Alien Romulus: A Gooey Nightmare
Director Fede Alvarez sets out to give fans what they have been asking for since Prometheus and Alien Covenant, less philosophy and backstory, and more Xenomorphs and claustrophobic thrills. While many fans of the Alien franchise enjoyed the different tone & story for Ridley Scott's last two alien outings ( a trilogy I'd like to see completed) Alvarez seeks to bring fans back to the original action-packed sci-fi horror, packed with plenty of references to the films that came before and a new badass female protagonist trying to survive the Xenomorphs, does Alvarez deliver a satisfying new entry to the series, or simply re-hash an old classic?
Alien Romulus has a shockingly simple story hook & central plot, but I think that works greatly in their favour. I had no issue buying into the hook and central plot and was more focused on the tension and action of the plot rather than questioning every decision the characters made or spending time trying to understand what was going on. At times the simplicity of the plot and its similarities to Alien [1979] can be a bit tiresome, but Alvarez is quick to interject another thrill or action setpiece to get you right back into it. The story follows our protagonist Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic ‘brother’ Andy (David Jonsson) on a cruel and harsh mining planet, when their group of friends concoct a plan to steal cryo-chambers from an abandoned spaceship orbiting their planet and set off for a more beautiful planet & a better life far away from this cruel mining colony, Rain reluctantly joins them as they need the clearance of her synthetic brother to get on to the vessel. Everything that follows is built on this basic hook, which I think works effectively as the characters are desperate to escape a terrible life and will endure much horror before returning to their home.
Cailee Spaeny puts in a very solid performance in this film as the reluctant heroine thrust into a situation she is not prepared for, and her dynamic with the rest of the cast is solid if at times a little uninteresting. The real star of the show is David Jonsson as ‘Andy’ the synthetic tasked with keeping Rain alive and happy, Jonsson plays almost two entirely different characters in this film, he begins as the plucky and childish synth that just wants to keep his sister safe and is always smiling, blissfully unaware of the cruelty of the world around him, to a Weyland-Yutani loyalist given much higher intellect and a goal to protect the company at all costs, no longer smiling and far less interested in helping Rain. The way he switches to ( and back) from these two characters is carried exclusively by Jonsson’s dynamic performance and I hope to see Jonsson in far more projects going forward.
In a movie age where SFX and CGI are often used out of convenience, regardless of how the final product looks, the practical effects present in Romulus & the gorgeous set design are a breath of fresh air that helps immerse you in the movie. Don’t be mistaken, Alien Romulus has a whole host of talented SFX artists working on it, but the choice to use practical effects whenever possible shows with the quality of the movies aliens and sci-fi set design. Each new area of the Romulus/Remus station that they explore is carefully crafted and feels like it was once used and then abandoned. The alien(s) themselves look very realistic ( especially that one) and the blend of practical and CGI used for them makes them feel real as they slither along the walls and in the back of shots. Overall Romulus is a very stunning movie, from its lighting and set design, to its practical and special effects that make the abandoned space station come (back) to life.
The synth score by Benjamin Wallfisch feels a little underutilized in this film, there were times that it kicked in and set the scene or changed the tone of the scene but the movie plays mostly with silence for its tension and less with its score, a good decision overall for the tension of the film but I feel Wallfischs score could have been used more in some of the more action-heavy parts of the film.
To address two of the movie's biggest online criticisms, yes I think the use of Ian Holm’s face was done badly in the film. I’m generally not a fan of bringing dead actors back to life in movies and his character in this film does not even feel like it needed to be him and to be frank, it looked really bad and unnatural also. I’m aware his estate permitted it, but I didn’t like its inclusion and I don’t feel like it needed to be his character at all. The other criticism goes hand in hand with the previous one, that the movie relies too much on callbacks to previous films and references to past events to stand on its own. I don’t agree with this one, while there are one or two moments that are ripped right from Ridleys Alien films, for the most part, the movie stands on its own merit, it’s got a lot of similar ideas to the original films claustrophobic horror, but I for one was happy to be going back to the roots of this franchise and didn’t find any of the callbacks or references to be particularly egregious or take me out of the story.
Ultimately Alien Romulus is a worthy new addition to the Alien franchise, it may not be as bold and risk-taking as Prometheus and Alien Covenant but the great practical effects, body horror & simple story make for an enjoyable trip back into the world of Ridley Scotts aliens.
