Back to the Roots
If there's one thing that can't be denied about the Alien series, it's its genre diversity. We've had a pure horror, an action film, and even a French oddity in the form of the fourth installment. However, experimenting with genres hasn't always been a success, as evidenced by the two most recent entries.
Perhaps that's why the producers decided not to take too many risks this time and made Alien: Romulus as a more action-packed horror. It's essentially a compilation of the first two films. This makes sense since the original and its sequel are the most popular among audiences in the series.
In the new film, we won't find Fassbender with a flute or any similar elements that made the previous two Alien films highly controversial within the fan community. Director Fede Alvarez crafted his new movie as a tribute to the original. Being a huge fan of the franchise himself, this comes as no surprise.
Lack of Innovation Hurts the Film a Bit
The film's story begins on a mining colony that a group of five young people decides to leave in search of a better future. However, they desperately need cryo chambers to do so. These are located on an abandoned orbital station circling the colony.
Logically, the group decides to visit the decommissioned station. To their surprise, they soon discover that the station isn't as deserted as it initially seemed, leading to a very bloody outcome for the unwelcome visitors.
The premise of the film is quite standard, as is the fodder for the xenomorph. Except for the main heroine Rain and the android Andy, the characters are a mix of easily forgettable individuals who are in the film merely to be killed.
Rain is much more interesting in every aspect. In many ways, she even resembles the legendary Ripley—sometimes, unfortunately, a bit too much. But the most attention rightfully goes to the android Andy, portrayed by David Jonsson. Andy is malfunctioning, so he sometimes behaves like an autistic child, which definitely benefits the film.
However, this is one of the few innovations Alvarez introduces. For most of the time, viewers might feel they've seen this before. On one hand, that's good because people like tried-and-true formulas; on the other hand, it's a bit disappointing.