‘Alien: Romulus’ Unleashes a New Horror Formula

With the release of their new film, Alien: Romulus, filmmaker and executive producer Fede Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues continue to etch their names into the world of horror. With franchise creator Ridley Scott’s blessing and sequel filmmaker James Cameron’s advice, the Uruguayan storytellers tap into the two legacy filmmakers’ roots in many things Alien. Álvarez and Sayagues offer a refreshing new take that bridges Scott’s string of Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and Alien to Cameron’s pluralized film, Aliens.

If all goes well with this current release, then only time will tell if these connections prove stronger. Despite its two-hour runtime, the progression of this seventh installment features a stress-inducing three-act structure that feels as if the plot goes on forever. It’s cinematic in visual effects, production designs, and musical scoring, which are as much as one could ask of such an intellectual property.

A New Direction to Scream in Space

The fact that it took forty-five years to center on young adult characters should already tell viewers what to expect going in. This is not a bad thing; Wes Craven’s Scream started this way before transcending the formula, and Jeffrey Reddick’s Final Destination films followed in these inspiring footsteps. The Alien franchise entering the 2020s means redefining the lore, clichés, tropes, and other patterns down to the concept of the titular “Xenomorph”. If xenos is Greek for “foreigner” and -morph means “form” or “structure”, then it is safe to say that Romulus is almost a metamorphosis of what made the franchise’s best so appealing.

Álvarez and Sayagues, their cast, and their production crew achieve wonders that just about match the likes of Prometheus and improve on the awkward areas of Alien: Covenant. Romulus continues these further concepts of the “re-quel”, a reboot sequel; and establishes itself as an “inter-quel”, a sequel inserted between two previously released films. While the film is not the first to accomplish this feat—Saw X did this last fall—, it conveys a new tale and contributes to the vaster Alien anthology.

In terms of the screenwriting, there is a life-altering and, of course, life-threatening narrative that, at the same time, isn’t as overwhelming as a majority of the movie’s predecessors. The plot appears as simple as possible and leaves the doors open for more shocking revelations.

The Bread and Butter

Music composer Benjamin Wallfisch (Blade Runner 2049, Twisters, Kraven the Hunter), the sound designers, and the sound editors assist in maintaining the intensity of the narrative. From the godly choir vocals at the beginning to the lift-off of the main characters’ Corbelan IV spacecraft to the vibrational tone as Marie Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny; Civil War) encounters the worst of outer space’s horrors to the alarming noises here and there, the audio components are absolutely praiseworthy.

Visual effects supervisor Eric Barba, VFX producer Annemarie Griggs—who is also credited as the voice of the Renaissance’s artificial intelligence computer mainframe, MU/TH/UR, or “Mother”—, and their team showcases some of the most impressive imagery since the prior two entries. Sitting in a dark theater peering out at nothing on the screen but tenebrous pitch-blackness and specks of shining, glimmering stars is enough to make the movie-going experience worthwhile. Yet, the opener is a big bang for the rest of the film, including an asteroid belt that serves as an outstanding backdrop for the main conflict.

Rain’s brother, Andy (David Jonsson), has an interesting moment in the middle of the film where the lighting somewhat flickers. This could merely be a matter of switching out his “lightbulbs”, in a manner of speaking. In other words, the lighting technique seems to signal a transition in Andy’s mind state.

The Gravity of the (Alien) Situation

Production designer Naaman Marshall, Barba, and stunt coordinators Franklin Henson, Balázs Farkas, and Levente Tamási collaborate on what they cite as the most challenging aspect of the film—zero gravity. For a franchise set in space, it is not often that viewers see characters float… in space. This aspect of Romulus has its memorable qualities, primarily with Rain and Andy. Assembling their action sequences and watching the movement unfold is a creative endeavor that easily gives this film its rewatch value.

I love how heat signatures, i.e. body temperatures, play a rather immense role in the film through facehuggers, much like how Predators operate within the Predator franchise. This element of the narrative paves the way for a few innovative possibilities, for example, using a flare—a brief albeit clever callback to Alien: Covenant. The scenes concerning zero gravity and heat are the faster-paced parts of the film.

