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Synopsis
On the Jackson’s Star mining colony, Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her android brother Andy (David Jonsson) seek refuge. Rain gets help from her ex, Tyler (Archie Renaux), who can get her and Andy off the colony. He and his crew – Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu) – found a derelict space station. They plan on taking some cryostasis pods that will help them make the years’ long journey off the colony. Though successful, the crew discovers why the station was abandoned when they accidentally revive some frozen facehuggers. One of them latches onto Navarro, and an alien bursts out and pursues the crew throughout the station. Even worse, the station will crash into the colony’s asteroid belt, so the survivors have limited time to escape. While our heroes fight for survival, they discover more on the station than they ever could have expected.
Review
While not as groundbreaking as the Ridley Scott classic, Alien: Romulus is an excellent companion piece. Like his 2013 remake of The Evil Dead, Fede Alvarez has plenty of love and respect for this series. From the retro-futuristic production design to the emphasis on practical effects, Alvarez and his team perfectly captured the 1979 aesthetic. Also, like the original, the first 45 minutes are deliberately slow to build up toward the true terror. Cinematographer Galo Olivares, who previously worked on the Oscar-winning film Roma, perfectly captures the feeling of dread and isolation. Complimenting this is Benjamin Wallfisch’s fantastic score that combines new arrangements with ones by Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. This film is an excellent mix of old-school and new-school elements that seamlessly blend to create something whole. Thankfully, it also works as a standalone sci-fi horror movie and isn’t solely reliant on references.
Cailee Spaeny makes an excellent lead, capturing the same determination and confidence Sigourney Weaver brought to the original. She’s likable, endearing, and challenging while also showing vulnerability, and her relationship with David Johnson’s Andy is fantastic. Additionally, Johnson goes through a great character arc, starting off timid but later becoming astute. It’s almost heartbreaking how he completely turns his back on Rain when he turns into a machine for the company. While the rest of the cast is mostly cannon fodder, their characters are developed enough that you care about them. Unfortunately, one character sticks out like a sore thumb, but it’s hard to discuss without giving spoilers. I can only say that it’s at least a step up from Rogue One digitally recreating Peter Cushing. Aside from that, the small cast helps tighten the focus, and each one does a fantastic job.
I’m glad this back-to-basic movie came along after the jumbled mess that was Alien: Covenant. This installment doesn’t have the complex or nuanced ideas that 2012’s Prometheus proposed, but I’m okay with that. Though, the film does have ties to both of Ridley Scott’s prequels, which opens up many opportunities. Still, regardless of where this falls in the timeline, this is a fantastic standalone sci-fi horror film. There are plenty of references and in-jokes for the fans, but even newcomers will have a good time. Plus, at a lean two hours, the movie never overstays its welcome nor feels like it’s rushing to the end. Even if it’s not on par with Scott or Cameron’s installments, Alvarez should be proud of his work here. Overall, Alien: Romulus is a stellar back-to-basics installment that injects new life into a long-dormant franchise.
Alien: Romulus is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
