Alien: Romulus (2024) | Film Review

Alien as a franchise began in 1979, led by Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ripley as she battles an unstoppable force aboard her ship, the Nostromo. There have been numerous sequels and spin-offs that broke far and away from the source material at this point, including original director Ridley Scott’s philosophical take with Prometheus and Covenant, but finally Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez is taking it back to its roots with Alien: Romulus.

The story this time follows a group of miners trapped on a desolate, dour planet set in perpetual darkness, who learn of an enormous space station with several hypersleep chamber pods on board. A plan is hatched by Tyler (Archie Renaux) to head to the station, steal the pods, and set course for an atmosphere with a bit more sunshine.

The film is led by burgeoning star Cailee Spaeny (Civil War) as Rain, a reimagined Ripley for modern times. Rain is formidable and idealistic, she is also desperate to escape the grips of the sadistic corporation who runs her bleak outpost, Weyland-Yutani. Accompanying her on her journey is her android brother, Andy (David Jonsson), who plays a major part in completing this task. The heist goes wrong, as you would expect, facehuggers arrive, and aliens are back on the loose. Plotwise, it’s simple and clean.

Spaeny rises to the occasion of crafting a new heroine to follow should this franchise continue in this direction, placing her own mix of nuanced survival instincts, and her relationship with Jonsson injects a notable element of heart in an otherwise morbid situation. The supporting cast – including an unnecessary throwback to the original film – are perfunctory though not particularly fleshed out, their roles are mostly relegated to appetizers for the aliens to feast on as we build towards our final showdown.

Kudos to Alien: Romulus for single-handedly making up for that abysmally overwrought Alien: Covenant. Rather than returning to the meandering of that film, Romulus pulls from the best aspects of the first two films to deliver an update for fans and newcomers alike. The only true misstep is a dialogue nod to previous films that completely disengages fans and stimulates an eye-roll, though only for a brief instance. Overall, this is a film that demonstrates a director at the height of his skills, showcasing yet again that Fede Alvarez knows how to take a beloved property and craft a familiar yet original tale which respects those who have come to love it.

Equal parts Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus gets back to basics in leaving us with a thrilling hodge-podge of gore and terror. Though not quite reaching the same level of intensity that Fede Alvarez managed with his Evil Dead remake nor Don’t Breathe, Alien: Romulus nonetheless spits acid on a dead concept and reignites the withering flames of fan expectations in the franchise.