ALIEN ROMULUS Review: In Space, No One Can Hear You Mimic a Scream

The Aliens franchise has long been in a tug-of-war between its overarching sci-fi ideas and its go-for-the-throat action-horror elements. While sequels to Ridley Scott’s 1979 blockbuster Alien have often leaned heavily towards one side or the other in this divide, they have yet to fall into the typical franchise pattern of simply replicating what worked before. That streak has finally come to an end with Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus, an occasionally thrilling but overly slavish tribute to the entire Aliens franchise. 

Alien: Romulus introduces viewers to Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny, Civil War), a young woman contractually stuck on the mining colony Jackson’s Star. An orphan, Rain is accompanied by an android named Andy (David Jonsson, Industry), who she refers to as her brother. A malfunctioning android tweaked by her late father, Andy is childlike despite his older appearance, and is still learning how to be human-like (non-stop dad jokes included). 

When the Weyland Corporation denies Rain travel permits and arbitrarily dictates that her indentured servitude be extended for years, she agrees to join a motley gang of space millennials (including her love interest Tyler, played by Archie Renaux of Shadow and Bone) on a quest to break free of the colony. 

Their plan involves breaking onto an abandoned space station and using the cryo chambers in order to travel light years away to a more peaceful planet. Once aboard the station, they soon encounter a collection of deadly face-hugging aliens, as well as a familiar face from the franchise intent on ensuring the future success of the Weyland Corporation at all costs.  

Director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) who co-wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues, plays with some interesting ideas during the film’s initial arc. While Alien and Aliens each featured a crew of tough blue-collar workers and scientists forced to battle with the deadly Xenomorphs, Alvarez populates the film with (mostly) sympathetic young characters simply trying to escape to a better life. 

That relatable motivation and a fresh new cast (led by the magnetic Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson’s nuanced role as a conflicted synthetic human) give Alien: Romulus an early boost, which quickly fizzles out once the aliens begin to swiftly take the team out in horrific faction. 

While the Xenomorph effects are solid and there are some inventive set pieces towards the end (including a memorable zero-gravity action sequence that feels like a nod towards the great Dead Space video game series), the film eventually becomes a series of MCU-style nods to the franchise’s past. 

The addition of a character from an earlier film (resurrected in some hellish AI fashion) as well as eye-rolling identical shots from previous entries and even the regurgitation of a famous catch-phrase only serve to remind audiences of better films.

They also serve to de-value the work of the current cast, especially Cailee Spaeny, who is essentially forced into Ripley cosplay at a certain point (any comparison to Sigourney Weaver’s iconic role in Aliens is going to be a tough sell). 

Alien: Romulus succeeds as a thrill ride, and expertly delivers what is essentially a haunted house film filled with slimy alien killers. It’s just unfortunate that the filmmakers (and/or the studio) didn’t have enough confidence in this instalment to give it a distinct voice of its own. 

In space, no one can hear you mimic a scream. 

Alien: Romulus is in theatres now.