Well after an extended break Notes from the sketch book is back, in these notes I'll be looking at the new Alien movie by Fede Álvarez, Alien Romulus.
I've always been a big fan of the Alien movies , I watched the first one (directed by Ridley Scott) when I was far too young and the sequel holds up as one of the best action movies ever made. The design of the xenomorph by H. R. Giger is a timeless, nightmarish vision that is at the heart of the movies.
The writer of Alien, O’Bannon presented Scott with a copy of Giger’s Necronomicon, and the artist’s nightmarish designs immediately captivated the filmmaker. Necronom IV served as the inspiration for the Alien’s appearance, a creature of unsettling beauty and vaguely human form encased in a biomechanical armor. The creature’s gender ambiguity added to its unnerving nature.
[Necronom IV by H.R Geiger]
The absence of eyes makes it even more terrifying, as if it is always watching, even when you cannot see it. And then there is the mouth, a second set of pharyngeal jaws on a long, tongue-like proboscis that extends rapidly. It was a design born from a terrifying aesthetic Giger called “biomechanical,” a fusion of the organic and the mechanical.
Alien: Romulus is a film that wants to tap into that eerie, claustrophobic terror of Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece, and it half succeeds.
If you have never seen an Alien movie then you will absolutely love this. But if you've never seen an Alien movie…what the hell!
It promises a return to form, a nod to the horror roots that made the franchise iconic.
But instead of a spine-chilling revival, a third of the way we get is a lot of imitation—a film so devoid of originality and callbacks that it might as well have been stitched together by an algorithm.
The movie begins by thrusting us into the journey of a group of young space colonists, lured by the promise of a better life.
This is where the movie excels, taking us to a different world which we haven't witnessed in the alien franchise. We witness the apocalyptic future that awaits everyday people under a Dickensian system under the mega corporation of Weyland Yutani. It feels real, grimey and although nods to the aesthetic of the 1979 classic doesn't copy and paste.
Life is terrible and the group will suffer the same fate as their parents (who died from working down the mines) unless they escape. We are introduced to the main two characters of Rain and Andy (played brilliantly by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson). Rain lost both parents and her “brother” Andy is sworn to protect her, who happens to be a reprogrammed synth.
Their quest takes them off world, where they embark on a perilous mission: to scavenge a derelict space station, long abandoned to recover cryo pods in order to make the journey to a safe world.
But as they delve deeper into the station's cold, silent corridors, they awaken an ancient terror, a creature that has haunted the darkest corners of our collective imagination for decades. What begins as a scavenger hunt quickly spirals into a nightmare, as the friends find themselves trapped in a hostile environment, hunted by a relentless predator.
[Noir ink sketch of Alien, by Basesketch]
Romulus attempts to blend the suffocating horror of the original Alien with a fresh perspective, centering on a new generation of characters facing the iconic alien threat. The film promises a mix of classic terror and contemporary storytelling, all while exploring the dark secrets lurking within the station's metallic walls.
*Spoilers ahead!*
This part of the movie is fantastic and leads you to think you could be watching a bona fide classic. It's a shame it doesn't take its time a little bit longer in Alien and the sequel Aliens we don't get to meet a threat until the hour mark.
The scenes where the Facehuggers are awoken is fantastic and is thrilling and full of action, the inevitable chestburster scene is great horror and the director Fede Álvarez knows how to crank up both the tension and gore.
It's at this point it bizarrely changes tack and becomes a fan film with so many jarring moments. Originally it was to be released on Hulu much like Prey (the Predator movie) . I don't know if once it was due to be released theatrically, the studio got involved in production. It certainly feels like it, when left to its own thing Alien : Romulus is a great self contained fun haunted house (or space station) movie.
But it becomes little more than a greatest hits collection of Alien franchise tropes, recycled and repackaged without much of a fresh perspective. The first 30 minutes are so good which makes the rest so much more disappointing.
It’s as if the filmmakers watched Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3 in quick succession, cherry-picked a few memorable moments, and then slathered on some CGI for good measure. What ends up happening at the end is any sense of real imagination gone and just a reason for this film to exist beyond cashing in on nostalgia.
The film makes a deliberate effort to connect the dots between all six previous entries but it’s in its callbacks to Aliens and Prometheus where it tries to ground itself most directly.
In a move that will undoubtedly spark debate is the seemingly ongoing Disney habit of reanimation. A CGI character Rook makes an appearance, an android who is a near-replica of Ash, the coldly calculating synthetic from the original Alien. The CGI character captures the likeness of the late Ian Holm—a choice that is technically uneven especially in a film that creates great effects using a high standard of practical methods. It also veers into unsettling and unnecessary territory of using deceased actors.
It also reintroduces the infamous "black goo" from Prometheus. By the end it’s responsible for the creation of a human-Xenomorph hybrid, a nightmarish fusion that bears an uncanny resemblance to both the Engineers from Prometheus and the grotesque creature from the climax of Resurrection.
[Block print by Basesketch]
The dialogue is similarly lackluster—clunky and exposition-heavy, as if the writers felt the need to spell everything out rather than let the story unfold organically. Some of the lines, including Ripley's often quoted classic, are shoe horned in situations which make no sense.
What’s most frustrating about Romulus is how it squanders its potential. This could have been a return to the terrifying intimacy of the original, a chance to reignite the franchise with new ideas and fresh energy. Instead, it turns a promising beginning into an unimaginative retread. This is a film that’s content to coast on the fumes of past glories, offering nothing but glimpses of new or exciting ideas. It’s a movie that seems more interested in recreating iconic scenes from the original than in carving out its own identity.
[Print of a Xenomorph, by Basesketch]
I'm maybe being too harsh on which is the seventh installment of a simple idea.
Ultimately, Alien: Romulus is a watchable but ultimately forgettable chapter in a long line of exploding chest bursting movies.