Alien: Romulus (2024) Review

After a few years, we have a new Alien film and though inspiration from Ridley Scott, the franchise is in new hands and we get a film that is made my new people who are passionate about the franchise. I saw Alien: Romulus yesterday and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film is set between Alien and Aliens and sees a group of young people trapped on a station with organisms that are out to get them. 

Main Character

Cailee Spaeny plays Rain and she is the main character of the film and I thought she was great here. I know very little of her work but she definitely gives a strong performance here and is a great lead character that we are meant to care about and I think that I did for sure. 

Supporting Characters

My favourite character in the film is Andy played by David Jonsson. Early on we find out that he is a synthetic and I think the film is really clever in the way that it handles his character and his role amongst the group of young people. He deserves a lot of credit for playing this pretty emotionless character and manage to make him one of the most interesting parts of the film. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the group fair a bit worse and I really didn't care about any of them. The young cast come across as annoying especially the one played by Spike Fearn who feels like he should be in a completely different film. 

There is an appearance that is a big spoiler but made the film much more interesting and I thought it added a lot to the film but yeah I can't really talk about it so you will have to see the film to find out what I am talking about. 

Story 

The story is interesting, the reason for these kids being on the station isn't that deep but when they get there, these characters encounter interesting things and there are valid and logical reasons as to why these Aliens are on the station. However, this film has a twist towards the end of the film and it just felt really weird and out of place for this film and that took me out of this pretty enjoyable experience. 

Script

The script is okay, there are some good dramatic dialogue and moments that made at least some of the characters interesting and made me care about them. However, there was a lot of weak dialogue, the build-up of the side characters and the introduction of our gang isn't handled particularly well. 

Style

The film takes stylistic choices of a mixture of Alien, Aliens & even a bit of Prometheus and I thought it really worked. The action is fast paced, but there are those slower more horror based elements and the fact that the film has both makes it more interesting. But the film does have a bit of a pacing issue and that is mainly from the first and last act that don't quite work and I wish they could have been handled differently. 

Overall

Overall, Alien: Romulus is an above average film that when it is at its best it is really good. However, there was enough that I didn't like to hold the film back from hitting the heights that I think it was capable of. I do hope that this franchise can continue but improvements will be needed for sure. 

Rating - 6/10

Alien (1979) Review

I am off to see Alien: Romulus tomorrow, so I thought it was about time to rewatch the film that started the franchise and the film that takes place before Alien: Romulus chronologically in Alien. So I watched it today and here is my review for a film considered a classic. The premise of the film sees a crew answer a distress call which ends up with them encountering a deadly lifeform.  

Main Character

Sigourney Weaver plays Ripley and she is great in this film. She is a strong character and is one of the most famous female lead characters of all time and this film introduces us to the awesome performance. She gets plenty of time to shine in this film and she was a great lead character. 

Supporting Characters

A young Ian Holm plays Ash and for me he is the most interesting member of the Nostromo crew and Holm absolutely nails it in the role. He is the science officer of the crew and there is just a lot of intrigue about his character and Holm really excels here. 

The rest of the crew are good and involve some big actors such as Tom Skerritt as Dallas & John Hurt as Kane. They are decent but their characters are never really fleshed out but they fill the roles well and do well with what they are given. 

The Alien itself is such an interesting design and I love how this film conveyed The Alien as a true threat to the crew and its lack of screen time actually added to that effect and made every time it does appear feel special. 

Story

The story does a really great job of showcasing a predator hunting down its prey and these humans really struggling to deal with it. There is another interesting story that comes into play in the film which is pretty interesting but isn't particularly the focus here. The issue is that the film doesn't really make you care too much about the majority of the characters and spends a bit too long building atmosphere and tone instead of a plot. 

Script

The script is fine, there are one or two scenes that are pretty memorable and have some good dramatic dialogue. But I never really felt the relationship between the characters and as I mentioned above I never really cared about anyone and the lack of interesting dialogue plays its part. 

Style

The film does a really great job of building tension and atmosphere. You have no idea when The Alien is going to strike next and the film really delves into its horror vibe in order to keep the viewer on edge. But, I have to be honest this film is really slow, especially for the first act. It takes way too long to get going and doesn't do enough in that build up to add to the complexity of the majority of the characters. 

Overall

Overall, Alien is a good film that nails its atmosphere and the objective that it wanted. I know it is probably a controversial opinion to say this film is a bit overrated but I kind of feel like it is, but it is still a good watch especially if you are a fan of horror. 

Rating - 7/10