‘Alien: Romulus’ review: Dir. Fede Alvarez

In 1979 the landscape of sci-fi horror was forever changed with the release of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Since then the film, and the lore surrounding it, have been expanded into a saga of movies, with directors including James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet stepping in to contribute to the universe. Now, Fede Alvarez is the latest to take a spin in space with the xenomorphs with Alien: Romulus. 

Taking place between Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus is a direct sequel to Scott’s original, but one that moves away from the story of Ellen Ripley. It instead focuses more on Weyland-Yutani, the shadowy company that sent the crew of the Nostromo to the ill-fated planet, LV-426. It does this by visiting Jackson, one of their many colonial outposts. In order to terraform the terrain, colonists have to work down in the mines on the sunless planet. Their work earns them credits, which can in turn help them get redeployed off world. Except, as Rain (Cailee Spaeny) finds out, forever shifting goalposts make relocation unobtainable. Then she and her ‘brother’, Andy (David Jonsson), are approached by Rain’s old friends who present her with a way out. What seems like a perfect plan instantly goes wrong when the ship they attempt to salvage equipment from has terrifying cargo stowed away inside. 

Since its release, Alien: Romulus has generated a lot of chatter and it’s easy to see why, as Alvarez isn’t afraid to take some big swings. Before these events though, Alvarez pays respect to the work of those that have come before him, specifically Scott and Cameron. Whilst some of the nods, including an awkwardly shoe-horned repetition of one of Aliens’ most famous lines, are especially cheesy, the more subtle ones work perfectly. The world of Jackson feels like an authentic extension of the colony glimpsed in James Cameron’s extended edition of Aliens, and the production design aboard the ships screams Alien. The fusion of both components help make Alien: Romulus the perfect bridge. 

The first hour of Alien: Romulus is near perfection. From the production design to the incredible use of silence and tension, Alvarez taps into that primal fear that hides within Alien. Whereas back then, audiences had no idea what they were getting into, modern audiences are well versed in xenomorph horror. This knowledge stretches out the wait for the anticipated reveal here to an almost agonising and painful degree. Alvarez takes his time in getting to that moment, and once the xenomorphs make themselves known, the pace kicks up a thousand gears. The xenomorph carnage is handled well and Alvarez includes some brilliantly executed set pieces. For some of these, Alvarez leans into the territory of the Alien Isolation video game, relying on characters to stay quiet and hidden. 

The young cast are all well suited to their roles. Spaeny makes a fine lead character, but Alien: Romulus belongs to David Jonsson. As Andy he has the most material to work with, going from scrapheap glitchy droid to superbrain extraordinaire. Jonsson’s portrayal of both personas is exceptional as he effortlessly switches when the time requires it, going from warm and cuddly to cold and calculating. As with much of Alien: Romulus, Andy provides connective tissue between Alien and Aliens as he battles between remaining Bishop and becoming Ash. Of the rest of the cast, Isabela Merced is a standout scream queen. Her character, Kay, arguably goes through more than any other, and whilst her Newt cosplay is a little on the nose, she is sure to become a fan favourite. 

Everything about Alien: Romulus, with the exception of one questionable return, places the film in solid four star territory. That is until the final act plays out. It is here that Alvarez introduces the wildest of his ideas. Since Alien there has been a tradition of directors adding in their own element to the xenomorph lore; Alvarez is no exception. Sadly, his addition is likely to be viewed as less alien Queen, and more Newborn. The big issue with this new contribution is that it isn’t necessary. The sequence bloats the film and it detracts from the original xenomorph threat in a way that almost goes on to undo what follows narratively in Alien, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Thankfully, Alvarez does enough in the early half of the film to paper over the end, but not quite enough to save it from slipping slightly from grace. 

Alien: Romulus is in cinemas now.