Romulus is a deeply visceral and satisyfing thriller I couldn’t look away from

The latest movie is about 10 minutes long. Alien Series Introduces the characters, structures the story and sets the stakes. With a simple approach and no-frills storytelling, director Fede Alvarez has crafted a dark, unsettling tale of horror set on a desolate spaceship with an emphasis on the sensory experience. Monster .

A young woman named Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her adopted son, the artificial lifeform Andy (David Johnson), are preparing to leave their sunless mining planet after Rain meets her work quota. But when she’s ready to receive her travel papers, she finds out that her hours have been extended — doubled, in fact, by another five years or so. As in the first film, alien Set on Romulus shortly after the film, the story conveys an anti-capitalist message. Rain meets up with a few friends and reveals their plan to escape the planet and find freedom on their home planet seven years later. An abandoned spaceship is orbiting above the planet, containing a very important cryogenic chamber needed to reach their destination. All they need to do is fly to the spaceship and remove the cryogenic chamber to be free.

Of course, it’s not that easy, as the rebels soon discover why the ship was empty. Thanks to this simple premise, straightforward missions, and at least two characters you can root for, Alien: Romulus is a thrilling experience that’s packed with atmosphere, scares, and just the right amount of fan service and bold ambition.

Alien: Romulus

Strong Points

• Dark, tense and scary atmosphere
• Simple storytelling and exciting plot twists
• An ambitious finale

Cons

• The supporting characters are not appealing

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Release date, rating, showtime

Enjoy it on a big screen

Alien: Romulus hits theaters nationwide on August 16th. At just under two hours long, the movie seems to fly by in an instant. I saw the film at an IMAX press screening, but if you’re going to see it in a theater, I highly recommend opting for the biggest, most immersive screen you can get.

Alien: What I like about Romulus

Thrills and horror

The film’s thoughtful and efficient opening does enough to build tension and get us interested in at least some of the characters. There’s clearly a deep trust and affection between Rain and Andy, and while the other four who join them are less appealing, it’s enough to make us curious about their fate. That these twenty-somethings are trying to escape the hellish place created by Weyland-Yutani, a ruthless international conglomerate that has been present in the Alien series since its inception (though initially unnamed), makes their quest relatable and sympathetic. In the first film, the characters are a bit older (and less diverse), blue-collar workers tasked with dangerous tasks by a faceless corporation. In the second, the anti-corporate message comes in the form of middle-management characters who want to protect the deadly alien race. Here, the characters in their early twenties are already well aware of the empty promises imposed by Wey-Yu and are searching for their own way out.

This idea puts the film’s focus on exploring the ship and discovering the horrors hidden within. Romulus excels at creating a sense of space within the dark, often quiet interior of the ship, filled with creaking structures, flashing lights, changing temperatures, and characters familiar to fans of the series. There are plenty of winding corridors to navigate, but nothing is visible around the bend, and Alvarez seems tense with each step. Early in the exploration, three of the characters enter a flooded hatchery, and it’s dank. When the aliens emerge later, their slimy, sticky, corrosive nature becomes apparent. The heightened sensory experience makes the film more engaging, allowing you to embrace what’s happening and truly feel the journey at its core.

There are also some very clever tricks introduced in the first act that build tension and excitement as you watch the film, knowing they will be used in the third act. The film doesn’t even try to hide it, as it is convinced that suspense is more fun than surprise. When the audience first enters the spaceship, they learn that the ship has an automatic gravity purge function, which temporarily turns gravity back on if it has been turned off for a period of time. Audio cues are given so the audience can prepare for it later. When this is used, it makes for some fantastically original and tense scenes.

Another early scene makes it pretty clear what’s going to happen when the characters stumble upon an X-ray probe, and there’s a time limit placed on this event – a floating spaceship destined to crash into the rings of a nearby planet – a clever way to create tension.

These thoughtful additions and calculations are worthwhile because the film delivers on its xenophobic promise. The facehugger appears in a familiar vein from past films, but it quickly turns into a violent birth, as a giant, acid-spewing creature emerges from the darkness. Alvarez knows not to get too caught up in cutesy or clever when dealing with these characters; they have always been terrifying, and always will be. And they don’t disappoint, delivering brutal, bloody deaths time and again.

All of this comes together really well and overall it’s an enjoyable film to watch.

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What I didn’t like about Alien: Romulus

Supporting roles added later

20th Century Studio

I think Romulus has pretty much everything you want from an Alien movie: unnecessary world-building, existential musings, flute playing, etc. I also think the fan service is debatable, as there are some character decisions that seem to serve the story but have nothing to do with your own beliefs or interests. Other than the main two characters, the other characters aren’t given much to do, so some of the deaths are brutal, although not necessarily tragic.

For me, it worked, especially with just one line, but it may be debatable for some. For me, the film was more tense than scary, more enjoyable than uncomfortable, but I think that’s down to my enjoyment of the first film and my eagerness to fully immerse myself in this story that had captivated me from the start.

The film’s final scene takes a slight turn and a big twist that may be polarizing, but I’m mostly on board with it, especially the ambition to build on a long-running series. I’m not sure if it completely works for me, but it’s certainly thrilling and weird and wild.

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Verdict: Should you watch Alien: Romulus?

Enjoy the theatrical experience

Alien: Romulus is an incredibly satisfying film that offers a thoughtful, frightening and raw cinematic journey. Its story of young people rebelling against a ruthless corporation and carving out their own path engaged me from the beginning. While I didn’t care for many of the characters, the pairing of Spaeny and Johnson is very watchable and compelling. They carry a lot of weight, and both actors show great range in a story that requires investment in their characters to succeed. There’s also an effort to simplify the film, highlighting the key elements that made the first two films great and making Romulus feel like one of the classics.

Alien: Romulus

The tactile, uncomfortable setting, intense music, and the film’s emphasis on the sensory experience make Alien: Romulus a fascinating experience from start to finish.

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