In Space, no one can hear you scream, but they’ll certainly be able to hear you in a theatre. Alien: Romulus will have franchise fans cheering, as Fede Alvarez has crafted the best Alien movie since Cameron’s iconic 1986 sequel.
Stripping the formula back down to its survival horror and action roots, Romulus captures so much of what made the first two films all time classics. It impressively marries the slow burn dread of Alien with the set piece action of Aliens, resulting in a claustrophobic, heart pounding theatrical experience. It doesn’t bog itself down with the series’ complex lore, but also never ignores what past films have established. It sometimes plays like a greatest hits collection, but does it all so well, and takes some big creative swings of its own that set it apart.
The production design gets top marks, with a refreshing practical approach to set and creature design. We’ve become numb to CGI in modern cinema, so when a film goes above and beyond to deliver so much practically - real, tangible elements that you can almost reach out and touch - that’s something special. The digital effects are equally impressive - save for one really distracting bit of VFX that the movie keeps coming back to. while I enjoyed its part in the plot, I wish it had been approached differently. It’s an unfortunate eyesore in an otherwise incredible looking (and sounding) movie.
With the exception of Rain and Andy, the characters are a bit one dimensional, but they’re all well acted. Cailee Spaeny does a commendable job stepping into the Ripley-type lead role, getting some truly badass moments of her own. It’s David Jonsson who steals the entire movie though, with his brilliant performance as Andy. In many ways, he’s the emotional anchor of the movie, but also strikes a nuanced balance between empathy and apathy. The chemistry between Jonsson and Spaeny is excellent.
After decades of underwhelming Alien movies, it seemed like this franchise was ready to say “Game over, man! Game over!” Turns out, all we needed was to go back to the way it all began, and Fede Alvarez did exactly that. Romulus is a welcome return to near peak form, and the best Alien movie in almost 40 years.
4/5