ALIEN: ROMULUS | Review
New Xenomorph. Same Horror.
Alien: Romulus reshapes the franchise.
Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson provide stellar performances.
After cleansing my palate with Eli Roth’s atrocious video game-to-film adaptation Borderlands, I felt compelled to check out Fede Álvarez’s latest entry into the Alien franchise. My expectations were simple: stick to the classics and play it safe. And for the first act, that was exactly the case—just upgraded. Alien: Romulus closely mirrors the original, but with 21st-century CGI and a broader scope, it does everything the first film might have done if it were made today. However, it managed to subvert my expectations. Unlike the later sequels, this film offers a refreshing take on what the sci-fi genre can still achieve. Initially, it feels like a harmless reboot—almost a scene-by-scene replica of the original. But there’s a moment that left me genuinely shocked. I won't soon forget it.
Shot to perfection by up-and-coming cinematographer Galo Olivares, Alien: Romulus masterfully combines unsteady camerawork with moments of anxious stillness, delivering some truly terrifying visuals. One standout scene occurs in the second act, where the crew is forced to navigate a hallway filled with face huggers in complete silence and without any emotion. This tense moment, intercut with scenes of other crew members battling their own beasts, creates a sequence of genuine thrills. While the original Alien focused on horror and Aliens leaned into action, Romulus merges both for a cohesive and exhilarating experience. It's an exceptional piece of sci-fi cinema that would easily top my list for the year if not for Dune: Part Two. The sound design, echoing the intensity of the first film, heightens the fear at every turn, making each shadow and corner an edge-of-your-seat moment.
Spaeny steps into the significant void left by Weaver’s Ripley, a challenge I was skeptical about from the start. However, as the third act kicks off, her performance reaches new heights, proving she’s more than up to the task of being a top actor in Hollywood. Jonsson also delivers a standout performance. Though constrained by his role as a cyborg, he manages to evoke genuine emotion, adding depth to the otherwise grim motives often established by artificial intelligence in the previous films.
The hate for this movie feels entirely unjustified, in my opinion. Critics seem fixated on its supposed unoriginality, but for true Alien fans, this critique just does not fit. Over time, the franchise became increasingly convoluted, with some entries feeling like obvious cash grabs (why did Predator ever join the fight?). Alien: Romulus seemingly resets all of that, refocusing on the core elements that made the series iconic: the fear of being left behind, the unsettling truth of human evolution, and now, more than ever, the looming threat of artificial intelligence.
Alien: Romulus succeeds by returning to the franchise's roots while also daring to push it forward. It's a film that understands the essence of what made Alien a classic and leverages modern advancements to amplify that experience.For longtime fans and newcomers alike, this is a chapter that reaffirms why the Alien franchise remains a vital force in the sci-fi cinema landscape.
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