Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Director: Fede Alvarez
Quick Impressions:
Back in the spring, I took my daughter to the second Dune and spent the entire movie thinking I was doomed to die within the week. Then last night, the two of us went to see Alien: Romulus, just the second 2024 movie I’ve seen in the theater. So when I say Alien: Romulus may be the best movie I’ve seen this year, you’ll understand why you’d be best served to see the film yourself and form your own opinion.
But I liked it. I took a long hiatus from this blog because I needed to address some mental health concerns. (That’s one way to put it.) The kids’ extracurricular activities keep us pretty busy these days, so I’m not sure how many movies I’ll see going forward, but I did have some thoughts about this one. Why not share them?
I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of the franchise, but I have seen all the Alien movies, and I do especially love the first two. I also liked Prometheus, all its flaws notwithstanding. Until watching Alien: Romulus, I thought of the Alien movies as a series (or maybe a few overlapping series). Now I see that this film is just one more entry in a franchise that has the same legs and potential for future installments as Star Wars or Star Trek. In some ways, this reminded me of the recent Scream “requels.” There’s an almost meta quality to the storytelling that I found fun and effective. Romulus has all the hallmark thematic elements of the franchise–motherhood anxieties, android (i.e. synthetic) distrust, company schemes, grim mining colonies, dead parents, high-handed betrayals. My daughter called one character’s pregnancy (introduced early on) a Chekhov’s gun, and while she’s right, the pregnancy is far from the only familiar element the film uses in this way. Romulus deftly telegraphs every story beat well in advance so the audience knows long beforehand almost exactly what will happen next, even though the poor, suffering characters have absolutely no idea what they’re getting into as they confront each fresh (to them) horror.
The movie is pretty fun, honestly, because its driving premise seems to be, “What would it be like to experience the first couple of Alien movies with a younger generation of viewers seeing them for the first time?” Romulus is the answer, and it comes complete with lots of fun dad jokes, just as if we were watching with our own parent or child.
The Good:
Dramatic irony is the beating heart of this film. Almost everything that happens is (incredibly) familiar to us, the audience. To the characters, though, it’s all brand new (and horrible). It’s like we’re watching them do an Alien-themed escape room. We’re like, “Oh cool! This calls back so many favorite cinematic moments. What great Alien theming!” Meanwhile, they’re like, “What’s Alien? I’ve never seen that before. Oh good. That mystery thing stopped hugging my face, so everything is probably fine now, right?” It’s an interesting way to breathe new life into an older franchise.
The new cast is pretty good, especially Cailee Spaeny as Rain, the protagonist. Nobody else has nearly as much to do–which kind of reminds me of the last Spaeny movie I saw in the theater, Priscilla. We don’t spend enough time with the human characters to connect to anyone nearly as closely as we do to Rain, and Spaeny seems to have the acting chops to make this work. She’s not at all like a young Sigourney Weaver, which I found an interesting choice, probably for the best since we already know how Ripley would react in the situation. Now we get to see what Rain does.
The other character who gets substantial material is David Jonsson’s Andy, Rain’s synthetic “brother” who has been programmed with one directive, to do what’s best for Rain. So programmed by her late father, Andy also comes fully stocked with endless Dad jokes (which is fun because like I said, watching this movie replicates the experience of sharing the Alien franchise with a new generation). Jonsson gives a very solid performance. I came to this film unfamiliar with his work, but he makes his synthetic compelling enough to follow in the footsteps of actors like Ian Holm and Michael Fassbender.
Another standout in the cast is Isabela Merced. (I didn’t realize while watching that she’s the same person who plays the lead in the live-action Dora movies.) Merced doesn’t get a whole lot of screentime or dialogue, but she fully takes advantage of the opportunity to make some of the best, “Oh God! Oh no!” faces I’ve seen on screen in a while. She commendably makes us feel the full terror of her situation. I don’t think the movie would work without her.
Also conspicuously present is Ian Holm’s face. You can kind of tell that the original actor who played Ash is not playing this new character, Rook. The first clue is that Ian Holm is no longer alive, but there’s also something slightly off about the way his face looks/moves. To the movie’s credit, though, I can’t easily describe just what is “off” about Rook. The special effects are very good, and so is the performance of still living actor Daniel Betts. (I couldn’t help thinking of the special effects (convincing but comparatively limited) in the original Alien and reflecting that the industry has certainly come a long way since 1979, certainly accomplishing more in 45 years than I have). I noticed in the end credits that both the Weta Workshop and Industrial Light and Magic worked on the special effects, so they ought to be good. (“Oh, the Weta Workshop!” I said to my daughter. “They’re the ones who did the effects for The Lord of the Rings.” She joked, “Oh! Is that where they got Ian Holm’s face?”)
For me, the real star of the film was its sound. I loved both Benjamin Wallfisch’s score and just the sound in general and think this should be a contender for the sound mixing and editing Oscars. (Bold words from someone who’s seen two movies this year!) In the end credits, I noticed that the film’s score incorporates musical themes from other Alien films, but watching in real time, what I truly appreciated was the immersive experience created by the sound. I felt like I was in space where no one could hear me scream. I started longing to go to a Disney park. The sound in this film makes you feel like you’re riding an immersive, space-themed attraction, not just watching a movie.
Honestly, this film looks and sounds so familiar that we’re constantly being cued for the next (familiar) story beat. This by-the-numbers approach should make the movie boring, but somehow it doesn’t. Instead (possibly because the characters aren’t in on it like we are), the film is fun and satisfying to watch unfold (kind of like an episode of Murder She Wrote, better because it so masterfully uses formula). As I watched, I kept wondering how writer/director Fede Alvarez came up with this story. What was his process? I wonder because it reminds me a little of Rogue One in the way that it seems to borrow cinematic elements from earlier films and bank on how scenes will make the audience react, what feelings certain familiar images and sounds will evoke. I’m curious.
