NOW IN THEATERS! At its heart, the Alien series is powered by the blue-collar workers who are subjected to the whims of the mega-corporation Wayland-Yutani. With the latest installment, Alien: Romulus, writer-director Fede Alvarez has chosen to look at the grown children of Wayland-Yutani miners. Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her android ‘brother’ Andy (David Jonsson) are trying to flee the miner colony of Jackson. They and all their friends dream of going to the next closest colony, Yvago, where you can actually see the Sun shine in the daytime hours.
Having been rejected for transfer to Yvago because the Jackson mines are running short on workers, Rain is contacted by an old buddy, Tyler (Archie Renaux). Tyler and his crew on the courier ship he uses for Wayland-Yutani have learned there’s an abandoned vessel floating in orbit above Jackson. It is Tyler’s intention to sneak aboard the vessel and loot it for the equipment necessary to take him and his friends to Yvago, which is a 9-year journey and requires cryo sleep and an android. Pressing hard upon Rain’s desire to escape the indentured servitude she was born into, she agrees to assist in this heist and provide Andy with all the things they would need a Wayland-Yutani robot for.
Things go pear-shaped when they enter the decaying space station Remus-Romulus. Unbeknownst to anyone but the audience, Xenomorph creatures exist in various stages of maturation on the station. A host of face huggers frozen in cryo sleep are the first of the monsters Tyler, Rain, and his crew must confront. In the scuffle, a face hugger attaches to Tyler’s pilot, Navarro (Aileen Wu), and that’s when the peril really begins.
“…sneak aboard the vessel and loot it for the equipment necessary to take him and his friends to Yvago…”
What will challenge many viewers of Alien: Romulus is the decision to cast young adults in this film. It’s a decision that makes sense. After all, Sigourney Weaver only became a super hot star because she originated the character of Ripley. Sure, one can discount the Gen Z’ers of this cast, and I submit it would be a mistake to do so. Cailie Spaeny, who was the most vibrant character in Civil War, successfully carries this film with the assistance of Jonsson’s Andy. By far and way, David Jonsson’s portrayal of the broken, dad joke-uttering android Andy is the most compelling character in this film. Ian Holm makes a cameo that may irritate some viewers. For me, his research station Android worked. I found him compelling in an uncanny way.
Throughout Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez has the challenge of breathing new scares, jump scares, and pitfalls for this cast of young actors. For me, at least, I found this to be a compelling movie. I did not look at my watch once while watching the crew attempt to flee the Remus-Romulus. This is the kind of thing I’ve been looking for a claustrophobic, dank, dark, oppressive film that blocks you from a clean getaway at every turn.
Fede Alvarez has pulled off a wonder. I know there will be far more passionate fans of this series who will not enjoy this film. For me, this rocked hard. Alvarez has written and directed a tightly constructed, terrifying Rube Goldberg machine that is a defunct space station floating near an asteroid field.
If you’re looking for a good scare, or at least an Alien sequel that is willing to be a sweaty blue-collar fable, seek out Alien: Romulus. This is a very fine flick.
"…a very fine flick."
