ALIEN: ROMULUS – Review

Yes, we know that Labor Day is looming, with August nearly half over, which signals the end of the blockbuster Summer movie season of 2024. Well, that doesn’t mean that the studios can’t drop a new installment of a beloved franchise into the multiplexes. And that’s exactly what’s happening this weekend as we see the seventh (not counting a couple of spin-off flicks) entry of this series, more than seven years after the last one. Ah, but the 2017 thriller was a prequel to the original, while this one fits nicely between that first one and its sequel from 1979 and 1986 to be exact. And yet, this has a feeling of “freshness” as it features a young almost unknown cast playing new characters, and a talented filmmaker who has made a splash with bold spins on a couple of film “IPs”. The result is another “space-set” shocker, ALIEN: ROMULUS.

After an eerie prologue that echoes the 79’s opening moments, we’re plopped right onto the mining colony of Jackson’s Star, a dark, dank sunless rock far, far from Earth. One of the workers, a young woman named Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is thrilled that her service contract is nearly up, and she can be transferred to the sunny planet paradise of Yvaga. Ah, but those weasels at the Weyland-Yutani corporation have now added nearly a decade to her “obligation”. A miserable Rain breaks the news to her only “family”, a “Synthroid” (an android) named Andy (David Jonsson). But then a new “opportunity” opens up. An old boyfriend named Tyler (Archie Renaux) invites the duo over to the place he shares with his sister Kay (Isabela Merced), another buddy Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and his girlfriend, a skilled pilot named Navarro (Aileen Wu). Tyler proceeds to outline a plan he has to escape Jackson by blasting off on their spaceship the Corbelan and connecting with an old derelict WY two-part space station, the Romulus and Remus. There they’ll grab several “cryo-pads” in order to sleep during the nine-year trek to Yvaga. Rain doesn’t understand why they’ve invited her until they explain that Andy’s old WY hardware will give them access to the facility. The group finds the old station hovering dangerously near the debris-filled rings of Jackson’s Star. Tyler, Bjorn (who hates robots) and Andy have less than an hour until the station is destroyed by those rings. They find the pods, but they lack the fuel for the trip. As they search for the energy tanks, the station’s power is reactivated, and several frozen “science samples” begin to thaw. Soon the trio is attacked by them, and the aggressive crab-like creatures invade the Corbelan. Things get more complicated when Rain “upgrades” Andy with software from a damaged Synthoid on board. Now he is programmed to adhere to the WY mission objectives and procure and protect the alien research on board at all costs. With time running out, and the creatures evolving, can Rain and the crew somehow survive and escape?

Following up her terrific supporting turn in CIVIL WAR, the charismatic Ms. Spaeny proves that she can also excel in a more action-oriented lead role (much as she did in the title role of PRISCILLA) as the desperate orphaned Rain. Yes, she steps up to the challenge of repelling the hordes of near-unstoppable monsters, but we see that she’s struggling to control the inner panic even as her mind tries to grasp the unfamiliar tech and the weaponry (lots of info on that electronic pulse Gatling gun). But Spaeny also conveys Rain’s empathy and compassion, with her pal Kay and especially with her “big brother” Andy played by Jonsson in a star-making bravura turn. Oddly, the “non-human” may be the story’s most complex character. He’s “damaged goods”, rescued from the scrap heap and programmed to protect Rain mostly with an endless stream of corny “dad jokes”. She even has to step in as the locals bully him. Then Jonsson completely “switched gears’ when a new “chip” erases all of Andy’s old caring self and he’s the biggest threat other than the nasty “beasties”. And though most of the crew are fairly “one-note” types, the young actors invest lots of energy into them with Merced giving Kay a soft, maternal side as she bounds with Rain over her “condition”. Renaux is a capable man-of-action who must protect his sis at all costs. Fearn seethes with a punk hatred for Andy while Wu is a truly tough and focused “space jockey”

Director Fede Alvarez does bring a much-needed jolt of adrenaline after the previous pair of troubled prequels, and tries to get back to the original “haunted house of the cosmos” premise via the screenplay he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues (inspired by the O’Bannon and Shusett template). He certainly has made the best use of a talented team of artists who recreate much of the then “state-of-the-art” tech with the retro digital screens and especially the uses of practical make-up effects (though there are lots of current CGI to augment the imagery). And as I mentioned earlier Fede has guided two engaging lead performances. But… the other members of the “team” are mostly “fodder” for the endless stream of Xenomorphs (who are especially toothy and slimy). And I must mention the problems I had in understanding their dialogue. The screening was in Imax, so I was surprised at the sound mix, as the background score and effects seemed to “drown out” the thick accents of Tyler and Bjorn. And as many of the Marvel and DC comics-based films have been vilified for moments of “fan service” (Particularly this year’s biggest hit). the screenplay certainly over-indulges in that, repeating classic lines (one that is absurd coming from the assigned character) and even “digitally resurrecting” a beloved actor from an earlier film (it’s listed on IMDB, but I won’t spoil it). It was distracting and somewhat ghoulish (much as the STAR WARS prequels did with Cushing and Fisher). By the time of the third act, the story becomes an often repetive chase reminding me of the countless “retreads’ that the late great Roger Corman flooded the drive-in through his New World studio. By the time a very awkwardly-designed new creature begins its rampage, the movie doesn’t know when or how to finish as we get endings piling on top of each other to the point of exhaustion and frustration (so many levels and corridors on that big station). The hardcore ALIEN fans will certainly feel their chests bursting with excitement, but casual viewers new to the series may be wanting more humanity (I’d love to see a film focused on Andy) and a tightened narrative in this often creative “throw-back” that is ALIEN: ROMULUS.

2.5 Out of 4

ALIEN: ROMULUS is now playing in theatres everywhere