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Film Review: Alien: Romulus

Welcome back to the blog readers. It's a tale as old as time. No, not that one. There are three things in life that are certain: death, taxes, and there being a chance that a horror film sucks. That's the story of my life. But Prometheus (2012) was different for me. I saw it in theaters and it scared the living daylights out of me. Alien: Covenant (2017) was not as bad, but I was older when I saw it. But I have been reserved about more films in the Alien franchise. I have been insanely excited for this film ever since I saw footage of it. Would it live up to the expectations? Stick around to find out.


Alien: Romulus was directed by Fede Álvarez from a screenplay by him and Rodo Sayagues, based on characters created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shushett. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. In the film, a group of space colonists attempt to conduct a scavenging mission on a derelict space station, but once they land on the station they learn that they are not the only ones who inhabit it, coming face-to-face with the perfect killing machine.


As I said in the intro to this post, horror is a mixed bag for me. A majority of the horror films that come out are usually ranging from bad to terrible, so even though there was excitement for this film, there was that lingering thought that this is a horror film. Well, it turns out that I was wrong to even have any doubt about this film, because this film is utterly fantastic. The performances were absolutely stellar, the tension was off the charts, and the music was eerie and brilliant.


I want to mainly talk about two performances, and the first is that of Cailee Spaeny. I do have to admit that this is the first thing I have seen from her as I am yet to see Civil War (2024) (I will before this year ends, don't you worry). But I was completely shocked at how she was able to command the screen when she was on it. Spaeny delivers a powerful, yet nuanced performance that sees her take on the Sigourney Weaver-type character, and you absolutely believe that she is a tortured soul on that screen. Spaeny absolutely shines in a role like this, and I really do hope she gets to play in this sandbox again because I desperately need a sequel with her in it.


The next performance I want to praise is that of David Jonsson, who plays the android Andy. Again, this is my first exposure to this actor, and it certainly will not be the last. But holy ballsack, this guy can fucking go. As the android, he brings so much life into the character with a haunted, yet subtle performance that makes you absolutely feel for this character. And then, midway through the film, something happens to the character and it almost feels like a switch was flipped in Jonsson's mind. It was almost like he was playing a completely different character. And in his performance there, he totally takes command of the screen for a character that is normally not supposed to. I cannot wait to see where this 30-year old goes next, because he is fucking going places.


Next, I want to talk about the atmosphere of this legitimate horror film. I may have stated this previously on my blog (I have written a lot in this more than year and a half), but an effective horror film is more than just the jump scares. An effective horror film needs to creep you out, it needs to build the tension before delivering a knockout punch that leaves you on the edge. In this film, we get that in spades. It is way more than the jump scares because the tension is always dialed up to a 10, and the few jump scares there are in this film (the one at the end of the film completely got me) are more effective because of it. It feels like payoff to the tension and the atmosphere. And because of this, I believe this is one of the greatest horror films I have ever seen. No doubt.


Before I talk about my final point, I want to take a minute to talk about the story of the film. And no, I will not be using spoilers here. If you want that, wait until December/January when my year-end countdown comes out. Even though this film takes place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the story is pretty self-contained and features very little references to the former film. Once we get on the Romulus space station, we do see some connective tissue to Alien, but we also do get some connective tissue to Prometheus, something I did not expect to see. I know Prometheus is kind of seen as a laughingstock among fans of this franchise, but I don't care because I liked it, and I got a kick out of the reference. And it made for one hell of a climax.


Finally, I want to take a minute to talk about the score. Here's the thing about this composer, Benjamin Wallfisch. Horror is not really in his forte, although he has done some like Lights Out and A Cure for Wellness (both 2016) and Annabelle: Creation (2017), but I absolutely bought that this guy could do horror, especially on this level. His themes were so grandiose and so incredibly tension filled that I believed that I was listening to a legit horror soundtrack. I hope he does more horror because he absolutely nailed it with this one.


In conclusion, Alien: Romulus is a tense and terrifying film that mixes stellar performances and a brooding atmosphere, making this one of, if not, my favorite film of the year. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you for the next post.

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