When a group of space colonists hatch a plan to escape from their planet by raiding a seemingly abandoned orbiting space station, they come face to face with the most terrifying creature in the galaxy.
H.R. Giger’s grotesquely imaginative bio-mechanical monster was unleashed in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, ‘Alien’. Later becoming known as the ‘Xenomorph’, it has been terrorising and fascinating our collective imaginations ever since it first slinked it’s way onto our screens over 45 years ago. For better and worse we’ve seen an array of iterations of this cinematic terror, but nonetheless these works have helped build the reputation of many a revered director.
Directing duties have recently seen the return of Ridley Scott, with the expansive films of ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Covenant’, bringing back some gravitas to the series after some questionable entries. Scott now sits as executive producer on ‘Alien: Romulus’ with Fede Álvarez directing. Álvarez is no stranger to sequels and remakes, having the remake of ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘The Girl In The Spider’s Web’ under his belt. But the question on everyone’s lips is; after 45 years and several movies, what can they possibly bring to the table that could spark dread into the hearts of the audience and hold a candle to the original?
Álvarez has indicated in interviews that he understands that it was fundamentally a fear of the unknown that made the original so compelling. Couple this with a focus on the use of practical effects wherever possible and we can expect if nothing else, an interesting watch. Seamlessly interwoven between the first and second films, the narrative follows another set of hapless humans who unwittingly encounter our favourite deadly extraterrestrials.
Orphaned coloniser Rain (Calee Spaeny) and her adoptive brother Andy (David Jonsson) are stuck on a terraforming outpost with no hope at a future after her contract is forcibly prolonged by company Weyland-Yutani (arguably the other great antagonist in the Alien film franchise). Rain’s ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux) makes an appearance out of the blue and convinces her to help him and his friends raid the cryostasis chambers of an orbiting derelict science station, so they can escape to neighbouring planet Yvaga for a better life. What they don’t expect is that the station is far from abandoned and chaos quickly ensues with the plot moving and twisting at a frantic pace, as we’re taken on a journey through a variety of environments where you’re never sure what will happen next.
As with all good sci-fi there is a social commentary and here. Ridley Scott is of course a master of the genre and there’s a welcomed added cyberpunk edge here. His guidance has brought back to the forefront the philosophy of the robot; how they relate to their fellow androids, the humans they mind and the creatures they’ve discovered. The heritage of the influential sci-fi writers Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick are enjoyably present.
Álvarez’s background in horror also comes into play masterfully, expect no shortage of bloodshed or squeamishly uncomfortable situations that expand upon the familiar themes. Álvarez has stated that playing the video game ‘Alien: Isolation’ had a strong influence on his direction here and this is present in the film. It works well on the flawlessly executed action sequences which are fantastic in spectacle, but not so much on other scenes where it frequently comes across as generic format mission challenges, and more obvious plot devices.
The animatronics and practical effects are beautifully rendered here and create a much needed gritty realism to the aesthetic. They knock any of the previous CGI renditions (some of which were pretty good) out of the park and hopefully this sets an example for filmmakers for future Alien outings. Giger’s original alien designs are well cultivated and embellished on and he would be proud of the disturbing imagery on display, as we delve deeper into the life cycles of the alien organism.
The acting is on point throughout as pressure mounts and emotions run high. There’s a particularly strong performance from David Jonsson as Andy the android and the lead Calee Spaeny as the empathetic Rain. The relationships between the characters run deep and there are many moments of high drama as well as a lot of off-screen backstory to be filled in by the imagination.
There’s a lot of nods and parodies that reference the previous films both overtly and covertly. From the dialogue, the camera moves, the technology, the weapons and many more, all establishing the Alien films as a genre unto themselves. The theme and variation on the score from the previous films by Benjamin Wallfisch, particularly Jerry Goldsmith’s work on the first movie, is well pitched throughout. It’s enough for any fan to feel nostalgic.
For this viewing I visited the Odeon Luxe cinema which features their biggest screens for the best viewing angle and twice as many Dolby Atmos speakers as their average cinemas, as well as their luxury recliners for a state of the art cinematic experience. This was certainly a worthwhile choice to bring the most out of the picture, but particularly the Atmos soundtrack. Romulus has an incredibly detailed and layered mix, and I’m sure these subtleties would be lost on an inferior system. From the magnificent industrial space travel scenes and dizzying camera angles, the grand motion of heavy metal to the smallest creature movements, I could localise every detail and feel the bass fill the room.
This postmodern take was tastefully crafted by Álvarez and Scott and it pays wonderful homage to the movies that built the perfect organism in our minds. Despite the more obvious plot devices, it’s a highly recommended watch, and even worth a repeat viewing. I would be happy to see Álvarez and Scott work together again for another delicious slice of this delightful horror.
Author: Dan, Kingston Store
