Alein: Romulus
★ ★ ★ ★
I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this film. Being the seventh entry into the Alien franchise, it’s hard to expect too much with so many hits and misses among the previous offerings. It’s a worthy addition to this collection of films and a fantastic summer sci-fi action thriller.
Romulus takes place between the original Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Arguably, those have been the best the franchise has offered up. Until now.
An alien stalks the space station
© 2024 20th Century Studios
Romulus doesn’t top those films, and it doesn’t really try to do so. Instead, it becomes its own thing sitting menacingly-yet-appropriately between them.
Veteran Horror director Fede Alvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay, puts his filmmaking instincts to great use here. We have nearly instant empathy for the two main characters. Alvarez takes just enough time to set up the story before he ratchets up the tension which keeps getting tighter as the film carries on. The script is well written and unfolds beautifully on screen.
Cailee Spaeny prepares to fight back
© 2024 20th Century Studios
We open with Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonson) arriving at a mining colony on a planet 60-some-odd light years from Earth. Rain has just completed 1,200 hours of work for the Weyland/Yutani Corp, the galactic corporation behind mining, interstellar travel, advanced android technology, medical research and so on. She tries to get a travel pass to a planet where she can begin living the life she wants.
Rain is informed that she doesn’t have enough hour credits for a travel pass, and when she claims that 1,200 is exactly what she needs, the clerk tells her the quota has gone up to 2,400 recently. Dejected by intergalactic monopolistic corporate greed, she appears to be heading back to mining work.
David Jonsson as Andy
© 2024 20th Century Studios
While she’s at the clerk’s station, Andy is attacked by a couple of young thugs, supposedly because he acts and talks different, who beat him until he convulses on the ground. Rain gets the attackers off Andy, and we see him bleeding the white goo out of his ear that the injured androids in Alien films are known for. She uses a key resembling a flash drive to reset Andy and they carry on into the colony.
Rain happens across a group of friends from her past, Tyler (Archie Renaux), Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and Navarro (Aileen Wu). As they meet up, the group tells Rain they have a plan to get off the colony in a mining ship and dock with an abandoned space station floating in the colony planet’s orbit. In the station is fuel and the cryo pods they will need to travel the 9-year distance to the planet Rain was trying to get to. The cryo pods are cryogenic and freeze space travelers in a suspended state so they can travel vast distances over several years without the effects of aging or illness.
Cailee Spaeny goes on offense
© 2024 20th Century Studios
It takes a moment of convincing, but they all agree on a plan and take off to the station where a plethora of terrifying surprises await them.
To tell you any more plot details would spoil the fun.
The dynamic between Rain and Andy is akin to brother and sister. Andy is a somewhat damaged android, with occasional jittering spasms and a stutter in his speech. To Rain’s dismay, Andy has a never-ending supply of “dad jokes” that are both annoying and endearing at the same time.
The Alien franchise is known for strong female roles, and Spaeny is up to the task with a performance, that in many ways, is on par with Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Spaeny takes convincing command of the role and breathes life into a character we can really root for.
Johnson has a complicated role to play as Andy, first as Rain’s surrogate brother and then when given an upgrade that comes with a new prime directive in iron-clad alignment to Weyland/Yutani Corp’s best interests. Johnson does a fantastic job in his role. He balances being Rain’s surrogate brother and a machine that serves the corporate agenda masterfully.
Cailee Spaeny’s Rain attacked by an alien
© 2024 20th Century Studios
When the tension and action take off, it keeps going and doesn’t stop until the credits roll. The script masterfully sets up a few plot twists and surprises that, even if we’re subconsciously prepared for them, really work well at their conclusions.
Alvarez does a great job of respecting the source material that came before this film while putting his own, fresh spin on it. The spaceships match what we saw in the original Alien; there are some well-placed nods to the franchise’s roots.
I imagine the end of this film might be a bit divisive, especially among die-hard Alien fans. It’s something we haven’t quite seen in this franchise before, and I won’t dare spoil it here. Personally, I thought it played out wonderfully because it was set up so well.
Romulus keeps coming at you, confident in its ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is a violent, bloody sci-fi thrill ride that is, in every way, a great Alien movie.
Rated: R (Language, Bloody Violent Content)
Running Time: 1h 59m
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Written by: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues Mendez
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu
Sci-fi, Horror
