On August 15, the long-awaited space horror finally reaches theaters «Alien: Romulus» — is the seventh installment of the cult franchise «Alien», launched back in 1979 by Ridley Scott. In the review below, we’ll tell you what director and screenwriter Fede Alvarez is betting on — a nostalgic return to the roots or perhaps some fresh ideas, and how reasonable the chosen approach is.
Pluses:
the spirit of the original film and, to a much lesser extent, of Cameron's sequel is well captured; the film works well as a space horror; there are some technical issues, but overall the attention to detail is very satisfying; nice references to the previous installments;
Minuses:
secondary story that doesn't offer a fresh look at the franchise; completely inexpressive characters; the resurrected character looks strange; some scenario conventions; the bizarre ending may not appeal to everyone;
«Alien: Romulus»
Genre science fiction horror
Director Federico Alvarez
Starring Kaley Spaney, Isabella Merced, David Johnsson, Archie Renault, Spike Fearn, Eileen Wu
Premiere movie theaters
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
Somewhere in the pitch blackness of a sunless mining colony and the hopeless existence of a large corporation’s slavery, a young girl named Raine Carradine is forced to live in a world of darkness. She lives with the defective android Andy. One day, they receive an attractive offer — to explore an abandoned ship discovered nearby, or even an entire space station belonging to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
The goal is to find cryonics equipment there that would allow the young people to leave the slave colony forever and go to a more attractive place. But what seemed to be a ticket to a new, better life turns into the characters’ worst nightmare.
The events of «Alien: Romulus» take place between the first part Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s sequel — that is, right in the middle of the sacred classics of science fiction cinema, where another, especially a lesser-status director would not have dared to poke his nose. But the Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez, who has already made a name for himself with the successful remake of Sam Raimi’s «Evil Dead» (2013) and the real hit «Don’t Breathe» (2016), was not afraid of this challenge, and for good reason.
The classic tetralogy «Alien» is notable for the fact that each subsequent installment was created by a new director and was made in a different genre. The initial tense and extremely atmospheric space horror in the sequel gave way to a dynamic sci-fi action movie. Thereafter, it was time for a claustrophobic psychological thriller, and then a postmodern view of the relationship between an unyielding Ellen Ripley and a disgusting xenomorph.
Despite its genre diversity, the very concept of «man vs. monster in space» does not provide enough room for some kind of radical rethinking that could be a real revelation. In the prequel reboot, the father of the franchise, Ridley Scott, tried to pull off something similar, while cranking the story’s scale to the max, where the cramped corridors of the starship were replaced by high-budget planet exploration. However, this approach, to put it mildly, received a mixed reaction: both to «Prometheus» (2012), and especially to «Covenant» (2017), many viewers had questions.
Fede Álvarez obviously took this factor into account and tried to prove that it doesn’t always make sense to reinvent the wheel, and sometimes it’s enough to simply grease the chain to make the journey as comfortable as possible. Together with his co-author Rodo Sayagues, Alvarez has released a space horror in the spirit of the cult original. This approach may seem secondary, but it’s quite justified, as we have a well-realized, solid, and undeniably exciting example of the genre.
No more in-depth courses in (pseudo)philosophy and meaningful flute playing; «Romulus» — is an uncompromising, rather bloody and sometimes disgusting action that makes you feel uncomfortable, and within the genre, this is a good thing.
Here, the acid eats away at defenseless fingers, ruthlessly pierces the chest with a lump, and a damaged android oozes white milk. At the same time, the authors do not focus only on previous works — it is worth mentioning at least an episode that migrated here somewhere from «A Quiet Place» or a gravity quest with acid.
The genre and, in particular, franchise authenticity of «Romulus» is appropriately reinforced by close-ups of the drooling xenomorph, practical special effects, annoying flashing lights, and a soundtrack that emphasizes the doom of the characters, outdated equipment. Every detail in the frame pleases the viewer’s eye.
But there is also a flip side to the coin here, which concerns the digital effects that the authors used to bring an old character back from the dead. It looks strange in terms of the level of execution — nowadays, pseudo-Leonardo DiCaprio or Keanu Reeves seem more realistic on TikTok or Instagram.
There’s not much to say about the acting: Kaley Spaney tries her best portray initial fear and subsequent determination, but he clearly does not qualify for the status of a new Ripley. The android Andy, played by David Johnsson, seems to be the most interesting character because the viewer does not know for sure what to expect from him in the next situation. The other characters are nothing more than helpless dummies who are destined for nothing more than to fall victim to the space dirt.
Fede Alvarez builds his narrative literally on the wreckage of the ill-fated «Nostromo», keeps the tension well, adheres to the ominous atmosphere of the first film (and a bit of the second), and produces a worthy follow-up that does not shy away from being secondary.
As a space horror, the film works to the fullest. As a fresh take on the franchise, it’s a questionable idea. So if you’re ready for another run through dark, cramped corridors, enjoy your movie. If not — even if it’s a box office success in Hollywood, no one will hear your cry anyway.
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