'Alien: Romulus' review: Horror franchise goes back to its roots in satisfactory sequel
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
A back-to-basics chiller outfitted with impeccable production design, solid lead performances, and some gnarly practical effects, “Alien: Romulus” the seventh (!) installment in the horror/sci-fi franchise is taking the series back to its roots. Which, for filmmaker Fede Alvarez, who helmed the terrifying 2013 remake of “Evil Dead,” and then rocked our socks off with “Don’t Breathe,” means towing the line of beating the drum of nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, and trying to evolve the series for the corporate brass at Disney, whom acquired the franchise in their purchase of 20th Century Fox, and need to milk any pre-branded IP for all its worth. It results in a moderately enjoyable though far from excellent installment that’s lack of originality is eerily potent.
The franchise’s obvious pivot from the grungier, raw narrative aesthetics of the previous films, “Prometheus,” and “Alien: Covenant,” which attempted to tap into the conspiracy paranoia of corporate greed, is disappointing to say the least. Indeed, “Romulus,” is to the “Alien” saga what “The Force Awakens,” did for “Star Wars.” A soft reset that plays all the greatest tracks, and even goes as far as to bring back a major character from the 1979 original. Similar to what “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” did with Harold Ramis, “Romulus,” employs similar CGI tactics and though the filmmakers received blessings from the actor’s respective estate, it’s a decision that never feels right to me. Can’t we just recast actors, or, perhaps more crucially, come up with better ideas?
In fact, watching Alvarez, who managed to update “Evil Dead” for the modern era by amplifying practical effect wizardry that simply didn’t exist when the original came out, and his insanely talented cast, including rising star Cailee Spaeny, in this film, you can’t help but feel how better suited their talents may have been on a new horror/sci-fi creature feature. But I always say we get the movies we deserve, and the likelihood anyone would have seen these folks in something without a franchise attached to it was slim to none (remember “Underwater?”). So I guess we’ll take what we can get.
And there’s plenty to admire in “Romulus,” right down to the atmospheric tension and several thrilling sequences involving those slimy facehuggers and the larger-than-life Xenomorph. Alvarez seems to be the king of claustrophobia and in the same way he can make the woods feel small and condensed, he does for a massive space ship struck in orbit. Which is where Rain (Spaney) has found herself stranded with a bunch of young rebels and pilots, who got the bright idea to hijack a floating space station so they could use the onboard fuel and cryo-freeze equipment to leave their bleak mining planet behind.
Joining the human brigade is Andy (David Jonsson), a harmless cyborg Rain’s parents retooled and reprogrammed prior to their deaths to help her at all times. It’s also very convenient that Andy’s software could allow the crew to circumvent the station’s tough security protocols, giving them access to all supplies on board. But once the dust begins to settle, the crew makes a horrifying discovery and quickly learns they aren’t alone. It doesn’t take long for Alvarez to ratchet up the momentum and sick the creepy crawly organisms on the naive characters and for Andy to get a technical upgrade that sees his priorities change.
In the film’s fleeting moments, a scene where people must tiptoe through a facehugger infested laboratory, or a climatic elevator shaft standoff with the Xenomorph classic, is where “Romulus,” sustains its mojo. Less so when it’s trying to pin an emotional hook between Rain and Andy that, for me, never really moved the needle. The final moments are where things get really dicey and are guaranteed to be debated among the fandom. It didn’t irk me so much as I just lost interest. It felt like an inevitability more than an evolution, but Alvarez clearly enjoyed getting lost in the sandbox Ridley Scott built. I just wish that sandbox had led to some uncharted waters.
Grade: B-
ALIEN: ROMULUS is now playing in theaters.
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