Official Review
From top to bottom, Alien: Romulus showcases outstanding production design. While hinting at the future-set Aliens, it draws more from Ridley Scott's original film's iconic textures. The Renaissance station's malfunctioning industrial futurism, inspired by Michael Seymour's original sets, is beautifully recreated. Red warning lights and H.R. Giger's spidery black Xenomorph designs weave into this aesthetic, as menacing as ever. Alien: Romulus also presents the franchise's most seamless blend of computer-generated and practical effects for its settings, creatures, and injury effects. They say the best CGI goes unnoticed, and the team here has largely achieved this seamless integration. Ironically, I must contradict myself: there are moments – particularly in the final act – where you can clearly spot closeups of fake-looking xenomorph heads being blown apart. But these instances, along with noticeable miniature use, evoke the franchise's first two films as much as any iconic one-liner or recreated shot.
Álvarez takes his time in Romulus's first act, carefully building the bond between Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and android Andy (Daniel Jonsson). The siblings live under forced labor on Weyland-Yutani's gloomy Jackson's Star colony. Eager to escape the sunless, metal wasteland – reminiscent of a Terminator future scene – Rain and Andy reunite with their old scavenging friends on the Corbelan IV. Rain's quick thinking and fierce protection of her synthetic brother quickly win viewers over. Spaeny shines, grounding Rain in the raw fear of a young adult facing a world far worse than imagined.
Rain's problem-solving skills lead to many heroic moments, but the script by Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues doesn't allow much room for her growth or explain her resilience. Jonsson faces the toughest acting challenge, balancing childlike uncertainty with robotic efficiency as Andy weighs what information to share and which core directives to follow. Yet Jonsson maintains Andy's essence as this conflict becomes central. Andy's unpredictable personality shifts not only increase tension but also mirror the human characters' own struggles.
The Corbelan crew – siblings Tyler (Archie Renaux) and Kay (Isabela Merced), plus Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and Navarro (Aileen Wu) – are familiar Alien archetypes. Tyler's cool demeanor echoes Dallas, while Bjorn's edgy bandana look recalls both Parker from Alien and Vasquez from Aliens. Alien: Romulus leans harder into slasher movie structure than any previous franchise entry. As such, don't get attached to characters who mostly crack jokes or explain things. This setup sometimes lets viewers guess what's coming, but Álvarez throws in enough surprises to keep things interesting.
Álvarez efficiently introduces the group, especially during their journey to the Renaissance. Quick cuts to each character reveal their reactions under stress, reinforcing their roles just before chaos erupts. Merced's character gets the most individual focus, often separated from the others and facing increasingly dire situations. While these side stories work well as mini-Alien scenes, they do slightly fragment the focus in the second act, causing Romulus' only real pacing issues. However, this time isn't wasted: Kay's complex motivations open the door to Romulus' boldest themes (which I'll keep vague) and late twists that kickstart the film's daring, intense final confrontation.
Romulus often pays homage to its predecessors, mostly successfully, though one major instance falls flat. Let's focus on what works well: Álvarez knows exactly when to use Alien's iconic imagery. The initial exploration of the Renaissance is quiet and tense, but you can sense Álvarez setting the stage like an excited kid showing off their toys. Familiar elements appear - air ducts, airlocks, stun batons, motion sensors, a dead synthetic, with minor tweaks like freeze-throwers instead of flamethrowers. But Álvarez doesn't dwell on these objects; they're purely functional, avoiding excessive fan service.
Romulus also incorporates elements from the Alien: Isolation game. The use of registration points (cleverly nodding to The Godfather) and flares for both practical and defensive purposes shows that all Alien material is valuable. This approach drives the movie forward and enables its most shocking plot turns. Romulus also introduces new elements, most notably zero gravity. It's surprising that the franchise hasn't used this more before, and it's well-employed here to spice up xenomorph encounters and create ticking clock scenarios due to the Renaissance's faulty gravity drive.
The movie rarely shies away from celebrating its roots, mostly for the better but in one significant case, for the worse. Álvarez understands how to deploy the series' most iconic imagery effectively. Though the initial exploration of the derelict Renaissance is quiet and tense, you can feel Álvarez establishing the space with excitement. Familiar elements are present, but they don't feel like gratuitous fan service. Romulus even incorporates aspects of the Alien: Isolation game, showing an attitude that all Alien material is good Alien. This approach drives the movie forward and unlocks its most shocking narrative turns.
Despite its strengths, Alien: Romulus clings to some ideas that seem destined for trouble, much like Weyland-Yutani's notorious habits. While the movie handles most of its exposition smoothly early on, Álvarez overreaches with a flawed method of delivering information once we're on the Renaissance station. I'm avoiding specifics to prevent spoilers, but you'll likely know exactly what I mean when you see it. This choice doesn't ruin Romulus – the film builds up plenty of goodwill elsewhere – but it feels like an unnecessary misstep and the only part that consistently breaks immersion. That's saying something, considering this is a movie about perfect killer aliens. The issue doesn't derail the film, but it stands out as a puzzling decision in an otherwise well-crafted narrative.
Verdict
Channeling the genetic mayhem that invariably spells disaster in these films, Alien: Romulus is a sleek, fierce, hybrid marvel. Fede Álvarez shows his Evil Dead remake wasn't a one-off: He effortlessly taps into the series' storytelling and visual hallmarks, wielding them to stunning effect. Romulus occasionally meanders down a slow-paced corridor – and sadly its boldest link to the franchise's history is quite shaky – but these slip-ups are excusable given how assuredly and wisely Álvarez handles them elsewhere. Bolstered by a skilled cast of young actors and top-notch set design, Alien: Romulus's stripped-down take on big-budget horror distills everything fans adore about the tonally-diverse franchise into a single movie, one you'll need to pencil in next time you're planning an Alien and Aliens binge-watch.
