Considering it started with two all-time classics, the Alien franchise has really suffered. And I write that as someone who liked Alien 3 (I think I am in the minority there). Resurrection was a train wreck, while Prometheus and Covenant felt like they were part of another franchise at times. And the less said about the Alien vs. Predator movies, the better (they can be fun, but they are a different entity). So it’s been a while since we’ve had a good Alien movie, but I am happy to say that Alien: Romulus gets the franchise back on track.
Set sometime between the first two movies, Romulus tells the story of Rain, a young woman working on a mining planet with seemingly no hope of leaving. Dreaming of a better life on distant planet, she joins with friends to scavenge a decommissioned space station for cryosleep parts when it drifts into their orbit. It should be an easy job, but this is part of the Alien franchise, so many things go wrong. Don’t be worried if you haven’t seen any of the other Alien movies though as this should work just fine as a standalone movie.
Alien: Romulus is the first movie since Aliens to capture the spirit and tone of the first movie. In fact, it may be the most like Alien as this goes for more of a sci-fi/horror vibe than the sci-fi/action of Aliens. And it does that extremely well. The first two acts really lay on the atmosphere, keeping you on edge, knowing that something it out there. There are even a couple of good jump scares. And although it does focus more on the atmosphere in the first two acts, acts three does bring out the action.
There’s just so much to like about this movie. The visual are truly great. The production design here is top notch, giving the space station and the planet a lived-in feel. The space station in particular truly feels like it could have been a working station, with each set having value beyond just being another room. And the aliens themselves, whether face hugger or xenomorph, look fantastic. There are a lot of practical special effects and they all work well. The CGI is (almost always) equally impressive. Views of space, planets, etc. all look very natural and add to the realism of the entire film.
I also thought the cast was extremely good. The cast is younger than you normally get with the Alien franchise. That works to the movie’s advantage as it allows for them to perhaps be a little more impetuous and foolish, making decisions without much thought. Caille Spaeny is wonderful as Rain. The movie wisely does not try to make her another version of Ripley but does give her the heart and determination needed for a lead character in this franchise. David Jonsson is equally as good in a supporting role that could have gone very wrong with a less capable actor. The rest of the cast are all very good as well, with the movie giving us just enough to make us care about all of them.
Of course, there are some missteps along the way. For starters, Romulus tries too hard to remind you that it is part of the Alien franchise. A few easter eggs and callbacks are fine, but Romulus goes overboard. As great as the visuals are for this movie, there is a use of CGI that just doesn’t measure up. I don’t want to say too much about it, but it is used as a tie-in to the original movie (which is not really needed) and it just isn’t good. There had to be other options here, and given the state of the CGI, the tie-in feels forced.
I also wasn’t crazy about the ending. It’s not terrible but was a bit too much. There was already a nice ending, but the filmmakers just couldn’t resist adding in a bit more. It was almost horror-movie-trope like, and just a bit predictable. Some may like it, but I felt we could have done without it.
When Alien: Romulus gets things right, the movie is fantastic and just hums along, providing moments that are on par with the best of the series. However, when it gets them wrong, it gets them very wrong. So much so that it pulls you out of the movie. Fortunately, it gets it right far more often, but the lesser moments do stick out. The movie is very good, but there was opportunity to make this truly great and it just misses that mark.
I really enjoyed Alien: Romulus. Is it as good as the first two movies in the franchise? No, of course not. It isn’t fair to even hope that it will be. They’re classics for a reason. But it is the best we’ve had since the first two, and that gives me hope that there will be more.
If you’ve been a fan of the Alien franchise all along, then I think you’ll definitely enjoy this. If you’re someone who’s grown tired of the franchise, give it one more chance as this may change your mind. It truly is the best sequel at capturing the vibe of Alien and Aliens. And if you’re someone who hasn’t seen the first two Alien movies, what are you waiting for?
Did you see Alien: Romulus? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.