Rating: «««
out of ««««
Running Time: 119 minutes
This feature from 20th Century Studios opens exclusively at theaters on Saturday, Aug. 17.
The “Alien” franchise is one of the biggest in horror movie history. The original classic has spawned numerous follow-ups of varying quality. Personally, I really appreciated the first two films in the series, as well as Prometheus (a follow-up which still divides fans).
It has been seven years since the less-engaging Alien: Covenant, but now the latest chapter is finally arriving at theaters. Alien: Romulus takes things back to basics, at least to some degree. The cast is tiny and the setting is more claustrophobic than the previous few chapters. While the end result isn’t perfect, this is a tense effort that delivers a lot of what initially drew fans to the series.
Set between the events of the first and second Alien pictures, the plot follows Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny), a young woman who has lived her entire life on a planetary mining colony run by the sinister Weyland-Yutani corporation. With her father now deceased, Rain devotes most of her time to protecting a surrogate brother of sorts named Andy (David Jonsson) and working enough hours to allow her to leave the colony.
When she discovers that Weyland-Yutani has no interest in letting her go, she makes alternate plans with associate Tyler (Archie Renaux) and his crew. They have discovered an abandoned space station and plot to scavenge valuable parts from it before it is destroyed by icy, rocky rings sweeping around the planet. But after boarding, they discover much more than they bargained for.
This film features a small and very young cast. Some of the crew members are drawn in broad strokes, including Tyler’s pregnant girlfriend Kay (Isabela Merced), the ill-tempered Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and pilot Navarro (Aileen Wu). Thankfully, the unique relationship between Rain and Andy is sweet and more nuanced, drawing the viewer into the story and covering for the lack of development with the supporting cast. Spaeny easily communicates a sense of loss, as well as the role Andy plays in keeping some part of her past alive. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that serves as the heart of the film. And when the time comes to take a stand, use her wits and fight back, the performer sells it convincingly.
While some have called this film a standalone sequel, it is not the case. Alas, the story doesn’t answer all the questions raised in the previous chapter. But for those familiar with the first Alien, there is a major connection that results in the unexpected return of a familiar visage. The artificial technology used to bring this figure back is not always convincing, but the jarring appearance isn’t as hard to accept as it could have been, especially given the nature of the revived standout.
Of course, what the movie really excels at is thrills and action. Director Fede Alvarez started his feature career with the Evil Dead remake and the remarkably effective Don’t Breathe, and his skill set serves this picture well. Despite taking place on a grand space station, this is a claustrophobic film with some striking visuals. The filmmaker hides the monsters in plumes of steam or conceals them in water, frequently jolting the viewer when they suddenly slither and appear. Even when the camera moves outside the orbiting spacecraft as it drifts closer and closer to jagged and icy planetary rings, it’s as distressing as it is epic and beautiful.
And there are some chilling, graphic sequences that use the famous monsters in new and interesting ways. This includes the leads attempting a new way to avoid detection from the creatures, as well as a thrilling confrontation in zero gravity. In fact, the final 30 minutes are particularly wild (with one notably ghastly and graphic development), delivering an intense finale as those attempting to survive the ordeal make their last stand.
Yes, fans of the series should keep their expectations in check. This certainly isn’t the best Alien film and it could have used a few more minutes early on to develop supporting characters. But this is an effective, straight-forward science-fiction/horror picture that delivers plenty of jolts that will keep fans on the edges of their seats. In the end, it probably ranks somewhere in the middle of all the entries. Alien: Romulus keeps it simple, and thanks to its two leads and some wonderfully captured shocks, manages to keep the franchise from going stale.
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