Alien: Romulus could be the best entry in the franchise since Aliens, going by the first reactions – however, it seems like everyone has one complaint.
Alien: Romulus comes from Fede Álvarez, the director behind 2013’s (incredible) Evil Dead remake and the Don’t Breathe films.
It’s not strictly a follow-up to Ridley Scott’s divisive Prometheus (which is good, actually) and Alien: Covenant. This is a new story set between Alien and Aliens, following ill-fated space colonists who board a derelict spaceship – and, in the filmmaker’s words, what they find “costs them dearly.”
Scott told Álvarez it’s “f**king great”, but what do people think? Well, the first reactions are broadly positive, with some even hailing it as “the scariest movie [they’ve] seen this year.”
Fede Alvarez’s #AlienRomulus is gnarly, gripping & gorgeously bleak (everything from the story to Olivares’ cinematography to Wallfisch’s score). Innovatively delivering smart, savvy stuff, subtly playing the greatest hits. Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson dominate. This rules! pic.twitter.com/kEuDZku2Oz
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is a bonkers roller coaster ride through the previous six Alien movies, using bits of all them, to tell a focused, mostly standalone story filled with glorious gore & scares. It gets better as it goes along, ending with a phenomenal big swing of a third act. pic.twitter.com/mY8Hkbe0gD
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is the first time I have been terrified during one of the Alien movies. Cailee Spaeny's Rain is a perfect character to follow on this journey and through Fede Álvarez's twists and turns, you never really know where Romulus is headed. The 3rd act is truly WILD. I dig… pic.twitter.com/vEaiz5966B
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) August 13, 2024
“Alien: Romulus is shockingly good… it emulates the original Alien movies so well. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor in the third act. That was insane. Wow,” Comic Book’s Brandon Davis wrote.
“ALIEN: ROMULUS is the best Alien movie since Aliens… it gets more thrilling with every scene, culminating in a mind-blowing final act that proves Fede Álvarez never holds back,” Jonathan Sim posted.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit also said it has “the great hallmarks of what you would expect in an Alien flick… and even goes into a crazy new direction. Fede Alvarez & the cast just gave birth to summer’s best movie.”
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So, what’s the problem? According to several critics, it may feature one too many callbacks – with one even describing it as “slickly directed franchise taxidermy.”
Can pinpoint the exact moment I turned on ALIEN: ROMULUS. You'll know it when you see it. Slickly directed franchise taxidermy. Full review later this week.
— A.A. Dowd (@AADowd) August 13, 2024
For better and worse, ALIEN: ROMULUS is basically the ROGUE ONE of the ALIEN franchise –– I expect a lot of people to have a good time with this, but it's the first mainline ALIEN movie to not truly be about anything except other ALIEN movies, and I really wished it was more.
— an especially dangerous dug called Brendan (@metaplexmovies) August 13, 2024
ALIEN: ROMULUS has some entertaining spectacle that keeps it an engaging watch overall. Yet its presentation lacks an effective horror atmosphere, leaving the tension removed in a hollow endeavor with bland characters. Some cringy callbacks, but best in show was David Jonsson. pic.twitter.com/wMnk0Pmsa6
— Josh Parham (@JRParham) August 13, 2024
Brendan Hodges called it a “gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills… it’s the safest, blandest, and most vapid the series has ever been. I did not love it.”
“Devoid of any thematic depth, it incorporates so many winks, nods, and moments of fan service it often feels more like a greatest hits entry than trying to provide anything new or profound,” Matt Neglia also tweeted.
Inverse’s Hoai-Tran also said it “plays like a greatest hits of the ALIEN franchise, for better and for worse.”
Before the movie hits cinemas, find out exactly when Alien: Romulus takes place in the timeline, if it’s connected to Isolation, and how to get the Alien: Romulus popcorn buckets.