While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Alien Romulus is the new entry in the Alien Franchise. This time it’s Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez who takes the aim. It is the first time we witness an Alien movie featuring a very young cast. Director Alvarez manage to use this fresh cast and make a very exciting movie. The tone is right on point with the Alien franchise history. It is gripping and macabre, as I love it. Xenomorphs are scary again, but also the Facehuggers are vicious as hell. The performances are decent, but Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are definitely the stand-outs. The gore is there, but less than I was expecting, because Evil Dead (2013) had over the top goriness. The score fits perfectly with the tone. The story is intriguing and believable in the Alien lore context. Practical effects are well done and brings an old school filmmaking vibe. Big thumbs up for Alvarez’s team. I truly enjoyed this film and recommend anyone to see it, even if you haven’t seen any of the Alien movies.
On the bad side, this movie contains maybe too many references to other Alien movies. It’s cool to pay homage to other movies in the franchise, but I personally think it’s better to have an original story without any resemblance of previous entries. At this point, it’s just fan service and making the audience reminisce scenes we already saw. Prometheus was a refreshing take on the Alien franchise, but the execution and coherence were not there. Alien Romulus didn’t need that and could’ve worked without any callbacks to iconic Alien scenes. Also, there is a visual effect on a character that is just horrible. It took me right out of the movie. I didn’t understand why this character was so badly done, neither why this character was included in the movie. Fortunately, It had only a small impact on the whole film.
