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Published Dec 2024

ALIEN ROMULUS

The exceptional production design is not forgive a narrative that favors recycling old ideas over originality and character development

Creator:

Fede Alvarex

Year:

2024

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Played:

Creator:

Fede Alvarez

Year:

2024

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Watched:

Creator:

Fede Alvarez

Year:

2024

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Played:

The coolest creature design ever envisioned returns to grace our screens once again.

SPOILERS

Alien and Aliens compete as two of the greatest sci-fi titles of all time, yet since their release, six additional movies featuring the iconic Xenomorph have been produced, each contributing to the franchises' decline in one way or another—whether through Ridley's big-screen productions or crossover B-movies like AVP: Requiem.

So when movie nine, Romulus, was announced, I set my expectations justifiably low. The Sci-fi genre has struggled over the last decade to produce high quality movies, and the recent Alien installments have consistently lacked memorable characters, coherent storytelling, and a level of quality we expect to see. Could director Fede Alvarez address these criticisms and put the franchise on the front foot again?

The production design certainly excels. Filmed in Hungary, the movie is filled with glorious animatronics, practical effects, heavy machinery sets, bio-mechanical fittings, retro-futuristic user interfaces, and foam-cast M41A Pulse Rifles. The level of craft on display is near perfection, featuring tangible sci-fi settings that are intentionally oppressive yet satisfyingly nostalgic. Designer Naaman Marshall has leaned into the legacy of the classic patinated aesthetic while reinterpreting it with a fresh identity that blends industrial and futuristic realism that is both familiar as it is refreshing. I can't imagine any Alien fan who would not have been extremely pleased with what they saw.

When CGI does come into play in the big moments, it too is spectacular. The various shots and perspectives of the Romulus-Remus station set against the space-scape of Planet LV-410 look fantastic, and that jaw-dropping action sequence as they escape the station as it collides with the planet's ice ring was just amazing. The screenplay for that scene was top quality, and the space scenes worked as a great contrast from the claustrophobic hallways where most of the story unfolds.

H.R. Gieger's Xenomorph is the coolest creature design ever brought to cinema, and it's just as iconic today as it was when it first graced our screens 45 years ago. Those first two films, Alien and Aliens, compete alongside each other as the greatest Sci-fi titles of all time, but since then we’ve had six movies that have all contributed to the franchises decline in one way or another, whether thats Ridleys big-screen productions or the crossover, B-style movies like AVP: Requiem.

So when movie seven, Romulus, was announced, I set my expectations justifiably low. Sci-Fi movies in general have been poor the last few decades, but Alien in particular has consistently lacked memorable characters, sensible and cohesive storytelling and generally lacking the quality we expect. I was surprised another Alien movie was even given the green light after the poor performance and reception of Covenant.

Could director Fede Alvarez turn things around and deliver both tribute and departure from what had come before? In interviews he expressed a desire to celebrate the film, while creating something new for the next generation, but when experiencing the structure and narrative of the film, the endless homages and the familiar plot moments, I think it's a hard case to sell that this was an original movie.

This is not to say some aspects of the film didn't push things forward. The production design is where the movie excels in representing both tribute and departure, with an absolutely gorgeous, and by far the highlight of the experience. Designer Naaman Marshall has kept the legacy of the classic patinated aesthetic that was defined decades ago and re-interrupted it with fresh identity of industrial and futuristic realism.

Shot in Hungary, this film is brimming with glorious animatronics, practical effects, heavy machinery sets, bio-mechanical fittings, retro-futuristic user interfaces and foam M41A Pulse Rifles. The level of craft is near perfection, with tangible sci-fi settings that are deliberately oppressive yet satisfyingly nostalgic. It's a familiar and fresh reimagining of the DNA. I can't imagine any Alien fan who would not have been extremely happy with what they saw.

Combine this with the films strong cinematography, that works lighting and colors tones into atmosphere, when inside the station, and when outside we are treated to jaw dropping space scenes like the one where they escape from the space-stations collision with the planets ice ring, which was absolutely breathtaking to watch.

While the love and respect shines through in the production design, Alvarez goes completely overboard in regards to throwbacks and homages from the original movies. Subtle nods to iconic imagery and lines are fine, but in Romulus' case he's structured the entire story around key recycled scenes from the first movies. From the moment the hibernating ship powers up in the opening scene to the elevator shaft and freeze-thrower airlock finale, the rehashing is extensive, robbing any breathing room for an original story to take place and in times is so egregious with the referencing that it takes you out of the immersion, or ruins scenes entirely.

This isn't to say there are no cool and original action scenes. I previously mentioned the fantastic ship escape, and I also enjoyed the chaotic cascade into calamity as the facehuggers thawed and wreaked havoc, unleashing the eventual birthing of the Xeno. Alvarez dials up the pace at these points and it works, using every alien related tool at his disposal to conjure up different alien-related threats. Unfortunately it all feels a bit contrived and predictable when all is said an done, missing the connective tissue that is needed to create meaningful stakes, meaningful character development, and a memorable narrative that might tie it all together.

