Alien: Romulus – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Alien: Romulus – Of Space and Horror: New Lifeforms Await …  

Diving into worlds unknown can bring about a journey of intrigue.  As you embark on these paths, the untold hook becomes a point for a creative vision.  For film, properties have expounded upon the endless of space, fantasy and imagination.  No matter the clichés, if the escape hits right … then it can be a good time.  In this review, I look at the latest Sci-Fi/Horror film in a famed IP.  Through the onslaught of tension and space, we head down a path of emotional and nostalgic appeal.  Even within predictable circumstances, Alien: Romulus is an intense thriller that showcases the dangers … of space.

This is a story about young space colonists that embark on a scavenging hunt in space.  When mystery turns into a life/death scenario … will the crew be able to survive or fall victim to a terrifying life form.  Going into this film, there is a heightened degree of awareness that encircles this IP.  The Alien franchise is a well renowned property, one that has stood the test of time for various reasons.  With this latest sequel, it maneuvers to be more than just another entry … but one that showcases the strengths of the property, while pushing forward with new ideas.  In the beginning, we are driven through a visualized prologue that provides connections to the past film(s).  Once this foundation is set, we head into this new chapter that focuses on a mining space colony.  We are then introduced to a group of young space colonists that live and work on the planet, including Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her android/brother, Andy (David Jonsson).  After some conversational moments between the group, Rain and Andy agree to travel to an abandoned space station in hopes of securing cryo-stasis pods for the purpose of traveling far away in hopes of a better life.  Once the group arrives at the facility, the mystery of its current state becomes a layer of intrigue and nostalgic appeal.  As they make their way further into the station, the unraveling of truths comes about (through conversational exposition), moving into a survival journey that breathes within its true Sci-Fi/Horror roots.  It is at this point the journey heads into entertainment overdrive, pushing further within a riveting display of atmospheric tension, emotional fervor and visceral encounters with the alien threat on board.  At this point, the film starts to veer from the crew into a centralized focus of Rain and Andy, giving them the spotlight upon the tortures of decisions and tense encounters.  As these two try to find a balance between survival and mystery (of the aliens), the journey starts to weave through a connective tissue to the rest of the franchise.  Playing with nostalgia can make or break an experience, but here … it becomes a mix bag of truly genuine moments within obvious nods for relevancy.

As Rain, Andy and crew come to a point of no return, the survival like journey is driven to amazing heights because of the practical use of props/CGI, intense action and emotional tension of moments.  The strength of the escape is driven by the raw nature of interactions, leaving you with a grip that propels beyond nostalgia and genre clichés.  As things twist and turn, we head into a third act that showcases a confrontation that will either make or break the experience.  Alien: Romulus is a thrilling Sci-Fi/Horror film that propels the franchise into a new direction.  If you are a fan of the property, Sci-Fi/Horror or like an intense escape, this is one for you.  For me, it was worth the full price of admission.

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)