RATING: 3 STARS
High expectations were placed upon director Fede Álvarez’s self-made shoulders to enter the ever-familiar franchise with something new and exciting to get the xenomorphic blood pumping. But the thrill of the unknown appears to be lacking in this mundane and repetitive take on Ridley Scott’s original.
Protagonist Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her brother Andy (David Jonsson) attempt to flee their planet with a group of miners, journeying to a promised land, stumble upon the ship Romulus & Remus in search of cryo-pods. Unbeknownst to them, they are not alone.
Immediately, we are flung into intense, poorly paced, life-threatening situations that eradicate tension and mystery. We are left in stagnant waters with shallow, underdeveloped motivations, and illogical decisions, leaving us with little sympathy or care for the characters. As with many of Alien films, there is vast potential for an interesting commentary towards the ethics and boundaries of the robot and the human, and though this is set up as a key element to the plot, it is disappointingly unexplored.
Known for his detail and finesse in visual composition, Álvarez constructs a beautifully eerie and isolated atmosphere inside the abandoned ship. The tangibility of the visual effects creates a convincing presence and horrific atmosphere. Sadly, Álvarez does succumb to the intangible defective fad of recreating deceased actors faces, in this case, Ash from Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien. Clunky and uncanny, the youthful face of Ian Holm painfully stares back at us through the screen, ultimately ruining any built-up tension. This tenuous attempt to link the current cast to the original constructs a tacky tone across the body of the film.
What truly saves this movie from being a monotonous alteration of the original Alien is crammed into the last twenty minutes but executed so perfectly it completely compensates for the ungainly pacing of the bulk of the film. The terrifyingly coined “off-spring” presents us with a fresh interpretation that allows Álvarez’s flare to shine through, and the absence of CGI in creating such a specimen delivers a palpable, invigorating sense of horror that is sometimes absent with the Xenomorphs.
Alien: Romulus delivers a captivating, gore-riddled journey, but regrettably only scratches the surface with its character development and potential for suspense. Though a thoroughly enjoyable watch, I can’t help wondering if my positive feelings only transpired from the latter half of the film, and whether this really was anything more than a homage to the 1979 classic.
Featured image via 20th Century Pictures