Dialogue was also weak, probably not helped by the writers' strike that occurred during filming. Generic expository lines frequently pop up to establish key world-building and plot moments, while the characters contribute little emotional depth to the situation, with the dedicated screen-time needed to reflect on their circumstances is almost nonexistent, and when it does occur, it falls flat. The alien itself is barely discussed or acknowledged.

The standout character is Andy, who, much like Fassbender's android in the previous films, introduces the most interesting dynamics to the story, seeing David Jonsson nicely switch between the vulnerable and cold dispositions of his synthetic role - it's a good performance, but is the character on par with Ash, Bishop or David before him? I’ll leave that for you to decide. While Rain's contribution as the lead is OK, the continual re-packaging of Ellen Ripley is becoming tiresome, and the material this time around is not strong enough to allow her to stand in her own right anyway.

In this final section, I want to talk about the lore, because in my opinion Alvarez has handled it carelessly. Let’s begin with the facehuggers. Where exactly did they all come from? There was no queen and no eggs recovered, so what did I miss? After digging online it appears that they were grown from material taken from the original ‘Big Chap’ alien. Affording them this (generous) scientific leap, the implications then are that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation possesses an astonishingly complex understanding of the Xenomorph: they are creating the perfect organism at will.

This is a shortsighted—and, to me, unforgivable—flaw in storytelling, one that completely undermines the events in *Aliens* and *Alien 3*. Both films depict a desperate corporation striving to secure its first grasp on elusive materials and knowledge, to such an intensity that it is willing to sacrifice an entire colony for the chance. Ripley is defined by her unwavering determination and dedication to preventing this from ever happening.

Why send Marines to LV-426 in Aliens to retrieve a specimen when you have the entire Xenomorph reproduction process stored in the cloud 50 years prior? Let's remember there are also countless Xenomorphs and facehuggers floating in space around the crashed Romulus station. They had recovered Big Chap from the debris of the Nostromo, so they should have no problem reprinting facehuggers within weeks after salvaging the wrecked (but mostly intact) station. Romulus awards the company with everything it could ever desire and more, undermining not only the story and motivations of the subsequent films but Ripley's entire journey and ulimtate sacrifice. Unforgivable.

Outrage over story and lore consistency may be dismissed as a concern only for die-hards, yet even the basics seemed to collapse under scrutiny. The gestation period of the chestburster has been reduced from several hours to mere minutes, while the growth of the Hybrid from infancy to maturity is 10x the speed of the “perfect organism” itself. The acid blood chooses to be a hull eating menace or apple cider vinegar when suits, and a single alien that once would take down an entire ship, is now reduced to hordes that a teenager, who has never wielded a weapon can dispatch with ease.

There were some positive and welcome lore wins however. Through subtle dialogue, Romulus heroically restores the mystery that Prometheus attempted to strip away when it decided the Xeno's origin should be a mere bio-weapons project of some other alien race. Thanks to Romulus, the black goo is now understood to be a stem-cell-like substance extracted from the facehuggers. The Xeno precedes the goo, not the other way around, and thus remains an enigma. The cocoon introduction and design was also excellent, offering a logical progression in the lifecycle from chestburster to mature adult.

The aliens in general kind of felt like second-bit motifs. I'm not sure if they are referenced or reflected upon in any meaningful way throughout the film. They feel reduced to drones meant to set-up a hazard to overcome, rather than a crushing psycological presence that reveals itself in the critical moments. That said, I will never tire of seeing its beauty on screen, an Alvarez us plenty of moments to admire it..

At no point did the characters ever pause to reflect on their situation and contribute emotion to stakes that desperately needed it. Friends and family are slaughtered and there is barely recognition of the loss or even on the alien itself. This is horror with no realism, and therefore no grit. You rob the story of any character substance that would augment the situation with meaningful stakes and tension. Part of the reason Andy stands I think is because the cast around him are void of even less human response or identity than he has. Its one scene after another forcing epic moments, its not about the story its about setting up the cool moment. Just like the pregnancy, which is cool and everything, but the amount of stupid things needed to get to that moment is ridiculous

If I put down my Alien purist hat down, and suspend enough belief, then I will admit that I was still entertained while watching the film. We had cool action scenes, awesome visuals and concepts, and scares that landed. I left the cinema of the surface feeling satisfied before the deeper reflection started to settle in. The box office has done well. I would support a follow up movie, involving the other part of the ship Reemus. But for the love of god, just write a script that is sensible and respects the lore. This has been the criticism of Prometheus, Covenant and now Romulus has fucked it too.

VERDICT

This was a hard one to rate. It is a visually stunning sci-fi with moments of exceptional screenplay and action. If I set aside my alien fanboy hat I must admit that I was entertained; the movie being better than I was expecting it to be. You can feel the love the creators have for this franchise, and it seems to have reinvigorated it (the next movie already confirmed). However, the storytelling elements were average overall. Most aspects felt recycled, predictable, and too familiar, and long-time alien fans should not accept the careless mishandling of the lore. I'm uncertain how it compares to Prometheus and Covenant, as it's been a while since I watched them, but not a chance this film surpasses the director's cut of Alien 3.

RATING BREAKDOWN

Story

Directing:

Visuals / Production:

Acting / Dialogue:

Music / Sound:

BONUS

Production

FINAL

MOOD