ALIEN: ROMULUS (2024) – A rollicking chest bursting, acid blood splattering great time
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In 1979 director Ridley Scott gave the world an instant horror classic ALIEN which was predominantly a monster movie that takes place in space. Even though the movie itself was a slow burn (especially when compared to today’s standards), it provided enough horror and memorable scares to earn its place in Hollywood history. It has since spawned a total of 7 movies as well as a number of TV series under the Alien franchise and universe. Looks like the world has not gotten enough of the so called fictional parasitoid extraterrestrial species being dubbed Xenomorph, as we have a brand-new entry to the series ALIEN: ROMULUS.
The timeframe in which Romulus takes place is between the first Alien and the sequel Aliens. Even though it is essentially a standalone story, it plays homage to these first two movies with its overall look and feel, and some subtle references to them. The new cast is made up of young actors in compliance with the present-day expectation to be inclusive, so we have the customary Asian, Black and of course a female lead. Of course, the original Alien movies successfully touted the concept of having a tough kick-ass female heroine, and Sigourney Weaver was the epitome of this. In Romulus, we have the puny Cailee Spaeny taking over the honors. Cailee whom we had seen recently as Priscilla in the movie of the same name and in Civil War, plays Rain, who had the misfortune to join a group of space colonists scavenging what looked like an abandoned space station, named Renaissance which comprised of two modules Remus and Romulus. Like the original Alien, Alien: Romulus takes its time with the story build up and introducing the characters. However, unlike the original Alien, once the Aliens make their appearance, the level of gore and thrills are relentless and intense.
Much of the film’s horror elements comes curtesy of its Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez who is no stranger to the genre, having frightened the hell out of us in his earlier films like the Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboots and Don’t Breathe. Here he gets a far bigger budget to play with and the sets are truly remarkable in their details while sticking to the look and feel of the original. Even the computer displays and keyboards are low tech looking as they were with Ridley Scott’s original. The interiors of the space stations may be dimly lit but they are filled with details giving it an authentic feel. The scenes with the aliens bursting out of its victim’s bodies, and the deadly effects of its acid blood is gloriously re-enacted here. Many of the action scenes are creatively envisioned particularly the one involving zero gravity. Fede compliments the visuals with a strong music score composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, that contains nods to the music written for the previous movies while remaining original.

The casting is also top notched. This must be Cailee’s best performance to date and probably the most challenging. While she may not match the toughest of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in the Alien movies, her softer character Rain is no less a fighter and survivor, thanks to her resourcefulness, quick thinking and pragmatic attitude. The other stronger character is Andy, an android who Rain has an affectionate attachment to. David Jonsson gave an exceptional performance here making his Andy one of screen’s best android characters. Another remarkable act comes in the form of a half-destroyed android with only its torso remaining. This android looks exactly like the android Ash, in the original Alien, and is “played” by the same actor Ian Holm here. Actor Ian Holm is also well known for his role as Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movies. He died in 2020. By the miracles of Hollywood, Fede resurrected Ian to take on this role by building an android torso with the likeness of Ian and motioned through animatronics!
Alien: Romulus is pure adrenaline fun and can proudly take the honors of being one of the best in the series alongside the original classics. Hopefully this will spawn out more tales of the xenomorph in the future.