August 16 will be the premiere of one of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of 2024. We are talking about the movie “Alien: Romulus”, which should return the legendary alien monsters with acid instead of blood to the big screens. But how justified are the expectations of moviegoers? We tell you everything you should know about this movie.
What will “Alien: Romulus” be about?
“Alien: Romulus” is a so-called interquel. Its action unfolds between the events of the original “Alien” by Ridley Scott and “Aliens” by James Cameron. The plot centers on a group of thieves who sneak into the abandoned space station Romulus to steal valuable equipment. Soon it turns out that secret experiments on xenomorphs were conducted there. The characters need to find a way to leave the station before they become incubators for the alien parasite.
Who directed “Alien: Romulus”?
“Alien: Romulus” was directed by Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez. He is known to mass audiences for such films as 2013’s “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe”. They demonstrate quite clearly the basics of his directing style. They are very gloomy films, with hardly any jokes or humorous moments to lighten the mood. Alvarez often tortures his characters and is not afraid to show even the bloodiest and most shocking moments on camera.
At the same time, Alvarez usually strikes a balance and doesn’t slip into torture porn (that’s the name given to films whose authors emphasize overly realistic scenes of violence and abuse). The director knows how to create an atmosphere of suspense and stage very tense scenes that take your breath away.
Who was in the movie
The cast of the movie “Alien: Romulus” mostly consists of young and not the most famous actors. The main role is played by Cailee Spaeny. Recently she could be seen in such films as “Priscilla” and “Civil War”.
According to the director, he intentionally cast only young actors for the roles. According to Alvarez, the younger the character, the more difficult it is for the audience to accept his or her death. Also, since there are no celebrities in the movie, it raises the degree of tension, because any character could die on screen at any moment.
What inspired the creators
As we said, the action of “Romulus” is set in the gap between “Alien” and “Aliens.” According to the creators, they tried to combine their greatest strengths: the horror component of Ridley Scott’s picture and the action component of James Cameron’s movie. And the “Romulus” trailers show plenty of visual references to them. There are familiar sounds, motion detectors, weapons very reminiscent of the Marines’ pulse rifles, and reimagined scenes like the one in which Corporal Hicks teaches Ripley how to use the weapon.
The visual aesthetic of the movie was also hugely influenced by the game Alien Isolation. It was also set between the events of “Alien” and “Aliens” on a decommissioned space station.
Timing and rating
The movie “Alien: Romulus” has a running time of 119 minutes. This is about the same length as the original “Alien” and “Prometheus”. Like all previous movies in the series, “Romulus” was given an adult R rating — for its gory content and use of profanity.
Will “Alien: Romulus” be a good movie?
The xenomorph saga has been failing to please its fans for quite some time now, especially when it comes to the movies. “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” effectively brought the franchise to a standstill. Therefore, many are hoping that “Alien: Romulus” will be able to get it back on the right path. But how justified are such expectations?
Until the movie is released, we can only make assumptions. Experience from previous works suggests that Fede Alvarez is more than competent enough to take “Alien” back to its roots and make a solid horror movie that many fans are waiting for. The script and characters can prevent him from doing so. The strongest part of all the classic xenomorph movies were the well-drawn characters, many of whom have long since become household names. Whether the young characters in “Romulus” will be able to sink into the audience’s soul in the same way is a good question.
Excessive fanservice can also play against the movie. Some trailers give the impression that “Romulus” almost entirely consists of references to previous films. But we would like the picture not only to repeat the plot moves of its great predecessors, but also to please us with something new.
It won’t be long before we find out if Alvarez will be able to justify the credit given to him. Of course, it’s unlikely that he’s made a movie that can be ranked alongside “Alien” and “Aliens.” But at least we have a chance of getting a well-made movie, after watching it we won’t feel sorry for the time spent. And if “Romulus” is also financially successful, we’ll likely see xenomorphs on the big screens again in the future.
