Movie Night: Alien Romulus (2024)

“Alien: Romulus” brings the franchise back to its claustrophobic horror roots — a tense, thrilling, terrifying return to greatness.

Currently sitting as the third highest-rated Alien film on Rotten Tomatoes, fans seem thoroughly satisfied with Alien: Romulus overall.

Taking on a beloved franchise that has been around since 1979, Fede Alvarez takes a big swing and returns the franchise to its terrifying roots. Alvarez, known for his work in the genre with films like Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016), infuses Romulus with a horror heart and delivers some nightmare-inducing visuals with nail-biting tension.

Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues co-wrote the story, which begins in a Weyland-Yutani Mining colony. The youth are desperate to earn their freedom, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that their hope of ever getting out is futile. Our protagonist, Rain (Cailee Spaeny), is an orphan who works at the colony with her adoptive brother, Andy (David Jonsson), a reprogrammed synthetic human.

Having just been told she has another five to seven years on her work contract, Rain reunites with some old friends — her ex Tyler (Archie Renaux), his pregnant sister Kay (Isabela Merced), their cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Bjorn’s girlfriend Navarro (Aileen Wu) — just as they’re planning a covert escape mission.

They plan to board a derelict spacecraft and acquire cryostasis chambers for sustained space travel, and they need Andy to help them hack the ship’s computer system.

After boarding, they realize the ship is headed on a collision course with an asteroid belt, and the clock is ticking to avert certain disaster. Of course, that’s not their only problem, as the ship they boarded happens to be the USCSS Nostromo, and they’re about to unleash a world of trouble as they accidentally revive frozen facehuggers and come face-to-face with the terror that plagued the doomed Nostromo.

Alvarez tapped the original special effects crew that worked on Aliens (1986) to help him stay true to his mantra: if it can be practical, it will be practical.

He shows a passion and commitment to getting everything right and not fumbling the ball, knowing how important this franchise is to many. He even worked closely with James Cameron to ensure that the story supporting the franchise cannon fit nicely in the timeline between Alien and Aliens.

For my money, he nailed it.

Alien: Romulus feels closer to Alien than any other film in the franchise.

It’s also very reminiscent of the survival horror game Alien: Isolation for those familiar.

It seems to capture the essence of HR Giger’s vision with his creature’s design, possibly more than even Alien did. The film effectively echoes Ridley Scott’s dreamlike vision and grace, making Romulus feel heavily nostalgic in the best possible way.

There are quite a few nods to the franchise’s past throughout. Admittedly, some work far better than others. One attempt to thread a needle to the past suffers from poor CGI, and it’s really my only major complaint with an otherwise stellar execution.

The cast is exceptional, and each actor delivers standout performances.

Spaeny makes a powerhouse lead. A rising star recently catapulted into the spotlight with her shining performance in PRISCILLA, she is one to watch, and ROMULUS proves she has what it takes to lead a film.

Sigourney Weaver’s career-making turn as Ellen Ripley would be a tough act to follow for any actress, but Spaeny more than holds her own. I was emotionally attached to her and deeply invested in her plight; her character had so much depth.

Alien: Romulus is exactly what you want it to be — an endlessly thrilling and terrifying adventure with some intense scenes that are hard to watch. Its twists and turns give you whiplash, ensuring you never know where the story is heading.

The fear is palpable throughout, as every corner turned makes you wince in dreadful anticipation.

With a climactic ending that will have you white knuckle gripping your seat, Romulus has cemented itself as one of the franchise’s best entries.