When the Disney/Fox merger took place a couple of years ago, one of the biggest questions was, “What was Disney going to do with the Alien franchise?” This was now their most popular IP, but it didn’t have the family-friendly image they could easily blend into their other properties. Would the Disney higher-ups dial back the classic Alien gore and scares in favor of a more widely appealing film? The answer to that question was a quick “no” once the director of the next installment was announced: Fede Álvarez, a Uruguayan filmmaker whose previous work includes two of the most disturbing movies from the past decade, Don’t Breathe and 2013’s Evil Dead. This signalled that although Disney was known for its four-quadrant, “friendly for all ages” brand, it would not apply to their newly acquired sci-fi horror classic.
Now, the much-anticipated franchise continuation is here with Alien: Romulus. This film promises scares and gore yet remains in the shadow of Ridley Scott’s most recent prequel entries, Prometheus and Covenant.
There’s been a long-running divide in the Alien fandom over the last decade. One side appreciates Ridley Scott’s attempt at creating a more complex, heady, and, at times, overly ambitious prequel series, and the other side is confused by the franchise’s sudden turn into a philosophical dissertation on faith and morality. Fox urged the iconic director to give the audience what they’d expect from entering the beloved space horror franchise.
Scott’s follow-up, Covenant, added more terror-inducing scenes to appease the studio while keeping the story focused on his newfound interest in the origin of evil. Although the legendary filmmaker saw an opportunity to expand the thematic scope of his films, the consensus was that Prometheus and Covenant were well-crafted yet didn’t fit into what audiences wanted out of an Alien film. This all plays into the conceptualization of Alien: Romulus. Now that the IP has changed hands, Disney can bypass the ambitions of a highly revered filmmaker and get straight to what they felt the audience wanted: a terrifying, good time.
Alien: Romulus is a back-to-formula horror film that prioritizes terrific scares. Director Fede Álvarez wanted to tap into the eerie, body horror elements of previous Alien moves and expand on them with even more off-putting imagery meant to traumatize audiences. However, there are attempts to showcase the heart-pounding action seen in Aliens and some sci-fi aspects introduced in Prometheus. The longer the film goes on, the more it becomes clear that it tries to do many things audiences have seen in Alien films. Romulus tries to balance a myriad of Alien themes and beloved scenes while staying faithful to the criticism of the capitalistic structures being the real monsters in these movies.
The term “love letter” has been used to describe movies that feature various callbacks to previous entries and Alien: Romulus embodies that in spades. The film features a variety of familiar themes, commentary, and imagery that have been seen in past Alien films. The film is sincere in this approach. There isn’t a sense of gratuitousness for the sake of screen pointing and simple gratification. It does appear to come from a heartfelt place of love for these films. These recognizable aspects feel earnest and, for the most part, work well within the story.
The story also fits well with the efforts to simplify these films. It centers around Rain, a space colony worker trying to build enough labor hours to leave her dire conditions behind. She is responsible and faithful to her “brother,” Andy, a faulty synthetic android whom she grew up with and is programmed to help her with anything she needs. When she realizes that working out of her situation may be impossible, she links up with her old crew, who plan to steal some equipment from a deactivated space station. The film’s heart is centered on the relationship between Rain and Andy. Jonsson’s performance as Andy is the clear standout in the movie. In every Alien film, synthetics play a significant role, representing sincere kindness or cruel, calculated evil. Andy’s condition and sincerity in helping Rain make him the most likable character, which fits into the themes of “what is humanity?” and “heart,” considering he’s not human. Romulus desperately needed more of this. Although the spine-chilling moments in the film work incredibly well, the very few heartfelt moments with Andy are still the movie’s stand-out scenes. No matter how many gruesome moments Alien movies are known for, they are still held together by fantastic performances and a solid thematic foundation.
Alien: Romulus is, undoubtedly, a fun thrill ride. It is a fast-paced, heart-pounding roller coaster filled with body horror, action, disturbing imagery and everything audiences would come to expect from an Alien film. The film is well-directed, with great detail on lighting, tension-building, and practical effects. There is, however, an effort Romulus makes to balance way too much at once and in a concise amount of time. The film feels rushed and unfocused while jumping from genre to genre mid-film. It’s attempting to appease all Alien fans with memorable callbacks, yet it fails to achieve the weight of those other films. In an attempt at juggling so many scares and themes, Romulus is less satisfying than most Alien films. There are highlights: Jonsson’s Andy is fantastic and has some tremendous twisted sequences, yet the film doesn’t have the same memorability as other Alien films.
Alien: Romulus wanted to spell a return to form for Alien with a focus on horror, yet in this attempt, it failed to realize the best part of these films is its large thematic lens. The film tries to do a lot, but the runtime doesn’t help. The film needed more time to breathe and more of a focus. It is still an enjoyable space thriller; however, it could have been so much more.
Rating: 6.5/10