Fede Álvarez, a modern master of horror, packs in the dread to create one of the bleakest horror blockbusters but loses the footing of what makes an Alien film just so special. Despite powerful performances and incredible practical effects, Alien: Romulus plays more as fan service than standing on its own. 

It’s impossible to look at Alien: Romulus without looking back at the previous films in the franchise, not just because the film acts as an almost reboot/sequel but because Fede Álvarez creates an almost shrine to all previous installments. While the third act is some of the most thrilling storytelling and unique work within an Alien film, it takes so long to get there with almost painful, forced callbacks to previous installments in the franchise, it’s hard to feel it pays off once you’re finally in Álvarez’s demented vision for the world of Alien. While all of the modern sequels/prequels have felt to be a combination of the original formula from Ridley Scott and a unique subplot or interpretation on the ‘perfect organism’ in modern times, Alien: Romulus feels more interested in playing up fan service instead of exploring the philosophy it briefly offers. 

Romulus does an incredible job at making you feel the helplessness not just from the fear of death but the opening situation we find our characters in. As we open in a bleak, gloomy mining colony that never sees sunlight, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) lives and works on the planet, but she is eager to find a way out alongside her adopted brother, Andy (David Jonsson), an artificial human programmed by her deceased parents with one directive; to do what is best for Rain. All hope seems lost as she’s been assigned to work directly on the mines (that we’re told killed her parents) and she has years of work ahead of her before being able to escape. All of that changes when her friend Tyler (Archie Renaux) says he’s spotted a decommissioned ship that they could use to get out of there and to a planet with sunlight. Leading to the typical horror trope of a group of friends exploring somewhere they shouldn’t, we follow the group, alongside Tyler’s sister Kay (Isabela Merced) with their friends Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu), as they board the spaceship. As soon as we take off from the mining planet, we know what’s coming, but that’s half the fun with any horror movie, but especially an Alien film.

Where the film really works is the story between Rain and Andy; the performances from both Spaeny and Jonsson are incredible as they truly have such impeccable chemistry as siblings yet not an entirely human relationship. The script tries to get close to an exploration of AI and the terrors it brings, but Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues don’t spend enough time on the idea, and it just feels like nothing new nor enough depth to explore it fully. Jonsson’s performance is one of the best of the year as he beautifully balances the robotic and human side of Andy; the longing to belong and aching for unassigned purpose is palpable through his eyes, line delivery, and body language. Jonsson is always good, but he’s outstanding in Romulus. Spaeny has had such an impressive recent run with Priscilla and Civil War, and she gets to show off so many sides here with her dominance and physical depth while still bringing the emotional impact she’s become known for, just absolutely commanding the screen. Merced is the real deal as she’s given quite the material to range from terrified to sickening to simply a relatable, scared person experiencing a nightmare alongside her family and friends. Merced’s arc and the third act are best left revealed in the film, especially in a packed theater, but she is definitely one of the best scream queens of the year. 

In addition to the themes of AI and humanity, there are various other themes floating around in Romulusyearning to be explored. And while not every movie has to be about something or making a statement, the horror genre at large is known for its metaphors and what themes linger behind the face of a creature or fright. There’s an almost exploration of the trauma of pregnancy and birth (and physical trauma that comes along with it). If the buildup to the final twenty minutes had been more visceral or detailed, the examination into birth could have made for one of the best themes explored in any Alien film. However, despite planting seeds here and there throughout the runtime, the final act feels rushed once we finally get to some juicy debauchery. (There’s even almost a vaccine plot in the third act, but that may be better left unexplored.)

The Alien franchise has always been more about the chase and the buildup to something as the tension simmers and the best of the films act as slow burns. Romulus is no different as the film takes its time unveiling exactly what’s happening no matter how familiar audiences are with the premise of an Alien film. Álvarez and his crafts team build an astonishing world that looks and feels as bleak as the first two films with hints of Prometheus (especially with the beautiful score by Benjamin Wallfisch). The impeccable production design transports you to the terrifying mining colony we meet our main characters on to the ship we land on with them. The production design (Naaman Marshall) is incredible callback to Scott’s film but builds upon the ‘haunted house in space’ definition as we have a countdown to impact guiding us along as we explore the ship and space station. The sets feel truly lived in and filthy as you would imagine given the circumstances and create a sense of familiarity of the world we know from Alien, but feel as both an homage to where it’s coming from and a new, bleaker world from Álvarez and Co. 

Álvarez creates a film about the despair of people stuck in a brutally impossible life that they know will become fatal to them. He packs in the dread to create one of the bleakest horror blockbusters but loses the footing of what makes an Alien film just so special. Álvarez has such care and love for the world of Alien, it’s clear Romulus would have been disastrous under the hand of another filmmaker. But despite powerful performances and incredible practical effects, Alien: Romulus plays more as fan service than standing on its own.

Grade: C

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects

Release Date: August 16, 2024
Where to Watch: In Theaters