Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Alien: Romulus is the seventh movie in the Alien franchise directed by Fede Alvarez and stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and Isabela Merced, taking place between the original 1979 Alien and Aliens. In this movie, a young group of colonists go to an abandoned spacecraft to retrieve cryostasis chambers, only to learn what happened to the spacecraft and learn how to survive and escape. This movie breaks away from the last two movies in the franchise Prometheus and Alien: Covenant which got decent reviews, but mixed responses from the fans. How does Alien: Romulus hold up with the other movies?
Alien: Romulus is the best Alien movie since Aliens. The movie goes back to the basics of the original films. For anyone who liked the uniqueness and risks of movies like Prometheus, they might be a little disappointed. At the same time, the film didn’t need to do that or continue from Alien: Covenant. Alien: Romulus brings back the horror and suspense that made fans love the first movie. Fede Alvarez has a background in directing horror movies such as the 2013 Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe, which makes him the right director to take over for Ridley Scott.
Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson deliver the best performances. Spaeny plays Rain, an orphan miner who is trying to get off the planet she lives on with her adoptive brother Andy, who is played by Jonsson. Andy is an android who cares for Rain and tries to make funny jokes to make conversation. The other characters that join them are split into two categories. You have some likable characters and you hope they make it out okay. The other characters are jerks who make all the wrong choices that characters usually make in a horror movie.
The Xenomorphs look incredible and will put the audience on the edge of their seats. The Facehuggers in this movie are scarier than they’ve ever been. There is an android character with the likeness of Ian Holm from Alien with a different name, Rook. Similar to Holm’s original character Ash, the android would sacrifice the humans to achieve the mission’s goal, as well as try to manipulate Andy.
Similar to previous Alien movies, Alien: Romulus doesn’t end in the way you would expect. The third act is where the movie did something different and nearly freaked me out. It was one of the craziest, most suspenseful third acts I have seen in the last few years. As someone who is a fan of both action and horror, the third act delivered.
Overall, Alien: Romulus is a great return to the Alien franchise and reminds fans what made this series great in the first place. The performances were good. The visuals looked spectacular. The film didn’t take the risks Prometheus did, but it didn’t need to. Old fans will be satisfied and new fans will want to check out the original movies if this is the first Alien movie they saw. My final grade for Alien: Romulus is an A-. The film delivers great suspense and visuals with a solid story despite not doing anything unique until the third act. If you are a fan of science fiction movies and horror, I highly recommend the film. What are your thoughts on Alien: Romulus? Let us know in the comments below.
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