At its origin, long before it developed into Predator Struggles and philosophical reflections that Foreigner Movies were about capitalism. Sure, the legendary Xenomorph as designed by HR Giger may have been a terrifying antagonist for Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and her colleagues, but the real villain of both the 1979 original and the 1986 film Aliens was the company that later became known as Weyland-Yutani. These movies were horror stories about people going up against a relentless enemy that saw them as nothing more than cannon fodder for its growth – and the twin jaw thing was pretty scary too.
So it is a pleasant surprise to see right from the start Alien: Romulus Director and co-writer Fede Alvarez returns to those roots in this “midquel,” which takes place shortly after a Weyland-Yutani salvage ship recovers a valuable cargo from the space wreckage of the Nostromo. That cargo finds its way to an orbiting research station above a desolate mining planet—a planet where an orphan named Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic adoptive brother Andy (David Jonsson) are stranded with little hope of paying off their mounting debt to the company. When several of Rain’s friends learn of the existence of the station above them—and that it contains cryopods that may allow them to relocate to a more hospitable planet—they head into the void, not knowing what to expect when certain creatures begin to thaw.
And what awaits them is pretty damn cool for most of the film, as Alvarez crafts a number of superbly crafted scenes. When Andy realizes that the “face-huggers” hunt primarily by taking temperatures, Rain and her possible romantic partner Tyler (Archie Renaux) try to slash their way through a swarm of them in a room heated to 37 degrees without drawing attention to themselves. Later, the threat of the creatures’ acid blood is resolved in an extremely creative way as Rain tries to escape. With both Foreigner And Aliens As inspiration, Alvarez finds an impressive balance of unsettling tension, shock moments and pure action that is deeply respectful of what those films were about – and that includes the smart, tough, resourceful heroine in Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, who is a fitting homage to Ripley.
On the other hand, there is deeply respectful, and then there is fan service. As much as Alvarez wants to evoke a certain mood and tone with Romulushe also wants to stimulate the audience with references that old-school fans of the series will understand. This goes beyond the use of the wreckage of the Nostromo as a starting point, right down to reusing certain memorable snippets of dialogue or the idea of an android head being re-plugged to provide explanations. When Spaeny slips into a spacesuit to facilitate her final attempt to kill the alien, it seems a little desperate in its attempts to remind you of those other Foreigner films, which undermines the greatness of many of this film’s original ideas.
It is certainly satisfying that the core of the Alien: RomulusThe plot revolves around Weyland-Yutani’s ongoing efforts to monetize the alien’s discovery, realizing that there is nothing a company won’t do if it sees a potential profit in it. That’s also part of what makes this really good Foreigner Film about a big Foreigner film. Alvarez should have recognized the irony in wanting to tell a story where business decisions overshadow all other considerations, and then ending up telling a story where it always feels like corporate-level notes were in play to make sure the audience knew they were watching part of a franchise.
ALIEN: ROMULUS
***
Cailee Spaeny
David Jonsson
Archie Renaux
Rated R
Available in cinemas from August 16
