@thearmageddon here with yet another backed-up Movie Review I’m finally getting to, that you didn’t ask for:
Let’s be honest and oh so very real for a moment, shall we? The Alien franchise has been trying to figure out what to do with itself ever since the closing credits of Aliens in 1986. With an iconic and classic and mostly universally loved first two outings, ever since Alien 3 in 1992, it has been one movie after another that has tried to recapture that “wow this is everything” feel, and for the most part, has missed.
Now yes, you might have liked Alien 3, or Resurrection. You might love Prometheus or Covenant. And I’m not sure if we really can or should count the Aliens vs. Predator movies (but for the sake of argument, yes let’s), but I think if we’re being honest and ignoring our own personal likes, and simply look at the general pop culture consensus, for the most part, they have been underwhelming misses that haven’t really captured the energy or spirit of that very first time John Hurt had an averse reaction to Weyland-Yutani spaghetti. This isn’t necessarily evidence of any of the movies being good or bad per se, I’m just saying, they haven’t resonated with a Popular Culture at large for whatever reason since 1986, this film included. (Fans of Prometheus will tell you it’s because everyone is dumb, I’m sure. But anyway…)
While full of misses, Alien: Romulus is, for me, the closest any film of the franchise has come to capturing the feeling of the first two Alien movies. It’s the nearest I’ve felt to that intense suspense since Alien and Aliens. However, it still falls short of the quality that anything Ridley Scott could ever deliver even in his sleep when he’s missing—by a long shot. It’s a strange film to describe because it’s both good and flimsy at the same time. It’s intensely suspenseful and closer to the original vision of the first two films (and I’ll give a mea culpa and include Alien 3), yet it fails in certain aspects, largely because you can see the lack of pedigree (and budget, I think? Or maybe vision, let’s discuss) on screen.
I unequivocally do not like either Prometheus nor Covenant; however, I can’t deny that Ridley Scott, even when he misses, is still an iconic director that delivers gorgeous-looking films. My dislike for the Alien prequels is rooted mostly in having no interest at all in the origins of the xenomorphs, because even when it is answered where they come from, my question is always “yeah, and?” Because for me the point of the Alien is that it is an unknown and mysterious animal without reason or regard. The point is the fear is unknown and the terror is derived from it being something that is far beyond our ability to understand it. And attached to that, as a constant subplot is the hubris of humans attempting to harness that power to their own ends. And always discovering that it cannot be controlled. But that attempt is always the B story, at least when these stories are at their best. The subplot often feels more like Icarus than Prometheus, striving for something grand but ultimately falling short. However, it’s the unknown that truly triggers our primal fear. Understanding where the creatures come from or how they came to be does nothing to enhance the terror of the first two films (okay, okay, I’ll include Alien 3 for realsl). In fact, it undermines it. Exploring the origins may be interesting, but it doesn’t amplify the main point. And that point is simple: to be terrified.
Because at the end of the day, it is supposed to be sci-fi horror after all. Or at least that’ how it began.
And this is where Alien: Romulus excels. This movie finally remembers its roots where others got lost too much in trying to be more clever than the simple, abject premise of it all. It frames the world in dimly lit, dark spaces, with characters who are more gritty and grimy than beautiful and glowing Charlize Theron and Idris Elba (but not fully…I’ll get into that a bit more, later). Our characters in Romulus are driven to escape the claustrophobia of their lives, only to be thrust into another claustrophobic nightmare where they as humans, and the will they won’t they synth become the prey. This is an idea begun in Alien and expressed to the max in Aliens. And ever since then….well….. Alien: Romulus brings us back to a place where our characters experience this within the confines of a cage created by society—enabled, if not outright caused, by the corporation. Yet, the corporation is not the creature’s ally for the creature cannot be controlled. The film captures this darkness and the inescapable, relentless machine that will keep coming for you. And when it stops, it will find a way to come back at you again. Alien: Romulus understands that while the space corporation’s actions enable the catastrophe, the focus isn’t on the corporation itself but on how the “little guy” has to deal with the consequences of hubris, which again is the backstory and spine, but shouldn’t be the main course.
But also yes, it does lack a certain pedigree, both in terms of director and cast, even while excelling at tone and mood and getting back to its roots. Despite capturing the right atmosphere, the film falls short by leaning into what basically amounts to a teenage slasher cast vibe set in space—which, in a way, works better because the dumb decisions seem more understandable coming from types whose frontal cortexes haven’t fully developed, rather than from Noomi Rapace, who should have known better. I don’t hate it for that; in a way, I admire the bold choice. But it does remove a certain gravitas, making it feel more like a CW series at times rather than an Alien film anchored by actors like Yaphet Kotto. Less prestigious, but more earnest. Like I said, it’s a weird balance and a strange film in many ways. I most definitely prefer it to most other Alien franchise films I’ve seen, but also, it’s hard for me to say it’s of better quality than Alien 3, Prometheus, or even Covenant, which I mostly despise.
On one hand, I love it for recognizing what makes the franchise work—or why we loved it in the first place—but then it becomes apparent in some moments that it’s less an inspired riff on an original theme, like Aliens was to Alien, introducing familiar sequences with a fresh spin, and instead more often drops into rote mimicry with a nudge nudge, wink wink that makes little sense for a character to say or do—other than the filmmakers knowing that you know that Ellen Ripley said once all iconic like, “Get away from her, you…” so let’s do it too, I guess. Like nearly every franchise today, they rely more on you having knowledge of the past instead of making a full-hearted attempt to move the story forward. This movie does at least try, but also, yes…lifts sequences wholesale from previous films. I dunno. It’s complicated. And also, not to knock this movie in particular because it’s just the way of things today, but… part of the realism of the horror in the past came from the Xenomorphs being actual props, not a CGI fest. This lessens the potential of horror, but again, that’s nearly every movie today, so this is mostly just an old man shakes fist at cloud observation.
But also, here’s the thing.
In no uncertain terms, Alien: Romulus is a triumph. But not how you would expect.
It is a triumph because it marks both the return of actual Alien movies and the return of good, not great movies that are worth seeing in theaters but won’t ever be classics. And that’s okay. Exploit me I guess, just don’t make me feel like I’m being exploited. I don’t know. Hypocricy acknowledged but I feel I was less playing the part of please more soulless prequels enabler than I ever did with Alien: Covenant. Because while both movies are mining the well of nostalgia in their own way, at least Romulus remembered that I showed up because I want to be scared. And that’s it, really. Even with the weird thingee thingamadoo that…super weird, they wanted you to experience horror. Whether that worked for you or not is another story, but at least they tried.
I give Alien: Romulus 3 “Annie, are you OK’s” out of 5.
Until the next review that you didn’t ask for, @thearmag3ddon signing off.