Fede Alvarez' "ALIEN: ROMULUS"
Review by Dennis D. McDonald
The theme of “what can go wrong when you play God" is no stranger to the Alien universe. Good examples include the "beautiful butterfly" in Alien Resurrection and the Engineers in Prometheus.
In Alien: Romulus we see the omnipresent Weyland Yutani Corporation again playing that role, ranging from involvement in forced servitude to DNA experiments gone awry.
Lest we overanalyze Romulus, take note that it's really at heart a "meat and potatoes" Alien movie:
Lots of running up and down corridors.
A dwindling number of desperate survivors.
Nasty surprises around the next corner.
An evil corporation.
Out-of-control androids.
Despite the familiar scenarios, I'd still rank this near the top of my favorite Alien films. The reason: it's a nearly flawless example of sci-fi horror, elevated by spectacular production design, tight direction, flawless pacing, and just enough "Easter eggs" to please die-hard franchise fans without confusing newcomers.
There are some amazing set pieces:
What happens when you have the ability to rapidly turn artificial gravity on and off?
There’s nothing like being chased by an army of facehuggers!
What happens when your ship gets too close to a planet's Saturn-like rings. (Hint: It ain't pretty!)
What happens when you can override your pet android's "prime directive"?
The overall familiarity of the film lends an air of recognizability to what's on screen. That should more than please die-hard fans who immediately respond, "OK, but what happens next?"
Review copyright 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald.
