The Alien franchise is one with quite the pedigree. The original 1979 Alien is widely considered one of the most influential horror films and science fiction films of all time. Its 1986 sequel Aliens went on to define military science fiction and action horror for decades to come. Yet in spite of these movies’ universally recognized quality, most agree none of their successors have reached anywhere near the same heights. That is, until the release of this year’s Alien: Romulus.
This film takes place in between the original Alien and Aliens. Directed by Fede Álvarez, this new entry in the Alien franchise aims to be a return to form for the franchise and recapture some of the magic of the original film. Cailee Spaney, known for her other roles in films like Priscilla and Civil War plays the protagonist, Rain, who is a space colonist looking to escape indentured servitude. Together with her synthetic surrogate brother, Andy, portrayed by David Johnson, she and a crew of other colonists explore a derelict space station to find what they need to escape. What follows is a harrowing horror movie that scratches an itch that hasn’t been properly scratched since 1979. Alien: Romulus is the first movie in the franchise since Aliens that could be called truly excellent.
The visuals and sound design of the movie are superb. It takes cues both from the grungy space-age aesthetic on display in the original Alien as well as some visual elements from the Alien: Isolation video game to create one of the best-looking pieces of Alien media to date. The movie is also plenty grisly, balancing its suspense and brutality to create a relentless experience.
The story of the movie is relatively simple but thrilling, combining the desperation and terror experienced by the cast of the original Alien with some of the more high-octane action horror elements of Aliens. It takes the best of both worlds to create a varied horror experience. It utilizes the iconic xenomorphs that the franchise is built upon well to create creative and nerve-wracking set pieces. While this is much more a sequel to the 1979 film, its homages to the stylings of Aliens are much appreciated.
Overall, Alien: Romulus has earned an 8.8/10 rating. While it is certainly riffing on its predecessors, it remixes the greatest hits of the franchise into something that both feels fresh and classic. I can say with full confidence that Alien is back with a vengeance and as both a sci-fi and horror enthusiast I could not be happier.