Alien: Romulus

Review by Mark Woodring

Ah, the long-suffering Alien franchise. 2 great ones, then one that didn’t really get the credit it deserves, then there’s the “Bruno” installment (we don’t talk about it), before creator Ridley Scott finally takes the helm and produces 2 more entries that…

…people are split on. They’re either the greatest thing, or the worst things (after Bruno, of course).

**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then use the player to listen as he and Ryan discuss the film in more depth. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

Alien Romulus - Review
Alien Romulus (20th Century)

119 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues, and Dan O’Bannon
Directed by Fede Alvarez

Synopsis:

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

 

So when it was announced that yet another installment in the venerable scifi/horror franchise was coming, people were skeptical. Then it was announced that it would be directed by Fede Alvarez, who successfully reinvigorated the Evil Dead franchise in 2013, would be helming this one.

I was in.

Back to its horror roots.

After an opening sequence I won’t spoil for you, Alien: Romulus follows a band of young people (teens, maybe some in their early 20s) trying to desperately escape their lives on a Weyland-Yutani-owned mining colony: the kind of colony you have to work so many days/shifts/hours to “earn” the right to be granted a transfer pass to leave.

You know: a slave camp masquerading as normal corporate enterprise.

Rain and her “brother” Andy, a synthetic, agree to help her friends salvage what they believe to be a decommissioned spacecraft above the perpetual, sun-blocking storms of the planet, in order to obtain cryo-pods, which will allow them to flee to a non-Weyland-Yutani planet a mere 9 years away.

An ambitious plan, to be sure, and one not without dangers, given that they space salvage is inherently dangerous. But made infinitely more dangerous when the “ship” is actually a huge space station, apparently derelict and having fallen into their orbit.

A ticking clock is added (as it must be for this kind of film) when they calculate the station will crash into the dense rings of matter surrounding the planet in around 36 hours.

They dock. They board. They find the pods with little trouble, but they’re low on cryo-fuel, so the boarding party has to quest for more in order to make the trip.

Then, the fun begins.

Once the face huggers emerge, all hell predictably breaks loose, and the tension really cranks itself up to Eleven.

I don’t want to spoil any more of the plot, because where’s the fun in that? So let’s talk about the rest of it. Everything about Alien: Romulus screams “Alien!” The score is great. The opening sequence feels like a combination of Alien and Aliens (in a good way), and the look of the film is tremendous. Much like the original, this world feels lived in. From the shitty company “town” to the various rooms and vehicles and spaceships, to the spacesuits, to the lousy bureaucrat who kickstarts Rain’s journey, it all feels right.

It’s a crappy world, one which would inspire nearly anyone to take a chance on a crazy plan to escape it, whatever the risks.

The cast is great (even those who don’t last as long as others, lol), with Cailee Spaeny carrying the load.

But the real draw here, for me at least, was Fede. I absolutely loved his Evil Dead, so I was curious as to what he would do here that made me say “wow!”
While the face huggers and xenomorphs are basically those we’ve become used to, it’s the final monster that made me say (literally, mind you, in the theater) “there’s the Fede.”

It’s horrific. Absolutely, positively horrific in every sense of the world. From it’s birth, to it’s growth, to it’s final evolution, it’s a grotesquely beautiful design, one which can rightfully be called “nightmare fuel.”

It’s awesome.

There are plenty of Alien Easter Eggs (no, not those kind) for both casual fans and those who want deeper cuts, and an extended cameo that, while cool, kind of felt a bit cheap.

But still a cool addition.

I enjoyed the hell out of Alien: Romulus, and maybe in space no one can hear you scream, they sure as hell can in theaters.

There’s likely going to be a lot of that this weekend, to be sure.

Alien: Romulus hits theaters Friday, August 16, and stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

Please don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW us on:

And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:




Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:

VSMP Merch Store

Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)


 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,