Alien: Romulus
On a distant space colony, a group of young workers looking to get off their miserable planet discover a derelict space craft capable of transporting them to a better world; unfortunately, once on board the ship, the previous crew’s fate is revealed along with the most terrifying life form in the known universe.
Written by Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues, and Dan O’Bannon and Directed by Alvarez this return to franchise origins brings about plenty of stylistic throwbacks to 1979’s Alien, extra close shots in tight claustrophobic spaces, terrifyingly violated characters, shattering sound design, and of course the nightmare fuel of H.R. Giger’s creature design with both phallic and yonic references. It’s this latter point that gets emphasized repeatedly throughout the film, and in an essence is kind of the “secret sauce” of Alien, genitalia brutalized and on display in a most grotesque manner to unsettle the audience in the name of Sci-fi horror, and it’s effective. Digging deeper, the splatter and the spatter of Xenomorph acid and human flesh tortured further deliver the finer points of toe curling and seat shuffling as the ensemble is slowly dismembered. Of note, leads Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson carry the torch well giving memorable performances and delivering a few pulpy lines along the way. Running one hour and fifty nine minutes, this well edited and efficient carrier for terror is ready to make you hold your breath, even though you’ll want to scream. Alien: Romulus is rated R.