49/50
Andy: The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space
Tale
While searching the depths of an abandoned space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. Director Fede Alvarez explains the rule he established for Alien: Romulus that “if it can be practical, it will be practical”, so the actors were always playing opposite a physical representation of the xenomorph. Director Fede Alvarez sought out the special effects team from Άλιενς: Η επιστροφή (1986) to work on the creatures. Physical sets, practical creatures, and miniatures were used wherever possible to help ground the later VFX work. When Rain turns off the ship’s gravity and shoots all the aliens, all of their blood hangs in the air in long, smudge-like patterns. Real-life weightlessness causes liquids to form spheres, not spread out in long, flat pieces like in the movie. The 20th Century Studios fanfare freezes and becomes eerie, like in Άλιεν³: Η τελική αναμέτρηση (1992), leading into the film’s opening scene.
okay, I guess?
The logo itself experiences a burst of static and turns green. Featured in Nerdrotic: The Acolyte: Force is Female CONFIRMED? The Death of Theatres – The Real BBC @MauLer @HeelvsBabyface (2024). Theme from AlienWritten by Jerry Goldsmith. A few hours after leaving the theater and I’m not sure what to make of this. It was… I got the impression that Fedy Alvarez had looked at the production of each of the previous films, and all the remaining ideas had finally been thrown on screen, while still retconning the core components of the franchise.
Been there, done that
You have bits and pieces of Alien, Aliens, Resurrection, and Prometheus/Covenant. For a fan of the series, there are subtle and not-so-subtle easter eggs every few minutes, from sound effects to reused dialogue. The plot is really simple, as it should be. A group of people exploring a space station. However, I really liked the use of temperature and gravity in this film, it was something you don’t see much in this universe. And there were a lot of jump scares. I’m not usually a fan of these, but this time it worked well.
The world is awesome
The two leads were pretty good, the rest pretty forgettable. And I’m not sure what to make of an actor’s role from beyond the grave… Forget the clean, pared-down world of Prometheus, this is back to the ugly retro-futuristic stuff of the 70s. Simply charming. Aesthetically pleasing, if you like that kind of look. Ultimately, though, it really feels like there’s no place for this franchise to go story-wise. I wouldn’t say it’s artistically bankrupt, but it comes close.
More standalone movies?
While this movie neatly tied together the “real” Alien movies and the new spin on Prometheus, it’s hard to think of what more to do with this creature. Almost all of the mystery has been stripped away from the Xenomorph. I wonder if there’s anything left to do with this creature? Whether they’re exploring the stars, escaping dystopias, or making the world a better place, these women are the very essence of science fiction.