Alien Romulus
Let’s start the conversation by getting straight to the point: this is the best “Alien” movie since “Aliens” in 1986. That alone is a reason to celebrate. It took almost 40 years and six movies for someone to finally understand what makes “Alien” so compelling. Unfortunately, they lost sight of that in the last 20 minutes, which prevented the film from standing on the same level as the first two movies.
What makes “Alien” captivating is its simplicity. It’s like “Jaws” in space—the fear and simplicity of having a “monster” in an environment where it clearly has the advantage, and how our humanity is put to the test along with our will to survive. This new “Alien” movie captures that essence, especially because they spend time developing a new character instead of milking Ripley once again.
The movie looks amazing, and the mix of practical effects with CGI once again proves to be the right choice for a film like this. The facehuggers have never looked scarier. The movie is a perfect blend of nostalgia, new ideas, and adapting what worked in previous films for a new audience.
There are so many things to love about this new movie, and it shows the story’s potential moving forward. But… the last 20 minutes make me think that more and more movies need to stop while they’re ahead. Not only does it introduce an unnecessary angle to the story, but it also brings in a bunch of visual choices that look very bad—similar to what we saw in “Alien: Resurrection.” We all know that maybe it’s best to leave that route for future movies.
Apart from that, there are many reasons to be happy. The entire team involved, from the cinematographer to the composer, clearly understood the assignment. We finally have, with Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, a talented cast that can carry this story forward, especially if they continue to be led by the visionary Fede Álvarez.
Fede Álvarez was definitely the right director, and with him at the helm and Dan Trachtenberg in charge of “Predator,” I’m actually really excited about the possibility of a crossover movie.
What do you think about this movie? Where would you place it in the “Alien” franchise?
