By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter
Movie ReviewAlien: RomulusDirected by Fede AlvarezMTRCB Rating: R-13
THE film Alien has spawned a lot of sequels over the decades. To meet the expectations of fans now used to bigger and better blockbusters paying homage to classics, director Fede Alvarez decided not to feed any ambitious concepts in order to deliver a solid space horror akin to the 1979 original.
Using tension to build atmosphere has always been the key to a good horror movie, and Alien: Romulus is proof of that.
The 2024 follow-up to the many Alien movies before it has big shoes to fill. It takes us to an abandoned, supposedly decommissioned space station. Here, young scavengers take it over to escape the harsh working conditions on a planet without sunlight.
All the tension occurs with the audience having full knowledge that the oblivious characters are about to encounter the most terrifying life form in the universe.
What’s satisfying about the horror employed in the film is that it doesn’t always resort to cheap jump scares and loud noises. The scuttling or splashing of the alien life forms around the characters keeps them — and us— unable to ever relax. The camera doesn’t quite center on the dangers in the eerie space station but captures them just on the edges of the frame. There is an impending sense of doom enhanced by the tense sound design.
Those who love Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley will find Cailee Spaeny’s Rain Carradine a serviceable female lead. With soft features and a kind voice, she at first doesn’t appear to have the grit it takes to survive a xenomorph, but having her loved ones in danger draws it out of her throughout the film.
Central to the plot is her relationship with Andy, the android-protector she grew up with and calls her brother, played by David Jonsson. He’s a stand-out here, going from childlike and dysfunctional to a conflicted robot caught in between two directives (protecting his “sister” vs. the interests of the company).
The rest of the team of scavengers are characterized pretty thinly compared to these two, the other memorable beings in the film obviously the aliens themselves. Practical effects are combined with visual effects — instead of the pure slop of computer-generated imagery that people have become sick of — to excellent effect. The xenomorphs are convincingly creepy.
It’s a fun, relentlessly thrilling ride for horror fans who miss the simplicity of the Alien franchise in its humble beginnings. A scary creature is loose on the ship, gradually killing everyone on board — it’s as straightforward as that.
Set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the lore that superfans can pick up on is only secondary to the slasher success, with casual viewers unaware of the little tie-ins able to enjoy the movie on its own. Almost identical elements, scenes, and shots are obviously nods to what has come before but letting all of that go and just enjoying the show is a great way to watch this.
