In space, no one can hear you say, “Remember how cool the first ‘Alien’ was?’
Hollywood heard it anyway, which is why we’re getting “Alien: Romulus” despite modest U.S. returns for 2017’s “Alien: Covenant.”
Director Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe,” the “Evil Dead” update) proves a wise choice to prolong the saga. Yet despite some exhilarating shots, one thought can’t be denied.
No one can top either the 1979 original or James Cameron’s dizzying 1986 sequel, “Aliens.” “Romulus” doesn’t come close.
“Priscilla” standout Cailee Spaeny stars as Rain, a mining colony worker who gets stiffed by her corporate overlords as the story opens. Furious, she impulsively joins a mission to hijack an abandoned space station to seek a new place to call home.
Bad move.
She and her colleagues quickly learn why the ship is so deathly quiet. You know where this is going.
Face huggers. Acid blood. Skittering, crab-like beasts that grow at exponential rates. The confines of outer space.
Game over, man.
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Alvarez faithfully replicates the production design from the original “Alien,” and it’s a marvelous tapestry on two fronts. It feels like the story was shot in the early 1980s, and the reliance on practical effects delivers over and again.
Yet this isn’t the seven-member Nostromo crew from director Ridley Scott’s classic. These characters lack substance, to be kind. Only Spaeny, a legitimate rising star, stands out. The rest are buried in hard-to-understand accents and bland character beats.
And must they speak in ways that feel so very 2024? Ugh.
Only the latest synthetic human, a bot named Andy (David Jonsson), carries some weight. Even his character arc gets a maddening makeover mid-film, and Andy’s cognitive challenges make little sense.
A few sequences pop in ways that’ll make “Romulus” easy to watch again. Alvarez leans into these moments, setting them up with child-like glee. This is a full-on horror movie, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Other scenes will trigger eye rolls, like reciting a classic line from “Aliens.”
That one stung.
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The story connects in clever ways to the franchise, both in its cold corporate machinations and the lethality of the creatures. They remain a design for the ages, and the less CGI used to bring them back to life, the better.
“Romulus” enlists an impressive score that also connects to the source material, but it can’t beat the hypnotic drumbeat James Horner delivered in “Aliens.”
The new film is essentially a reboot of “Alien.” We meet a small crew in way over their heads, and one hero emerges to thwart the all-powerful creatures.
This crew lacks the gravitas and personality we saw in Scott’s sci-fi classic. That matters more with every new “Alien” joint.
“Alien: Romulus” takes place after the events of 1979’s “Alien,” suggesting a timeline brimming with sequel/prequel potential.
You may now scream to your heart’s content.
HiT or Miss: “Alien: Romulus” is competent and recycled, a grab bag of franchise highlights in dire need of a personality.
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