Romulus, Remus, Alien…

            Alien: Romulus is the newest installment from the iconic franchise and it was obvious that since I am fully in love with these films, I will take the opportunity to watch it on the big screen. Did it deliver? Well, let’s find out!

The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space.

            You Lot know how much I grew to appreciate the Alien & Predator series, even though it was a scary watch for me. But still, watching it at home, under control and with tons of breaks, and most importantly – with someone who has already watched them all.. It was exactly what I could go for. 

So, the possibility of watching Alien on the big screen, in IMAX, with my friends was definitely a walk outside of my comfort zone. But hey, there is a comfort in going out to see a horror-ish film with a group 😉 

Honestly though, I didn’t know what to expect – for some reason (and we all know that reason), I have not watched any of the trailers. At first, because I was unaware they were already out. Then because I thought seeing one will make me chicken out. Ultimately, I am glad I was completely surprised.

I can’t lie about your chances. But you have my sympathies.

            Because this movie ended up being a huge surprise. A good one, might I add. Alien: Romulus gave plenty of new without taking away the iconic, classic vibe of Alien, Rippley and the spirit of danger. It added a new level of gruesomeness and disgust, it added new amazing (and annoying) characters, without depriving them of charisma or bravery. 

The plot circles around a working colony in space, a shit-hole with no perspective of ever seeing the sun or getting a normal, healthy life. Siblings – Rain and Andy are alone in this vast, empty, cruel place. And when a slight, slim chance appears to get out, to a place where you can see sunsets… Reluctantly, Rain takes it.

As you can imagine, literally everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong. But as predictable as the catastrophe was, the single events leading up to it were still a bit of a surprise to me. 

Is this really where you wanna spend the rest of your life?

            This latest chapter in the Alien franchise is deeply rooted in the essence of the original films, much like the flaming impact of xenomorph blood on a spaceship’s hull. In many ways, this works to its advantage. The first two films are still the peak of the series, and Alien: Romulus cleverly honors its predecessors rather than trying to reinvent them. 

Alien: Romulus leans heavily into the grim aspects of its horror roots, sacrificing a lot, really, in terms of deeper story development. Some say that it struggles to stand out as a distinctive entry in the series, whether in style, tone, or theme, but for me it was a really worthy homage and a dreadful part one of what may come.

And what came was absolutely disgusting and yet thrilling. The hybrid of xenomorph or whatever THE FUCK it was? Jesus I am so grateful for a friend that came along with us because I was able to hide behind his arm when that thing appeared. It was absolutely disgusting, but this is exactly why people (myself included) love Alien so much.

Welcome to the Romulus Space Station!

            Alien: Romulus is the first film from the entire franchise to have the main cast composed of all young-adults, with Cailee Spaeny (which I first saw at Civil War). And she did an amazing job on screen; she was a lovable badass, with a strong will to survive and save as many as possible. Her on-screen android brother Andy, played by David Jonsson, was such a myriad character. 

An android whose sole mission was to do what was best for his sister… Can there be something more beautiful? This is why I said a myriad of characters – because watching the quite literally switch in his head flip to a completely different person was fascinating. 

Other members of the young cast: Archie Renaux (Tyler), Isabela Merced (Kay), Spike Fearn (Bjorn) and Aileen Wu (Navarro) were a great supplement to the 2nd line of defense that essentially contributed to the events of the grand finale at the Romulus Space Station. And I for one, am happy to see youngsters taking over Hollywood. 

Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.

            Despite its minor imperfections, and perhaps a little too cheesy nods towards the earlier Alien films, Fede Álvarez brings a thrillingly gruesome energy to the way he dispatches the supporting cast. The set pieces are tight and dynamic, the tension suffocatingly intense (QUITE LITERALLY I FELT LIKE I COULDN’T BREATHE because the xenomorph would hear me) and the sound design, with its screeching metal, heightened the inevitable chaos. 

You can hardly notice that the narrative threads that sometimes struggle to hold the action together, and perhaps these tricks served a greater purpose of theatricality and fear. Yet, the jump scares still hit their mark, shaky story logic aside, and the trachea-like tunnels dripping with alien goo create a wonderfully unsettling backdrop for the carnage.

Now, will I watch it again? For sure. But at home, preferably in the daylight, with my best friend close to hold my hand.