On August 16, 2024, 20th Century Studios released 'Alien: Romulus', which has received rave reviews from critics, currently holding fresh at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a Critics Consensus that reads, "Honoring its nightmarish predecessors while chestbursting at the seams with new frights of its own, Romulus injects some fresh acid blood into one of cinema's great horror franchises." In the film, the discovery of a derelict space station that we all know all love a fear by a new group of individuals results in the return of a certain alien and this time she is not completely alone. The ensemble cast includes Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, Isabela Merced, and Aileen Wu. But what did the critics say?
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| Photo by Marius GIRE on Unsplash |
Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews notes, "Alvarez has come up with a way to tie the original 1979 “Alien” to “Alien: Prometheus” in a third act stunner of creature design and visual effects." Adding, "Spaeny may not project Sigourney Weaver’s badassery, but she holds her own and she and Jonsson create a relationship worth rooting for. “Alien: Romulus” is the eighth movie in this franchise and Alvarez and producer Ridley Scott are still finding stories worth exploring."
Sophia Ciminello of AwardsWatch praises the film, stating, "The best horror films use genre convention as a Trojan horse to introduce and comment on relevant political themes plaguing people in the current landscape. Alien: Romulus only lightly scratches the surface." Adding, "At times, Alien: Romulus feels similar to Star Wars: The Force Awakens in that it’s essentially a remake of the first entry existing solely as a nostalgia play for fans of the franchise. Admittedly, it’s easy to get sucked into a story that’s blueprint is one of the greatest science fiction horror films of all time, but it should also be in service of something greater, something new. It’s fun to spot shot-for-shot references to Aliens and character details that recall Alien 3, but when they have no true connective tissue to the story, it begins to feel like a vacuous exercise that unfortunately aligns with the current interests of franchise filmmaking. The reference to Prometheus feels particularly out of place, as if you can hear Scott telling Álvarez not to forget about his prequels. The film falters when Álvarez and Sayagues begin to shoehorn as many references to earlier films as possible, jettisoning any trace of ingenuity. It’s particularly frustrating that small glimpses of a bold, cool new science fiction classic lie within an egg that the studio doesn’t care to see hatch."
Linda and Al Lerner of Movies and Shakers says, "Spaeny is tough, and Jonsson is a standout in a film that moves forward but still harkens back to the iconic original film. While they say “In space, no one can hear you,” this film will leave Alien fans screaming for more." Continuing, "There is one chase after another as they split up looking for some way to use whatever they can on the ship to get to safety. It’s not that different than when Sigourney Weaver bounced all over her ship to elude the monstrous creatures who are so hard to kill. But the special effects of emerging slimy monsters from inside victims loses some effectiveness because have seen it before. The Backlit scan here lets you know what’s about to happen. And this naive group of young explorers make some pretty silly, dangerous decisions. The eeriest character is brought back to life through AI for this film. It interacts with the rebels, but their motivations were not always aligned. It’s a very creepy character."
David Rooney of Hollywood Reporter notes, "The creatures remain among the most truly petrifying movie monsters in history, and the director leans hard into the sci-fi/horror with a relentlessly paced entry that reminds us why they have haunted our imaginations for decades." Continuing, "Along with the nerve-shredding sound, a big assist in that area comes from cinematographer Galo Olivares’ agile camerawork and Benjamin Wallfisch’s haute horror score, incorporating echoes of Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner’s music for the first two movies."
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