“Alien Romulus” is a sequel to the first movie, taking place between “Alien” and “Aliens,” taking the series back to the claustrophobic horror roots. Similar to the first film, we follow a young, working class crew of salvagers, investigating a derelict space station, only to stumble upon the iconic facehugger. Things go south, or whichever direction south is in space, all too quickly, and the crew must find a way off the ship before it crashes, or the alien picks them off.
But something more sinister is operating against them in the shadows than the rapidly growing xenomorph. This was a movie I really had to process when I came out of the theater. I’m personally a huge fan of the series, even willing to admit that I love “Alien: Resurrection” with all of its bizarre flaws.
I think “Prometheus” is a great movie if it’s separated from the rest of the entries. “Romulus” was clearly made for fans such as myself. It pays respects to all of the movies, even the lesser appreciated ones such as “Resurrection,” and does a lot of leg work to carry on the story Ridley Scott tried to tell in “Prometheus” and “Alien Covenant.
” But the real meat of this is how the fan service never gets in the way of the straightforward ‘70s space-horror “Romulus” wants most to be. Everything from the actors portrayal of these characters, to the script, to the retro set-design, looks and feels like this was a movie made in the late ‘70s to ‘80s. While there is a fair amount of CGI, the practical effects take center stage and the creature effects look phenomenal.
Character-wise, some of the priorities feel slightly off. The beauty of the original film was that John Hurt and Ian Holmes were the stars of the time. Killing them off early told the audience no one was safe.
This one has a very obvious protagonist, and obvious canon fodder. But even with that, the lead character Rain feels very one-dimensional. She’s a sympathetic character, but the only thing that makes her stand out is her companion Andy, an android, who is the much more developed and compelling character.
Ironic, that the robot feels the most human. Everything about the basic structure, the plot and the atmosphere, work perfectly in “Romulus,” but as I said before, it’s a movie that tries to cater to all fans, and this is where its shortcomings lie. “Alien Romulus” tries to do too much all at once, primarily in the third act.
By the time we get to the big climax, the horror-elements are ditched for the action of “Aliens.” Following that, the movie rushes to wrap-up the plot lines of Ridley Scott’s failed “Prometheus” storyline. It’s a movie I’d like to see again, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more a second time around.
But still, this is a movie in my top 10 of the year so far, and if you can see it in theaters, I highly recommend it..
