Alien: Romulus Cinema Review

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The last two decades have been pretty rough for the Xenomorph. After being reduced to little more than a theme park attraction in Aliens vs Predator (and its sequel), before Ridley Scott returned to the universe he created in the generally ill-regarded Prometheus. When mainstream audiences complained that the film's connection to the Alien mythos was much too abstract, Scott course-corrected abruptly with the follow-up Alien: Covenant.

Ultimately, the weak retread managed the inevitable task of disappointing almost everyone, resulting in the film underperforming significantly against its predecessor at the box office. In the wash-up, Director Neil Blomkamp's proposed Alien 5 was canceled before the 20th Century Fox/ Disney merger in 2019 put the whole enterprise into cryo-sleep.

Fast forward to 2024, when we have not just a brand-new film but also the Disney+ streaming series Alien: Earth to look forward to. So, has the break resulted in a positive and creative reset for the series? Let's board Alien: Romulus.

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On a distant mining colony, Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her android 'brother' Andy (David Jonsson) are drafted into a plan to escape their dystopian surroundings aboard a seemingly abandoned orbiting spacecraft. However, the ship holds its own secrets, which will soon see the new crew fighting for their lives.

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Neatly side-stepping the events of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (albeit not entirely) allows the filmmakers to play in the otherwise unexplored and hallowed space between the legendary first two films in the Alien series - a wise choice that should have maximized the opportunity to please fans while staying true to the series core. Unfortunately, instead of forging its own path, the film reverts to lazily re-hashing key events and characters from its forebears in an unstoppable orgy of 'greatest hits' call-backs that would make even Star Wars fans blush. There are zero sacred cows to be found, and even the iconic lines of dialogue are resurrected, regardless of whether they make sense in the context or not.

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However, Alien: Romulus' worst crime is reserved for a woefully inadequate digital recreation of a legacy character whose original actor has since passed away. The character's inclusion is not necessarily a 'fan service' moment, being well integrated into the plot and in a very plausible manner. The problem is that the CG is executed so poorly (far more so than other recent attempts) that it shouldn't have made the final cut. Unfortunately, it serves as a focal point for the exact moment the film falters and doesn't ever manage to recover.

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It's a shame because the first act of Alien: Romulus fires right out of the gate, making for a wholly believable starting point for the key characters' desperate acts in a depressingly dystopian society. Fresh from her success in Civil War, Cailee Spaeny leads a generally reliable cast, delivering admirably even with an underdeveloped character. Special credit, however, goes to David Jonsson for his wonderfully understated, multi-layered turn as the obsolete android Andy, who imbues his character with heart and vulnerability.

On paper, Director Fede ?lvarez seems like an inspired choice to breathe new life into the franchise, having cut his teeth on economically produced horror thrillers like Don't Breathe and the reboot of Evil Dead. He succeeds quite comprehensively on some measures, ratcheting up the tension and bringing a keen visual eye that stretches the modest $80 million budget very effectively. Despite my aforementioned CGI misgivings, much seems to have been achieved practically, which, apart from providing cost-savings, notably provides tangible and believable links to old-school filmmaking. If only writing duties could have been handed to someone a little more brave, we could have had a much stronger film.

Despite widespread criticisms, the solid $200 million worldwide opening means Alien: Romulus will likely turn a tidy profit, setting the franchise up for even more sequels. Following a spate of 2024 big-budget films such as The Fall Guy and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which have spectacularly bombed, I'm sure that executives at Twentieth Century Studios will be breathing a big sigh of relief. However, I'm sure they'll keep learning the wrong lessons rather than making better blockbusters. It's almost enough to make you wish an alien would just burst through your chest.