The Alien franchise has been rebirthed once again in Alien: Romulus, a film filled with slime, body horror and satisfying nostalgia – but one major ick some fans might not be able to get past.
It’s gory horror master Fede Álvarez in the director and writer’s seats for the seventh go-around (or ninth, if you want to count the Predator mash-up movies).
He’s someone who clearly brings a lot of love for what’s gone before thanks to previous directors including Sir Ridley Scott and James Cameron, and we’re treated to plenty of extra-terrestrial thrills and chills.
However, Evil Dead filmmaker Álvarez also pins the role of pivotal plot device on a character cameo some audience members may consider ethically murky before leaping to a grisly final act that features a major swing.
Alien: Romulus is a sequel that actually takes place between the first two films, 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens (so in the 2100s), following up immediately on original survivor Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) terrifying experience aboard the spaceship Nostromo.
This time, our fierce female protagonist is Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, a more vulnerable orphan who, together with a group of scavengers including her ex, Tyler (Archie Renaux), heads to the decommissioned Renaissance space station for a chance to flee their mining colony for a new life.
Rain is especially valuable thanks to her father’s android Andy (Rye Lane and Industry’s David Jonsson), who he programmed to look after her and – due to his dated technology – she now sees as more of a younger brother.
But Andy is crucial to their mission thanks to his ability to ‘speak’ to the spaceship, helping them set course for a journey of some years with the assistance of the Alien-verse’s famous hypersleep chambers.
Of course, as an Alien movie, this does not happen and – even more obviously – the reason for the Renaissance’s abandonment soon becomes alarmingly clear.
Jonsson delivers Alien: Romulus’s stand-out performance as Andy, a robot who manages to inspire more sympathy from the audience than any of the human characters as he deals with poor treatment from scavenger Bjorn (Spike Fearn) that mirrors the dislike their mining home harbours towards synthetics, as well as a conflicting upgrade.
Spaeny (previously seen in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla) is eminently watchable too as Rain – but it’s mostly in the moments she shares with the nuanced Andy, and it’s a tall order to ask her to match up to Weaver’s genuinely iconic turn as Ripley.
The movie does stumble a bit with its treatment of the other scavengers though, which also include Isabela Merced as Kay and Aileen Wu as Navarro.
It’s an Alien film, so it’s no spoiler to say there’s going to be a high body count – but the splattering and chest-bursting starts so soon that it’s hard to care too much.
However, one of the best parts of Alien: Romulus is its treatment of the legendary body-thirsty and murderous Xenomorph, one of the scariest movie monsters ever created.
You’ll be pleased to hear the creature and its cinematic legacy is all present and correct (and preserved) – and then some – in this latest film, remaining as terrifying as ever thanks to Álvarez and his team’s decision to stick to practical effects over CGI.
The stylish production design is also an extremely pleasing throwback to the start of this franchise, 45 years ago, in how it depicts the characters’ environment, down to the soundtrack of bleeps (also thanks to Benjamin Wallfisch’s taut music) and the pulsing lights.
When it comes to Alien: Romulus’s denouement though, let’s just say that although you can likely predict what may happen once the film is underway, Álvarez isn’t going to spare you any gross details in a blood-soaked and grisly birthing scene.
What emerges is likely to split audiences down the middle in terms of revulsion and terror, as well as odd underwhelm, although it can’t be said that Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues weren’t keen to put their own stamp on proceedings.
And for some, that ethically dubious character revival will remain the scariest part of all from Alien: Romulus.
Despite this, from a franchise that has endured highs and lows over the decades, with each film retaining a distinct identity from the others – for better or worse – Alien: Romulus stands up as a solid sci-fi with a body horror twist that is sure to attract new fans.
The old-school fans might be a slightly trickier audience to win over though.
Alien: Romulus releases in cinemas on Friday, August 16.
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