My Relationship With Alien

Recently, I had the ability to see Alien: Romulus with my dad on literally the last showing at our local movie theater. My interest had remained piqued since hearing the announcement that it was taking place in between the first two classic installments of the famed sci-fi franchise. I was debating whether I’d wait until it inevitably came to Hulu or if I should just see it in the theater, but I couldn’t wait any longer and needed to witness it on the big screen.

Before watching Romulus, I brushed up on a few of the less favored films in the Alien catalogue. Specifically, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection (also known as the 4th movie). These are messy. Not possessing the sleek charm of Alien or Aliens but instead going for a different approach. They are dingy, nihilistic, and very 90s (in a good and bad way). Yes, 3 may have some interesting tension and dialogue, and Resurrection has eye-catching set pieces and freaky visuals, but overall these movies are lacking in direction and overall cohesion.

Now flash forward to the more modern Alien universe films. No, I’m not talking about the awful Alien vs. Predator movies. Ridley Scott, director of the original in 1979, came back with two more additions, Prometheus and Covenant, released in 2012 and 2017. Though I can’t say I’ve watched these, I know enough about the stories to acknowledge that these have a very different focus and feel compared to his original masterwork. They are more philosophical in nature, and do not rely on the survival horror aspects that made the first film (and subsequent releases) so intriguing and defining. They do not feature any old characters (Ripley specifically being absent), and exist in their own style that feels slightly disconnected despite shared imagery and elements.

Looking Forward (And Backwards) To Romulus

Why mention all this background? Well, I want to drive home the fact that this is an important franchise. A staple of sci-fi, horror, and movie history in general. People care heavily about the Alien universe, and while the first two remain seen as undeniable classics and benchmarks for the genre, everything after has been received quite poorly.

This brings us to Alien: Romulus. I was skeptical at first when I heard this movie was announced. I knew Ridley Scott was involved in the making and assumed it would be a continuation of his less interesting recent features. Then I hear it’s supposedly a back-to-basics prequel set in between Alien and Aliens. I’m not fully convinced, but now I’m a little more interested. Then the reviews start coming in. Headlines reading like “Best Alien movie since the 80s” or “New Alien film fulfills promise of bringing back scares” and so on. I’m hooked.

This brings me to the big question. Was I only interested because it was just repurposing what I already loved? Was I being lured in by that taste of nostalgia? Of wanting what I know I enjoy and love? Certainly, but is that such a bad thing?

Romulus plays almost like a greatest hits album of the best Alien moments across each film, and wraps it into a tight, retro (yet still modern), tense package. For instance, look at the two pictures above. The first being an iconic shot from Alien 3 and the lower, a subtle reshoot of that in Romulus. Is this an egregious copy or a nice ode? I’d vote for the latter. In many ways, Romulus feels like a love letter. A way to reclaim what made us fall in love with Alien in the first place.

I read a stat the other day saying that Romulus made more money at the box office in two weeks than Covenant made in its entire run. After watching the movie myself, it’s not too strange to see why. Although it goes back to the original storytelling style of the first film, it still retains so much atmosphere and dread as our crew gets trapped and placed in harm’s way. The marketing was bold and used familiar imagery but in an unsettling way to recapture our attention. There’s a lot to love about how they handled this movie but it brings us to another question.

Was This Movie Really Necessary?

Honestly, no. The events of this movie don’t really impact the other surrounding stories. Everything else that happens in those films will stay the same and be viewed the same way. After thinking about this movie more, it brings to mind an apt comparison. Rogue One was a solid entry into the Star Wars canon that had a great feel, recaptured much of what people adored about the original films, and didn’t heavily affect the main story either. Does this mean it was a bad movie? Of course not! It was still a very well-made addition that didn’t take away from what made the others great. Did it feel like a cash grab in any way? I’d say no. Most people knew it was a separate story and should be viewed as such. Compare that feeling with something like The Force Awakens which would set up viewers for a rather disappointing string of films.

Romulus felt like a good reset. Not a reboot, because it is complimentary. More like a way to cleanse from the build-up and gunk of past entries. Are there blatant references to the old movies? Yes, there are. Did they reuse some similar elements from some of the lesser films? Yes, but they arguably made them better so why are we complaining?

One of the main complaints I’ve seen discussed about this movie is the use of what some would call Digital Necromancy. This means the movie has used the likeness and voice of someone who is dead in real life, instead of having a new actor portray them separately. Funnily enough, Rogue One received complaints for this same exact issue. It hasn’t come up too much, but will probably become a bigger issue in the future with the heavier reliance on AI technology. Regardless of how a viewer might feel about this, the family of the dead actor gave permission to do this and uphold his legacy even though it may feel off-putting and dystopian to watch first hand.

Do I think this was done to create nostalgia? I’d argue that even though it is a classic character, it was not brought back for the purposes of nostalgia entirely. Nostalgia bait causes people to go out of their way to see a film because of their past connection to it. The addition of this character was kept hushed and not plastered in the marketing to win over some extra viewers. Seeing Han Solo in the trailer for The Force Awakens certainly persuaded more than a few people to watch that movie. Hearing a classic theme song in Top Gun: Maverick would also count as well. But these are integral aspects of these movies and their identity. So, when is nostalgia bait considered a bad thing?

When a movie relies too heavily on past glories instead of creating its own identity, then we have a little bit of a problem. Will people still go and see something that does that? Most definitely! That’s why it keeps happening. Why create new ideas when you can keep pumping out additions to famous movies that are successful already? Alien at this point, whether we like it or not, is a brand. People will go and see it because it is familiar. But that doesn’t mean every Alien movie is created equal and should be viewed as such.

What’s Wrong With Doing Something Right?

In my opinion, Romulus thrives because it can stand alone. It captured my attention throughout, made me feel for the characters, and ultimately made me appreciate the franchise more as a whole even if it is not directly connected to the other movies. Someone with no knowledge of the other films could still enjoy this movie on its own merit. The style was well-done, the set pieces were incredible, the creatures were practical (with minimal CGI), and the actors were captivating once the story really got going. While the movie doesn’t really take many chances until the very end (totally worth the wait), I still believe this is a great installment because of just that. It knew what Alien is supposed to be, and properly executed that in the best way it could. It did everything I could want it to. This movie did have fan service, but should I feel bad if I legitimately felt serviced as a fan? All I know is I loved Alien: Romulus and didn’t feel baited to enjoy it. It earned my respect, and that’s what counts when the credits roll.