Alien: Romulus
In space, no one can hear your cringe.
When a beloved original film spawns a series of imitators, borrowing elements from the original formula, it’s clear that recreating the magic of the first will never quite work. With Alien, the unique blend of isolation, horror, and the fear of the unknown is impossible to replicate. Attempts to recreate this formula are often doomed to fail, and Alien: Romulus proves this point, failing to capture the essence of what made the franchise so iconic.
The movie follows the story of Rain, an orphan living in a space colony. Without warning, the company Weyland-Yutani renews her contract, prompting her to join her adopted android brother, her ex-boyfriend, and his family on a journey to another planet. To make the trip possible, they rely on cryostasis equipment, essential for long-distance space travel. As they make their way to an abandoned science ship, they encounter an alien life form that sees them as easy prey.
The actions of the main characters often feel unjustified, illogical, and downright foolish. At times, they make reckless decisions without considering their own safety, yet when the plot demands it, they suddenly become resourceful fighters, relying on logic and battling to the death. Another issue lies with the cast — while Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson form an engaging duo, the rest of the characters fade into the background, struggling to make an impact.
The atmosphere and plot of the movie fail to fully engage the viewer. It's clear the director tried to recreate and pay homage to the iconic «Alien» film, but this effort doesn’t quite succeed (and the ending, which closely mirrors Alien with only a few tweaks, only highlights this). The formula simply doesn’t work here — there’s no feeling of confinement aboard the ship. It’s too vast to evoke a true sense of discomfort or make the audience empathize with the characters. While Aliens capitalized on the feeling of helplessness against the alien threat, here it feels like the characters can hide anywhere, as long as they avoid drawing attention and stay cautious — similar to the dynamics in the game Alien: Isolation.
Despite its flaws, Alien: Romulus offers a visually stunning experience. The cinematography is smooth and consistent, with a thoughtful color palette that enhances many scenes. The graphics are of a high standard, effectively capturing the action sequences and the terrifying appearance of the xenomorph. Composer Benjamin Wallfisch also delivers a captivating and truly cosmic soundtrack, which blends seamlessly with the visuals, elevating the overall atmosphere of the film.
Alien: Romulus continues the narrative of how far humanity is willing to go to fight for survival and the sacrifices made to emerge victorious from a deadly battle. The film offers a return to a world where humans, once the most dangerous predators, become easy prey to an alien organism. However, the movie is marred by illogical decisions from the main characters, and it loses the magic of fear and isolation that made the franchise iconic. We can only hope that future installments of the Alien franchise will find a fresh and exciting approach that fully captures the terror of encountering the xenomorph.
5.5/10