3.5 out of 5
One of the most influential science fiction horror films of all time, Alien had its world premiere on May 25, 1979 as the opening night feature of the fourth Seattle International Film Festival. Although not universally acclaimed at the time, it has since become a kind of cult classic, as well as a calling card for a substantial franchise. Predatory life forms in outer space never really die–at least not on the big screen.
The original director, Sir Ridley Scott, who has since made two other entries in the series, serves as a producer on Alien Romulus. Uruguayan-born Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe, Evil Dead) assumes the directorial reins, with decidedly mixed results.
When considering the entire arc of the Alien franchise, two characters and the actors who played them come immediately to mind: Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley) in the first four installments and Michael Fassbender (David 8/Walter One) when Prometheus ventured into Alien territory and spawned a pair of crossover films that I would like to forget. In Ripley, the modern cinema has a female protagonist emblematic of courage and resourcefulness and this is where Álvarez leans, heavily. This is not a bad thing.
Alien Romulus qualifies as an "interquel", in that its story plays out within the 57-year time frame between the original Alien and its first sequel, Aliens (1986). Here e find a group of young characters destined to work indefinitely on a daylight-free mining colony planet who decide to make a break from the ubiquitous “Company” and go scavenging at an abandoned space station. It bears the name Romulus/Remus, borne of its two distinct halves. As they discover, it’s a kind of tomb, and it’s a convenient, rich setting for the events to unfold. There are early nods for fans of teh orifinal Alien - we see the wreckage of the Nostromo - and the team learn of the fate of the ship and the first Alien that Ripley encountered.
As well as nods to the past, there are plenty of lines of dialogue lifted, almost directly from Alien and Aliens, which will keep teh fams happy.
It will come as no surprise to you that the iconic Xenomorph returns. In fact, so does a certain android science officer from the very first picture, with the late actor in question resurrected by means of animatronics, digital wizardry and AI-generated audio. You can imagine why so many living actors are so worried about having their likenesses co-opted by technology. I'm starting to dislike when films do this as it pulls me out of the narrative.
Cailee Spaeny heads the cast as Rain. She justifiably earned praise for her portrayal of Priscilla Presley (Elvis’ wife) in last year’s biopic Priscilla, as well as Jessie (an aspiring photojournalist) in this year’s dystopian thriller Civil War. She has impressive range as a performer, and she makes the most of pretty thin material here. In Alien: Romulus, David Jonsson plays her character’s android “brother” Andy, who shares a potentially dangerous link to the crew of the doomed spacecraft Nostromo.
Fede Álvarez serves as executive producer, director and co-writer here. Working with Ridley Scott’s guidance, he does get a lot right about the Alien story. He suitably frames most of the scenes to emphasize the confined spaces and pervasive dread in this tale, alternating between a relatively objective, quasi-documentary style and tight, disconcerting POV shots. And he and Mexican cinematographer Galo Olivares impart an appropriately noirish look to the proceedings.
However, not all Alien pictures are created equal. The same lighting and cinematography that work so well with the mood also make many of the sets look cheap and artificial. The story is shallow and predictable; the characters themselves are not particularly interesting; the dialogue is borderline generic; and, as a result, the acting by this promising young cast is not memorable. (To be fair, there are really effective moments when Álvarez lets facial expressions and silence speak volumes.) In the end, only Spaeny rises above the gotchas and gore galore.
Even if you haven’t seen the first picture in the franchise, or any of its sequels, you can still watch Alien: Romulus as its own stand-alone universe. It will scare you at times, but not surprise you. We’ve seen most of this before, with more nightmarish effect.
Finally, however, it does feel like there is really nowhere for this franchise to go in terms of story. I wouldn't call it artistically bankrupt, but it is close. While this film tied neatly together the "proper" Alien films and the new Prometheus sidestep, it is hard to think what more to make of this creature. Nearly all the mystery has been stripped from the Xenomorph. I do wonder, is there anything left to do with this creature?
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