«Alien: Romulus» debuted with 82% on Rotten Tomatoes: crazy special effects and sound with «complete lack of originality»

«Alien: Romulus» has received the first ratings on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes — critics gave the film an 82% rating (based on 120+ reviews), but the reviews themselves were somewhat contradictory.

For example, reviewers noted the vivid special effects, high-quality sound design and praised the cast, but sometimes accused director Fede Alvarez of lacking «a spark of originality».

Mark Cassidy, ComicBookMovie: «Alvarez manages to recapture the claustrophobic chills and inner horror of the first two films — even if he overindulges in nostalgia while doing so».

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post: «It borrowed the shabby computer-generated aesthetic of the 1979 film while upping the ante with stunning grandeur».

Avi Ofer, NYC Movie Guru: «A somewhat unimaginative, but well-directed and well-cast movie — with enough thrills to be part of a ridiculous entertainment».

Wendy Lee Sani, The Movie Couple: «The movie has what I was looking for — horror and suspense. The cast was fantastic, the sound design and visual effects are great. The third act is wild!»

Brian Eggert, Deep Focus Review: «The movie has hints of greatness, but ultimately disappoints».

Ty Burr, Washington Post: «To its credit, this is a no-frills, straightforward genre work, based mostly on the first two films. It lacks only originality and a convincing final act».

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian: «A technically competent work, but regardless of how ingenious the references to the first film are, it must be said that there is a fundamental lack of originality here that makes it disappointing».

Starting today, «Alien: Romulus» is broadcast in Ukrainian cinemas. Pros forecasts According to industry experts, the film could gross $75 million worldwide at its debut ($40 million in North America and $35 million internationally).

• «Alien: Romulus» — is the seventh main film in the franchise and the ninth including the «Alien vs. Predator» crossovers. It is also the first film in the series to be released after «Alien: Covenant» in 2017. It was directed by Scott himself, but after disappointing box office results, he handed over his responsibilities for the next film to Fede Alvarez and retained only a producing role.
• Set between the events of «Romulus» (1979) and «Aliens» (1986), «Romulus» tells the story of a group of young people who encounter an alien life form on an abandoned space station. The film stars Kaley Spaney, Isabela Merced, David Johnsson, Archie Renault, Spike Fearn and Eileen Wu.