15 Aug REVIEW – ‘Alien: Romulus’ returns the Alien franchise back to its glory days
Much like the unstoppable extra-terrestrial force at the centre of this space saga, the Alien franchise is a monolith that simply refuses to die. After Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens set such a high bar for the sci-fi genre, nothing that’s followed has captured the same magic. Scott tried valiantly to resurrect the series with the ambitious but anarchic Prometheus in 2012 and the gnarly but generic Alien: Covenant in 2017. After mixed reviews and so-so box office results, it was clear the time had come for some fresh blood.
While Scott remains in the producer’s chair, the task of reviving this ageing franchise has landed in the lap of director Fede Álvarez. It’s a shrewd move to hand the reins over to a horror filmmaker and one that pays off tremendously well. A huge return to form for this series, Alien: Romulus is a thrilling, tense, and terrifying new chapter that pays deft homage yet still blazes its own trail. It’s gritty and nasty. It’s violent and gory. It’s intense and unnerving. In other words, it’s everything an Alien film should be.
Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, this interquel (yes, apparently that’s the correct term) focuses on Rain Carradine (a gutsy Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic “brother,” Andy (David Jonsson), two scrappy orphans stuck on the grimmy mining colony Jackson’s Star on the dark planet Vega. Forced into hard labour with the nefarious Weyland-Yutani Corporation from a young age after the premature death of her parents, Rain dreams of escaping her desolate life for the sunny paradise shores of Yvaga.
Despite earning enough hours to apply for a transfer, Rain is cruelly denied permission to leave Jackson’s Star, leaving her feeling lost and hopeless. That’s when opportunity comes a-knocking in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Tyler (Archie Renaux), who’s hatching a plan to explore an abandoned Weyland-Yutania research craft that’s drifted into Vega’s orbit.
Tyler suspects the vessel contains enough unused cryosleep pods for him and his crew – comprised of his sister, Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu) – to blast off to Yvega without the required permission. The two siblings have been invited along, mostly so Tyler can utilise Andy’s android abilities to “speak” to the ship. Naturally, once they’re on board, they soon discover the dark reason the ship has been aimlessly drifting in outer space…
If you found Scott’s 21st-century prequels far too complicated and convoluted for their own good, you’ll be pleased to know Álvarez rightly strips Alien: Romulus back to the roots of what made Alien and Aliens such gripping sci-fi epics. That’s not to suggest he’s retconning this franchise and doing something as bold as ignoring the events of Prometheus and Covenant. Far from it. The lore of the former even plays heavily into the film’s bombastic third act (we’ll get to that later).
But rather than get bogged down in asking lofty questions without easy answers or attempting to explore strange existential themes, Álvarez is more concerned with taking a simple story of a doomed space crew and telling it extremely well; precisely what Scott did in 1979. That may lead to concerns this is nothing more than a pseudo remake à la Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In some ways, that’s an entirely apt comparison. In other ways, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
The film is expectedly dotted with franchise references and Easter eggs, while Álvarez’s screenplay (co-written with Rodo Sayagues) is filled with familiar narrative elements and character archetypes that are the cornerstones of this saga. Characters make questionable decisions. Alien creatures stalk and hunt them along dark corridors. Facehuggers constantly attempt to attach themselves to a host body. Chaos eventually ensues. And, just like Ellen Ripley, Rain has to find her inner strength to become the ballsy heroine who can save the day. Yes, we’ve seen a lot of this before, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
If Scott’s Alien was more closely aligned to a sci-fi horror and Cameron’s Aliens felt more like an action-packed blockbuster, Álvarez deftly blends these two styles together to craft something that’s equally as frightening as it is thrilling. He brings his horror sensibilities to deliver plenty of gory moments and lashings of blood. He’s got the goods to create numerous exhilarating action set pieces that pair perfectly with popcorn. But it’s his ability to slowly crank up the tension that will really have you on the edge of your seat, particularly the ingenious manner in which he plays with silence and anticipation as he did in 2021’s Don’t Breathe. It’s deeply visceral stuff.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, Álvarez takes a big swing of the bat with his final act which can only be described as absolutely wild and staggeringly unexpected. It’s pleasing that 20th Century Studios have given him the freedom to wrap this film up in such an unforgettable manner. Much of the film thankfully shuns CGI in favour of practical make-up, costumes, and robotics, but it’s really in this closing stanza that his dedication to physical effects shines the brightest. That being said, there is one element utilising A.I. wizardry that’s sure to be hugely divisive. For my money, it’s handled extremely well and feels like far more than just paltry fan service.
The comparisons between Spaeny’s Rain and Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley will be inevitable. Thankfully, Rain is an entirely unique character with a tragic backstory for Spaeny to sink her teeth into. Rain’s connection and dynamic with her android brother grounds the film in humanity, which is only further cemented by the charming chemistry between Spaeny and Jonsson, who steals focus at every turn with his lovable robot character. It’s Spaeny’s first dalliance with action, but she handles the physical scenes with aplomb and delivers a terrific new heroine for this franchise.
On a technical level, Alien: Romulus is a beautifully crafted piece of cinema. Galo Olivares‘ cinematography gets all those tight close-up shots to capture the utter fear and panic on every character’s face as they traverse Naaman Marshall‘s incredible sets. Aided by flawless CGI, Olivares also captures some utterly stunning space shots that magnificently play with light and darkness. But it’s Benjamin Wallfisch‘s spectacular score that really impresses. It’s foreboding and tense when it needs to be. It’s grandiose and soaring in other moments. It’s easily one of the year’s best original scores.
It’s true Alien: Romulus plays it safe in many aspects and that may disappoint some viewers hoping for something left of centre. Personally, I think it’s exactly what is needed to return this franchise back to its glory days before it can start experimenting again with bolder ideas and concepts. It’s still a deeply entertaining and genuinely scary new episode that packs as many familiar punches as it does fresh ones. For fans of both horror and sci-fi action, it’s richly satisfying. If Álvarez is the new ringleader of this series, I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu
Director: Fede Álvarez
Producers: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Walter Hill
Screenplay: Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Cinematography: Galo Olivares
Production Design: Naaman Marshall
Costume Design: Carlos Rosario
Editor: Jake Roberts
Music: Benjamin Wallfisch
Running Time: 119 minutes
Release Date: 15th August 2024 (Australia)