As a die-hard fan who’s grown up with the Alien franchise, I must say that Alien: Romulus left me feeling a bit underwhelmed, much like my feelings towards the latest trend of rebooting classic movies.
In the game of Alien: Romulus, my character chokes out, “Step away–you’re a real piece of work,” delivering a less intense, yet amusingly modified take on that memorable line from Aliens.
As a passionate admirer, I can’t help but wonder what sparked director Fede Álvarez to incorporate that specific scene in Romulus. The dialogue seems out of place, it doesn’t align with the character who delivers it, and the choice of words, when applied to that particular alien monster, feels unusual. In Aliens, Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, was the first to utter this line, shouting it in a fury, brimming with emotion, as she confronted the colossal alien queen while protecting Carrie Henn’s character, Newt. It was a heartfelt insult exchanged between two potential mothers.
In the movie Romulus, a scene makes a nod to another beloved film from four decades ago. It appears as if this connection was intentionally inserted into the dialogue of this character, stirring thoughts of that classic movie in viewers’ minds. After all, in today’s era, reminding audiences of past favorites is a common tactic used in sequels.
The film Romulus repeatedly mentions Alien and Aliens, aiming to replicate what made the initial films in the series timeless classics. However, it falls short as both Alien and Aliens boast tight scripts filled with iconic scenes. What truly resonates with viewers isn’t just the dialogue but the films’ somber atmospheres, methodical narrative pacing, and deep character exploration. This way, when characters find themselves being pulled into air vents by massive, gleaming monsters, the spectators share their concern.
Romulus is far from quiet or reserved. Instead of delicately weaving the gritty, industrial future depicted in Alien, it leans heavily into overt expression. Unlike the original, where facehuggers would creep stealthily through dimly lit rooms, startling the characters with sudden appearances, this version features multiple facehuggers scurrying about, resembling a swarm of arachnids symbolizing imminent doom.
The camera arcs through corridors past ravaged bodies and cocooned victims, showing none of the spare and anxious approach of either Ridley Scott or James Cameron, and when the alien shows up in earnest, we see a ton of it, with shot after shot of its face approaching a would-be victim, not just recalling the very best image of Alien 3 but xeroxing it over and over again. The approach is in line with Alvarez’s 2013 remake of Evil Dead, an appropriately bombastic, over-the-top entry into a bombastic, over-the-top franchise–but it feels nothing like Alien.
Instead of being completely wasted, Alien: Resurrection manages to develop and expand upon the realistic, oppressive capitalist dystopia hinted at in Alien and elaborated in Aliens. The movie does an outstanding job of portraying the monotony of its widespread corruption. The protagonist, Rain (played by Cailee Spaeny), is captivating as a young woman determined to flee from a Weyland-Yutani corporation town with her android “brother,” named Andy (David Jonsson). Rain’s deep compassion keeps the film engaging and relatable, while Jonsson delivers a superb performance by portraying various aspects of the android’s personality and adding complexity to the notion of an “artificial person.” In contrast to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which sometimes made the idea of artificial people confusing or even villainous, this film provides a more nuanced perspective.
In more recent Alien films, the focus has shifted towards exploring humanity’s connection with its almost-human inventions, and the character Romulus introduces a fresh perspective by portraying humans and androids as siblings instead of parent and child. This twist brings new vitality to aspects of the franchise that might have grown repetitive otherwise.
The design of the production remains consistently impressive, with stunning sets giving rise to breathtakingly beautiful scenes. In terms of lighting and composition, Alien: Romulus masterfully captures the aesthetic of every previous Alien film while drawing upon its most effective elements to create a wealth of haunting, eerie visuals. Moreover, the movie offers some genuinely terrifying moments, with particular emphasis on Romulus’s innovative twist on the classic chestburster concept using practical effects, and the thrilling, tense scene involving facehuggers. The film excels when it treats its portrayal of the world with utmost seriousness, as seen in the characters’ thoughtful discussions about dealing with the aliens’ corrosive blood – although Romulus sometimes pushes this concept to the verge of absurdity.
It seems that Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fern, and Aileen Wu put in just as much effort as Rain and Andy, playing a group of youngsters attempting to acquire vital gear from a reappearing Weyland-Yutani space station orbiting their mining colony. However, the script doesn’t provide them with much support, focusing more on advancing the plot points that link with the original Alien series (Romulus). When they’re together, their chemistry is commendable, but they’re soon separated and tasked with different objectives, leaving less time to develop their individual stories.
In essence, “Alien: Romulus” serves as a direct continuation of the original Alien film from 1979. The story unfolds as a spaceship discovers the remnants of the Nostromo, Ripley’s former vessel, and recovers the alien creature she ejected from an airlock. Remarkably, this resilient monster manages to survive. The narrative then delves into the objectives of the Company, shifting from their previous ambition to create a bio-weapon to their new, albeit equally futile, goal of developing medicines.
Essentially, it seems like these elements are primarily meant to reference other films within the Alien series. Romulus contributes a bit to the dialogue but also plays many popular themes from the Alien saga, along with a few aspects that might be better off forgotten.
Those duds include the last 20 minutes, which I can’t describe basically at all without instantly stumbling into spoilers. They feel like an escalation borne of a sequel’s desperate need to inject something bigger and more into the idea to justify its existence–the T-rex stomping through San Diego. The finale is somehow both needlessly new and a retread of ground the series has covered in the past, and while it started out unsettling, it eventually just seemed discordant and unnecessary. A few last-second references didn’t really help that feeling, either.
In the Alien series, there are some films that aren’t particularly strong, and while Alien: Romulus isn’t the worst, it doesn’t reach the heights of its counterparts. The standard is quite low, and despite trying to evoke the nostalgia of the original Alien and Aliens, Romulus falls significantly short. It fails to recapture the chilling subtleties that define the best films in the franchise, even though it’s scarier and more intense than some like Prometheus. However, unlike Prometheus, which delves deeply into ideas, Romulus lacks the same level of dedication. Instead, it tries to reference the series’ finest moments, but ultimately fails to grasp the essence of what made Alien truly outstanding.
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2024-08-14 22:10