien: Romulus – Alien 3 (the most underrated of the franchise) – Prometheus – Alien: Covenant – Alien: Resurrection. Everyone’s rankings may vary, but I feel confident that Alien: Romulus will do well with fans and will stand the test of time once it sets for a while.
If there’s one thing I’d like to see in the future, it’s that it’s high time we let a woman director play in this sandbox. Give this franchise to someone like Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid), or Rose Glass (Saint Maud, Love Lies Bleeding) and watch heads explode. Until then, bask in the glow of Alien: Romulus because we have a terrific Alien movie again. That’s your heart beating in your chest in excitement. At least, I hope it is.
ALIEN: ROMULUS RATING: 8.5 OUT OF 10
Alien: Romulus opens in theaters on Friday, August 16. It is rated R for bloody, violent content and language.
Alan Cerny has been writing about film for more than 20 years for such sites as Ain’t It Cool News, CHUD, Birth Movies Death, and ComingSoon. He has been a member of the Houston Film Critics Society since 2011. STAR WARS biased. Steven Spielberg once called Alan a “very good writer,” and Alan has the signed letter to prove it, so it must be true.