Best Scene:
This movie primes us for everything. I’m a big fan of the scene when they attempt to cross a room without observation by heating the air to match (and therefore mask) the temperature of their bodies. Andy the synthetic patiently explains, “If your temperature rises, if you get goosebumps, if your hair sticks up, if something upsets you, then the aliens are going to come get you for sure.” So we’re nice and prepared for exactly what’s going to happen in that scene.
Best Scene Visually:
There’s a gorgeously awful painting on the wall of the ship that features (among other things) a creepy baby suckling a seemingly dead woman. The movie gets points for that from me.
Probably for me, two scenes tie in terms of effective visuals. One standout is the moment when all the talk about anti-gravity actually pays off (just because this looks cool). Also powerful is the moment when one character refuses to listen to the pleas of two others, memorable because of the desperation visible in the faces and body language of all the human characters.
Best Action Sequence:
Well, the end of the movie is the best part. We get there and the movie is quietly laughing to itself, like, “I’ve given you absolutely everything you would expect from an Alien movie…almost!!!!!!” Then comes the really scary, highly satisfying part we’ve all been waiting for as what my daughter labeled a Chekhov’s gun finally goes off.
The Negatives:
As my daughter playfully pointed out, every single character in the film comes with a tragic backstory. Despite this, though, most of them don’t get much development in the present story. We’re almost entirely focused on Rain and Andy. Aside from these two, the other synthetic, Rook, and the xenomorphs pull most of the focus from the human characters. I do wish we got to spend a little more time with the new human supporting characters.
The two human guys seem particularly thinly drawn. One is a huge jerk who gets others killed (because he loves his family), and the other is a good guy who gets himself killed (because he loves his family). I have no complaints about the actors playing the sympathetic Tyler (Archie Renaut) or the abrasive Bjorn (Spike Fearn), but they need more material to leave a strong impression on the audience. I have no problem with Aileen Wu’s performance, either. I just wish she got to be in the movie a bit longer. Most of the characters feel like they’re there because somebody has to get “sacrificed” to the aliens or the audience won’t feel the stakes. Perhaps the characters in Alien and Aliens are like that, too, and I just haven’t noticed because I’ve gotten to know them over repeat viewings. It’s hard to say for sure. I’ll admit bias for the original films that have been around since my life began.
Some of the problem I had with the film is probably user error since I spent most of the movie thinking, “Isn’t Ian Holm dead? Or do I just think that because Orson Bean died? Wait. Did Orson Bean die, or do I just think that because Ian Holm died? Hmm. Bilbo went off with the elves…”
I wasn’t too surprised to see Holm’s face since I heard this took place not long after the original story. I liked the way the character is used in the story. I just wish all the new characters were similarly compelling. But again, this could be my own issue more than the movie’s. Maybe I’m just particularly interested in Ian Holm, so I find the character that looks and sounds like him attention-grabbing. People who haven’t watched Alien and Aliens as much as I have (i.e. a lot) might connect more to the new faces because they’re less invested in the old ones. I’ll confess, I did miss Sigourney Weaver. (But sometimes that happens even with movies where it wouldn’t make sense for her to show up. I’ll space out and think, “I wish Sigourney Weaver were in this movie.” What movie couldn’t be improved by judicious inclusion of Sigourney Weaver?)
I suppose the other disclaimer I should throw in here is that Alien: Romulus was scary. One scene in particular is especially disturbing. My sister warned me. She and I don’t always have overlapping taste in movies (though we both like the work of Robert Eggers, and we both liked Oppenheimer). She watches a lot more horror than I do, and normally she can handle stuff that’s too awful for me. But she said this movie had a part that disturbed her so much she was still thinking about it at home that night. That endorsement convinced me not to take my nine-year-old, which is a good thing. (He loves scary stuff, but he always pretends it doesn’t scare him then has nightmares later.) He was not bothered by The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity, but this would have been too scary for him. It’s the ending. It is scary. I see especially why it would scare my sister. A few scenes at the very end are legitimately disturbing. That’s also the best part of the movie. My daughter, who is almost sixteen, had to turn into me in horror (even though she was kind of giggling). She kept protesting. (“Don’t go near that.”) I kept protesting (largely tongue-in-cheek), with the factual statement, “But it’s [spoiler redacted].”) After watching lots of political convention speeches, I couldn’t help but think that both the Democrats and the Republicans could spin quite the cautionary tale using the material in this film (each emphasizing a different aspect of what happens, of course).
My only other minor complaint was that I wanted more from the name Romulus. I like that painting on the creepy ship and how it ties into some of the movie’s themes. But I think there should have been a more explicit retelling of the Romulus myth. That’s a minor quibble, though. Also, sci-fi/horror/dark fantasy movies feature too many scenes in elevator shafts. The last big confrontation in this scene is almost comical. At one point, the alien peeks out, and my daughter chuckled (as it), “Hehhehheh!” which made it hard for me to take it seriously. That’s why I’m glad the end of the movie offers us one last truly scary alien encounter. (Do not take young children or my sister!)
Overall:
I liked Alien: Romulus. Based on the strength of the franchise and positive word of mouth (from my sister), I actually dragged myself to the theater for the first time in months. I do miss Sigourney Weaver, but Cailee Spaeny’s Rain is compelling enough that I would watch her future adventures, though perhaps this movie is intended to be standalone. If you liked the other Alien movies, you’ll find plenty (of familiar elements) to love in Alien: Romulus. And the sound is killer. If you only see one movie in the theater this year…then I’ve seen one more than you!