ALIEN: ROMULUS
**
Directed by Fede Alvarez. Starring Cailee Spaeney, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux.
Horror, US, 119 minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in cinemas in the UK by Twentieth Century Studios on August 16th
After the flawed results of Ridley Scott’s prequels PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT failed to ignite any passion among the faithful, a lot of fans have pinned their hopes on Fede Alvarez returning to the roots of the franchise. It seems like a smart move jumping away from one set of prequels to relocate the action between ALIEN and ALIENS, two of the most beloved genre films in any franchise and still the high bar that has to be passed in this particular series. Right from the start you can see that it is a responsibility that Alvarez is not taking lightly; the impressive near silent opening sequence where we glide across space into an unmanned craft echoes what began Scott’s masterpiece as well as James Cameron’s superior sequel.
It sets the scene nicely and raises hopes that Alvarez is the man to steer fans into a new and thrilling direction, in the style of his own breakneck paced DON’T BREATHE. Even more promising is the impressive world building as we are introduced to Cailee Spaeney’s character Rain, a miner on the desolate mining planet of Jackson’s Star, a world of perpetual midnight which she hopes to escape along with her “brother” Andy, an obsolete synth programmed by her father to protect her and lighten the general mood with groan worthy dad jokes. When the opportunity to escape Jackson;s Star is presented to her by her friends, including ex-boyfriend Tyler, she reluctantly accepts, fearing for the safety of Andy, whose Weyland Yutani credentials are essential to gain access to the ship and cryo pods that will take them to a distant paradise planet free from the iron grip of “the Company.”
It is here where a sour taste comes into the film. Once aboard the abandoned craft, our plucky crew realise something is very wrong, which I think we can all guess. Not a bad thing in itself but as the plot plods along, callback after callback drags the film down reminding you of every single entry that has come before. Remember how to use a pulse rifle? Let Fede show you in eerily similar framing! Remember those snazzy Reebok’s? Look, there they are in loving close-up! Remember “Get away from her, you bitch!”? Now that character said it, but in a way that doesn’t really have any point! The bit with Ripley coming to the rescue through the gates with steam billowing behind her? Yup. That stuff you forgot about in COVENANT? Here’s a reminder, you’re welcome. All this and so much more that reminds you of how good those films were, well the first two anyway.
And this is before you get to the particular use of a familiar face making a return. Not to get into spoilers but aside from the pointlessness from a storytelling point of view it seems ethically suspect, no matter how much the director says he had the blessing of this particular actors family. It feels strange to watch a film that paints AI in such a villainous light by actually using AI itself to such dubious means and only to use it as a way of delivering even more callbacks.
Artificial Intelligence has always been at the edge of these films and it has now gotten to the point where the androids themselves are the most compelling characters in this long running franchise. David Jonsson’s portrayal of Andy is easily the best thing in this film. Immediately gaining the audience's sympathy, his plot strand is the most interesting as he goes through his own evolution, shedding his personality much like how the xenomorph sheds its skin. Spaeney, and the rest of the crew/monster fodder, fail to hold a candle to the working stiffs of the Nostromo or the doomed marine company who came face to face with this once mysterious, now over familiar, race of creatures.
ROMULUS is the cinematic equivalent of a tribute band. It might look similar and sound similar but underneath the surface there is only a slavish yet heartless devotion to what has come before, with nothing new or interesting enough to say itself. Here’s hoping Noah Hawley’s upcoming TV series takes us somewhere more interesting next year.
Iain MacLeod
