Alien: Romulus — Review

With new sci-fi horror smash hit ALIEN: ROMULUS, director Fede Álvarez succeeded where others before him had failed; managing to both champion the franchise films that came before while carving out his own slice of isolated space terror. Exceptional production and sound design set the stage for an interstellar nightmare, one that harkens back to Ridley Scott’s genre-defining original but that also innovates and takes ambitious swings. ALIEN iconography stands the test of time, and Álvarez knows when to lean on familiarity and when to divert, manoeuvring between sequences that an audience wants and expects, and sequences that feel exciting, suspenseful and fresh.

Cailey Spaeny and David Jonsson spearhead this two-hour exercise in sustained and relentless tension, and both excel in their respective roles—the former as a Ripley-esque final girl, and the latter as a complex character that required dexterity and precision to convincingly pull off. ROMULUS takes ALIEN back to its horrifying roots, exploring psychological terror, suffocating claustrophobia and gruesome body horror to fine effect. Álvarez reinvigorates the ALIEN franchise, mainlining corrosive acid blood and putting the Xenomorph back on top as one of the most feared creatures in the annals of moviemaking.