This article contains spoilers for “Alien: Romulus”.
The longevity of the “Alien” franchise speaks for itself. Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi space horror opened up a new world of possibilities, leading to a series of franchise entries, two crossover films and a more recent television series (FX’s “Alien: Earth”). The main draw of the series is the Xenomorph, but it East It’s possible to create a survival horror scenario without these creatures terrorizing everyone on board. While “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” lean more toward human hubris and our contentious relationship with artificial intelligence, Fede Álvarez’s film “Alien: Romulus” reiterates the dehumanization inherent in corporate greed. “Romulus” doesn’t really highlight anything that hasn’t been said before, but it does run through the strengths of the “Alien” franchise to create a frenetic horror experience.
“Alien: Romulus,” which is now available to stream on Prime Video, changes things up a bit with Rain (Cailee Spaeny), who has reached quota at her blue-collar job and requests a quick transfer. After being refused, Rain is forced to extend her employment contract, essentially trapping her in the dark Weyland-Yutani colony that never knows sunlight. Her synthetic brother, Andy (David Jonsson), arrives after Rain decides to break free from her stifling existence, and she assembles a team of like-minded people to help her make this risky escape. Although they succeed, things take a dark turn soon after. Andy undergoes a sudden personality change once they arrive at the space station, Tyler (Archie Renaux) unwittingly unleashes a dozen vicious faces, and Kay (Isabela Merced, who plays Hawkgirl in “Superman”) – who is pregnant – experiences excruciating agony.
Álvarez plays with our prior knowledge of the franchise to incite fearand the crew finds themselves thrust into an impossible situation with no way out.
Alien: Romulus redeems his borrowed premises with a horrifying new monster
Álvarez’s back-to-basics approach doesn’t necessarily seem trite, as it underscores the cyclical nature of exploitation in “Alien.” Blue-collar workers like Rain will always be available to a conglomerate like Weyland-Yutani, which will do whatever it can in the name of wealth accumulation and corporate monopoly. We see the bigger picture in “Alien: Earth,” where five global conglomerates fight for dominance, even willing to exploit dead children to create beings capable of taking on “perfect organisms.” Rain and his friends aren’t fighting against such insane odds to achieve something heroic: they’re simply a group of young people fighting for a chance at a decent life.
“Romulus” takes themes of corporate dehumanization even further by introducing an experimental fluid named Z-01, which leads to the creation of horrible hybrid offspring which appears towards the end of the film. This creature is arguably scarier than the Xenomorph, as it moves unlike any form of extraterrestrial life and harbors intentions that go beyond instinctive self-preservation. This hybrid is a physical manifestation of violated autonomy and private personality, and it stalks Rain like a homunculus that isn’t supposed to exist. Álvarez makes the most of this twisted metaphor, introducing the core philosophy of the “Alien” franchise.
There’s also a lot to like here in terms of action set pieces and deliberate homage, even if “Romulus” may seem a bit stale for those who know the franchise intimately. That said, it’s the perfect “Alien” movie to put on when you’re in the mood for something new, yet familiar, with a Xenomorph (or two!) thrown in for good measure.
“Alien: Romulus” is currently streaming on Prime Video.
