IR Film Review: ALIEN - ROMULUS [20th Century Studios]
The key with a installment of a series is to make it your own while still paying respect and not stepping on other people’s toes. “Alien: Romulus” tries deftly to walk the line but has the odds stacked against it. Its greatest attributes are its two would-be leads in Cailee Spaeney and David Jonnson as Rain and Andy respectively who each have their own approach but in their own relationship work against the ideal of what we expect. The planet they are on but can’t escape from looks undeniably like LB426 (even down to the Bar sign) but what connects it is actually the Nostromo which is done in an interesting way. The only aspect is that one can see elements if “Alien 3” and “Alien Resurrection” inherently built in. In fact the last quarter of the film pulls greatly from “Resurrection” (which actually did it better). But leading up to that point the film does pretty well but it should have left it before that point.
It wouldn’t have changed the outcome dramatically because it wasn’t necessarily in the hands of the McGuffin at play anyways That aspect is interesting because like with Peter Cushing in “Rogue One,” the tech used was not quite ready and feels clunky (though it does provide a bridge). “Rogue One” more than made up for it. “Romulus” doesn’t live quite up to that standard. The issue is that the ancillary characters unlike “Alien” and “Aliens” aren’t as well defined and there is an inherent lack of humor. That said some of the sequences do work well though some strain credibility. The set up makes sense and is simple enough in the beginning. It is when it tries to make it more complicated (in many ways like “Prometheus” did) that it losss its footing. Writer/Director Fede Alvarez is capable but he is not Ridley Scott or James Cameron. He does an admirable job and integrates a sense of tech and rhythm that works. While it is better than the offshoots of the original 4, it still doesnt exceed their accomplishments though it does raise the bar of what is possible. B-
By Tim Wassberg
