Alien: Romulus

Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Alieen Wu, Daniel Betts
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of young space colonists explore a derelict space station that holds a deadly secret.

Review:

Tim: I believe the Alien franchise is one of horror's greatest. Besides the awful AVP- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (terrible title, too), the franchise has not delivered a less than "good" film. Even with that impressive track record, I wasn't prepared for how much I'd like Alien: Romulus. Fede Alvarez directs one of the best movies in the franchise. It has no chance of touching the original two films, but it arguably could be third. I think it's better than the uneven Prometheus, and would give Alien Resurrection a run for its money. It's been so long since I saw that film, but this one might be better.

How did Alvarez achieve this? It wasn't trying to change up the formula like Prometheus and Covenant. It was getting back to basics. Alien: Romulus leans into the horror aspect in a way that we haven't seen since the earliest films. A pervading sense of dread covers every moment of this movie. It's far less focused on the action aspects and more focused on the horror and the thrills. And, it works. This is a film that achieves something rare- as I started the movie, I liked it more and more as it went on. Every new scene, every advancement of the story gets better and better. By the time the film concludes, I couldn't believe it. It's quality felt like a diagonal line up, as the passage of the movie progresses. Its culmination was breathtaking, frightening, hitting all the right intensity notes. In short, Alien: Romulus was a wonderful surprise, one of the best movies in this long-running franchise.

One great aspect of this film is the approach to the characters. Wisely, we have a small group of young people who quickly get themselves in over their heads. This is a perfect set up. We're introduced to these characters and just enough character development happens for us to have a stake in them, we're rooting for them to live. They have an innocent enough quest- they want to escape the clutches of the corporation that runs their lives, flee a planet with no annual sunlight hours. We'd want to escape too, especially if that just means grabbing some pods and tanks in a derelict space station that no one seems interested in. This obviously is the set up for intense horror, but it's a compelling story and a tight-knit group of people pulls us into the narrative.

The cast as a whole might be average-to-slightly-above, with a few exceptions. Cailee Spaeny is an actress to watch. She's been so impressive in recent years- I loved her work on Devs and she was fantastic in Civil War. Some of her earlier films might not have impressed, but at least working with Alex Garland, she's emerged as a talented actress who brings intelligence, humor, and emotion to her characters. She's once again excellent here. Any heroine in this franchise will be compared to Sigourney Weaver, which isn't fair. I do think Spaeny is a worthwhile choice to grab the torch from her. Her performance is more likeable and memorable than anyone in Prometheus or Alien: Romulus. She brings a perfect blend of strength and vulnerability, drawing us to her character. She's clearly one of the brightest strengths of this film. I thought David Jonsson was incredible here. He has the challenge of playing a synthetic, but his awkward, not-quite-human performance was stunning. The way he blinked, the way he played two different versions of this character- he makes us care for him and he was always fascinating on screen. Spaeny and Jonsson make a great team and I loved their work.

The rest of the supporting cast was fine, if unremarkable. Archie Renaux was probably next best, although his performance felt a little flat. Isabela Merced had some nice moments and decent potential, although it's not realized here. Spike Fearn made us dislike his character at least, although he's a bit forgettable. Alieen Wu was fine, but didn't do much that was compelling. They all were all fine- they didn't detract from the film, but didn't really stand out, either.

As much as I did like this movie, I do need to complain about the use of Ian Holm's face and voice. I'll likely rail against this more and more in coming years. I hated the inclusion of Rook here, just because it felt so disturbing and disgusting to make it seem like Holm was here. He's one of the all-time great actors and I still lament his death, four years ago. The use of AI and scary accurate technology is going to be a major hurdle for movies. Yes, it was cool to see Rook and connect this film to the original movie. But, Holm is dead. He can't give his permission to use his likeness. It's creepy and awful and this movie would have been just as good without rummaging in graveyards (metaphorically) for deceased actors. That is bullshit and I hated that part of the film.

The visual effects, on the other hand, are astounding. This movie is so beautiful. This is most visible in the climax, where we get some stunning shots of the rings around a planet as the space station gets perilously close. I nearly gasped a few times, looking at the beauty in these moments. The visual effects aren't just here, though- the use of those effects to bring the facehuggers to life, to see the Xenomorphs, it's all so frightening and realistic. This movie fully leverages visuals to heighten the danger and fear that you experience watching the movie. This film does pay tribute to the body horror aspect of previous films, in a few grotesque and unforgettable moments. Again, the visual effects are top notch here. This isn't just my opinion- the movie was nominated for 1 Academy Award, for Best Visual Effects. It wasn't going to beat Dune Part Two, but that's impressive for a horror film to get this nom. It was well deserved.

As the movie ended, I couldn't believe how good it was. From the character development to leaning into the horror, to the stunning visuals, to the intensity of the final scenes, where you almost are afraid to breathe- Alien: Romulus is everything that we want in a film in this franchise. It brought new life into the franchise, which is stunning, considering this is the 9th film (I do count the two AVP movies). To deliver a film this good, this late in a franchise is a testament to the strength and viability of it. I know we're getting a television series soon, but I sincerely hope they expand on this story and continue down this path. Alien is already one of the great franchises, and this entry only strengthens that argument.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien v. Predator, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Civil War