Director of Photography Galo Olivares deserves a lot of credit for capturing all of the above components from different angles. The chase scenes just might be next-level material. In terms of getting the looks of the facehuggers, chestbursters, and Xenomorphs right, knowing is half the battle. The specific reaction to how they are introduced and demonstrated from scene to scene, shot to shot weighs in on what makes the ride so entertaining.

Profits Over Populace

Alien: Romulus continues this common theme throughout the franchise where the Weyland-Yutani corporation constantly puts in an effort to capitalize on colonists. Until now, the existence of colonies has only been acknowledged through word of mouth, so to see one on display is an underrated highlight of the decades-long world-building. At some point, the franchise needs to stop focusing a lens on exotic exploration and become more about establishment and infrastructure.

Álvarez and Sayagues’ film is a step forward in that path, and the final scene indicates some promise on where the franchise could head in the next several years or so. The corporation’s slogan, “Building Better Worlds”, is ironic and hypocritical insofar as treating human life as inferior to synthetic androids and the company’s footing. Taking after the merits of Ridley Scott and James Cameron, viewers will notice the subtle satire in making anything great or better.

Callbacks and Cringes

The moving imagery of Rain perched atop a mountain looking out at the sun is a remarkable juxtaposition with reality, which is that her world is enveloped in darkness. It’s a callback to Ellen Ripley in Aliens and Daniels in Alien: Covenant both caught in the camera’s frame aside images of nature. This represents the idea that nobody gains the leisure to live their best life but instead labor away for a company that cares less about its colonists.

The Xenomorphs continue to make nests for their human victims, referred to in 20th Century Studios’ official production notes as “the hive”, and in this film, I have never seen a sight so grave since Aliens. Rain’s wielding of a pulse rifle is an interesting bit that can be seen as an homage to Cameron’s film, not just in the character’s “final girl” potential à la Ripley but also in its bullet counter.

Alien: Romulus‘s major references to Prometheus and Alien will undoubtedly make their way into online discourse. However, it is also important to note the eye-rolling one-liners that 1980s fanatics might scoff at. The drinking bird, previously seen in Alien and Alien: Covenant, makes a “cameo” appearance, and I believe that is sweeter by comparison. A deeper metaphor is at play here, but we best leave that to scientists to elaborate.

Performances and Character Developments

Isabela Merced (Madame Web, James Gunn’s upcoming Superman) is nerve-rackingly stellar as Alien: Romulus‘s scream queen, Kay. Genre fans can only see her performance and the character’s development as a test run for her next feat in science-fiction horror—portraying Dina in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 and beyond. Kay’s dynamic with her older brother, Tyler (Archie Renaux), is a perfect foil for the main sibling dynamic. She is someone who must be protected at all costs, and that is just a part of the overall risk-taking. The stunt performances of everyone deserve tons of appreciation, and even the stunts regarding Kay are worth keeping an eye out for.

David Jonsson (Industry) might be a near-future fan favorite as Andy, Rain’s non-biological brother. The actor presents this character in a manner that is distinct from anyone else of his type. Some viewers may interpret Andy as on the spectrum, and I would not mind if this is the case. The uncertainty about his personality within the narrative teeters between harsh and helpful, and one can only cherish what he brings to the table. Having seen Jonsson in last year’s romantic-comedy, Rye Lane, his performance is truly captivating. His sibling relationship with Spaeny’s Rain is, perhaps, better than that of Tyler and Kay.

Final Thoughts on Fede Álvarez & Rodo Sayagues’ Alien: Romulus

Toying with time is not the co-writer’s first rodeo. Álvarez and Sayagues have made this objective their mission with Don’t Breathe and Calls. Likewise, this has been a triumph with Alien: Romulus. In an era of sickness so detrimental, we have to cover our mouths from catching it, measure body temperatures, and be apprehensive about unfamiliar substances. Viewers will be eerily reminded that time catches up to us all.

The screenwriting is decent because it sometimes pokes fun at the franchise’s origins in time. Keeping up with what’s going on and what works is a wise approach to the narrative, e.g. Andy’s preference for the adjective, “artificial”. For a horror film, the body count is low, which could be a signature for the storytellers. However, that is made up for with Romulus‘s most satisfying kill. Overall, expect this movie to be in many Alien fans’ Top Five list for the franchise. There is nothing like a narrative that pays homage to the ’80s by taking acid now and then.

Alien: Romulus is now playing in theaters.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars