In a weird way, there was a lot of pressure on Alien: Romulus to “right the ship” in multiple ways. Not only did Alien fans need some satisfying course correction since original creator Ridley Scott muddied up the lore with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but it also felt – at least personally – like a “prove it” moment for writer/director Fede Alvarez. Now, that might seem harsh considering how truly great Don’t Breathe and his 2013 Evil Dead remake are. However, it’s been baffling to see such terrible horror movies like Don’t Breathe 2 and Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre come out with him being so creatively attached. Luckily, Alien: Romulus is the return to roots experience fans were hoping for – but not without some questionable calls. 

The film takes place between the events of Alien and Aliens, but introduces new characters outside of the Ellen Ripley arc. Here, we follow a group of young colonists in search of supplies so they can voyage to better living conditions. Thus, they board the seemingly abandoned Weyland-Yutani space station – Romulus/Remus – only to find the devastating destruction of its crew. Eventually, they learn that the ship contains a dangerous alien species that’s ready to make them their next victim. 

Although Romulus is a fresh entry, it boasts a stylistic approach that’s reminiscent of the franchise’s humble beginnings. Finally, Alvarez takes fans back to the slow-building suspense of the original and shows a deeply appreciated patience. This isn’t one of those situations where the Xenomorph – or even the Facehuggers – are brought out immediately to terrify audiences. Rather, Alvarez allows the creepiness of the setting to drive the early suspense. The sheer emptiness of this space station is enough to instill chills as every footstep echoes to deafening effect. It’s not the type of place you want to be alone in for long and the paranoia of wondering what’s potentially lurking in the shadows constantly leaves you on edge. It’s atmospheric horror at its best and sets the tone excellently for the panic-induced fight for survival that eventually ensues.

After the group stumbles upon a lab filled with Facehuggers, all hell breaks loose and the classic terror of an Alien flick not only introduces itself, but evolves. The Facehuggers finally get a more expanded light – no longer relegated to being a one-use thing. There are tons of them running around and their movement speed is legitimately unnerving. There are even scenes of them simply being an obstacle for the group, and it’s awesome that this iconic entity in Alien lore gets a stronger use here. It genuinely pays off in providing some pulse-pounding sequences that’ll have viewers squirming, and getting up close and personal with the Facehuggers after they latch onto someone is so disturbing – largely thanks to practical effects. 

Alvarez’s love for practical gore and creature designs is impeccable, and longtime fans are going to be very pleased with what they see. Both the Facehuggers and Xenomorphs look awesome, and it genuinely feels like they’re directly a part of the scenes – which amps up the terror of their presence. There’s obviously some CG, but overall the quality is strong and there was a clear care and budget put into the visuals. More importantly though, body horror is a key part of the film’s horror backbone. Alvarez’s distinct eye for gore and grotesque body horror is in full-swing and there are some moments in the final stretch that’ll have your stomach churning in disgust. Plus, there are some big bloody kills and cool cosmic visuals that are right at home with the franchise. 

Still though, this isn’t as scary as it could’ve been. Compared to Alvarez’s past work, especially Don’t Breathe, Romulus struggles to maintain its suspense and tension. The looming threats of the space station crashing often fade too much into the background and only are touched on with brief check-ins that lack a significant shock. Also, there needed to be more scares scattered throughout just to keep viewers on their toes. Alvarez is definitely in good shape when it comes to the horror of Romulus, but by his standards, this feels a tad underwhelming in terms of its scariness and intensity. 

Fresh feeling horror isn’t the only way Romulus evolves the Alien formula though as android characters serve a stronger, more compelling purpose. Both androids – Andy (David Jonsson) and Rook (whose identity will remain a mystery) – have a shared arc that’s incredibly fascinating to watch unfold. The way their secret mission overtakes everything going on is perfectly executed and adds a secondary villain that fans are accustomed to at this point. Without a shadow of a doubt, these two are the best part of this film – with Andy being particularly great. Andy has some real heart that audiences will absolutely love and the surrogate sibling relationship he has with main character Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is very sweet. The way he legitimately cares about Rain is so tender and real, and constantly pours emotion into this otherwise dreary experience. Plus, the way his character changes after meeting Rook is phenomenal and Jonsson’s complex performance boosts Andy’s presence every step of the way. 

It’s just a shame that the human characters aren’t as interesting. Despite the cast featuring some notable young stars like Spaeny, Isabela Merced, and Archie Renaux, none of them give a noteworthy performance. No one is bad by any means, but they never deliver anything special outside of a couple quick instances. Also, it doesn’t help that these characters make such bafflingly dumb choices that overshadow anything great these performances can bring. Seriously, it’s like they want to throw themselves into bad situations or make things worse for the sake of it. There’s just such wide, distracting leaps in logic with these characters – which sadly matches the jarring logic gaps within the story as well. 

Overall though, where Romulus really connects with fans is through its strong homage to the legacy of Alien. Alvarez brings back the aesthetic of the original flawlessly and it makes Romulus fit neatly between Alien and Aliens. A lot of the computer tech we see is ripped right from those first couple films, and walking around the Romulus side of the ship is eerily reminiscent of the Nostromo. Not to mention, Rook is a loving callback no one expects and it’s such a big part of what makes Romulus a celebration of the first film. Yet, Romulus isn’t just a riff on the horror-driven elements of Alien and actually shifts into action reminiscent of Aliens in its second half. It’s a tonal shift that generally works as the remaining survivors try to survive and fight back – which ultimately amps up the energy significantly. This shift from Alien to Aliens is what makes Romulus a great bridge story between the two films. 

Unfortunately, none of this is what people – specifically Alien fans – will be talking about when they leave Romulus. Instead, the experience will likely be defined by its last 15 minutes – where the franchise’s dysfunctional past rears its ugly head. Just when you thought the lore established in Prometheus and Covenant was left behind, Romulus dives headfirst into it. Now, admittedly, the lore does fit into the narrative just fine and there are some cool designs when a new creature enters the fray. But this isn’t what fans want to be reminded of and it totally takes the film off the rails. We get a wacky creature that calls back to the hybrid mindset from Alien: Resurrection – infused with Prometheus to boot. Plus, the addition of this lore feels so tacked on for no reason – to the point where it’s just glued onto the last part of this movie. With the film ending like this, fans will be left with a weird taste in their mouth and stuck wondering why we needed to be reminded of the franchise’s most baffling moments instead of how good everything else was.

Alien: Romulus is a good return to horror for the franchise and a very solid showing from Alvarez that fans will be mostly pleased with. Those questionable calls in the film’s finale will certainly be stuck in the minds of fans for quite some time and swiftly kill the momentum the film has. But, there’s no denying that Romulus nicely returns to the well-regarded roots to deliver a gutsy, bloody, and highly enjoyable thrill ride.

Watch the Trailer Here: