The Alien franchise holds the distinct honour of having maintained a somewhat consistent box office presence since its original release in 1979. Stretching across two decades over the original four films, creator Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise was met with less than universal acclaim to 2012’s Prometheus. His follow-up with 2017’s Alien: Covenant, however, was better received, and seemed to finally be a return to form for the franchise.
Something which Alien: Romulus follows for the most part, although helmed by the Evil Dead remake’s Fede Alvarez.
Legacy sequels have all seemed to have succumbed to this unspoken rule of re-creating the first film of the series–if not as beat for beat remake, then at least as a thematic reprisal. Some, like Superman Returns and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, tend to lean towards the former, whereas the likes of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Top Gun: Maverick have built upon their foundation as sequel entries. But, a constant among all is the familiar retreading of the original films.
Romulus, quite quickly, does its best to set itself apart from its predecessors by honing in on the far more human element of its narrative. Unlike the preceding entries, Romulus is not driven by the actions of those on a scientific or militaristic crusade–it is, instead, built on the shoulders of very normal people who have been victims to this capitalistic reality courtesy of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
Absent from this crew are the usual science officers and soldiers, though some familiar tropes remain, but must conspicuous and, unique to this film, is the stronger emotional attachments at play. While all the Alien movies would have you rooting for the human crew in general, Romulus goes out of its way to get you to actually care for them (something which later entries have somewhat failed at).
This doesn’t necessarily translate perfectly, especially if it’s the more blatant action or newer philosophical ideas the more recent movies have put forward is what you’re looking for. It’s a significant wait before the classic Alien factors are made obvious, and not everything is necessarily explained within the context of the film.
Nevertheless, Fede Alvarez is in his element here, walking the line between capturing all that made the original Alien a timeless masterpiece while appealing to the sensibilities of the modern audience of Romulus. Unfortunately, Alvarez’s decision to play safe by homaging Scott’s work with the original film tends to make the familiar almost predictable. However, he does, masterfully, bring a new dimension to action and violence, imaginatively setting up and using the sci-fi elements at his disposal to build tension and horror.
That said, the film’s real strength lies in its cast. Both Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson anchor the performances, while serving as the emotional investment of the audience. Isabela Merced is cast against her usual type, proving her capability in being more than for what she’s been typecast in recent years.
Interestingly, Alien: Romulus avoids the traps of many legacy sequels which often opt to work around aspects introduced by less popular entries in long-running franchises. Instead, it re-visits concepts from 1997’s Alien: Resurrection, and even sets up a direct link to Prometheus.
Perhaps there’s more to come in the Alien universe than Ridley Scott has let on (after all, there’s also a TV series slated for early 2025), or maybe these franchises have finally figured out that, with sufficient time, the audience is more than capable of accepting anything as canon.
Regardless, Alien: Romulus is a surprisingly strong standalone entry which, hopefully, would allow for greater continued exploration of the universe.
Alien: Romulus is out now.