Influential movies create a lasting impact on culture — audiences can see this in the modern day with remakes and sequels. Such examples of this is “Alien,” which is considered a genre-defining film of its generation.
“Alien” first premiered in 1979 starring now sci-fi icon Sigourney Weaver in a career defining role. Directed by Ridley Scott, this film mixed genres of sci-fi with horror and created some of the most iconic scenes that are still used to this day.
A sequel movie was released seven years after the first, and five more films were released in addition. The most recent release is “Alien: Romulus,” which was released on August 16, 2024, and directed by Fede Álvarez.
The cast included Cailee Spaeny as Rain, Isabela Merced as Kay and David Jonsson as Andyand.
Recent years have brought new films to the series, but I think the 2024 film brings out a new way to pay homage to the original film while also presenting new well thought out ideas.
“I think once in a while, it’s good for directors to bring back the passion of the cinema they loved when they were teenagers and bring it to your new audience,” Álvarez said in an interview with The Wrap.
The film takes place on the planet of Romulus, where a mining company decides to escape after their hours are unfairly doubled. While doing this, the group evidently run into trouble, encountering the iconic “Alien” series villain Xenomorphs.
The set up is similar to the original — tight spaces, isolation and anticipation draws the audience to feel connected to the characters. They’re terrified and yeah, we are too. Every turn can be a character’s last and the audience can feel that.
We are introduced to a new cast with younger actors than what we might be previously used to in the franchise, but that creates a new layer of uncertainty. The crew isn’t full of scientists who know what they’re getting into, but rather an audience more teens and young adults can connect to today.
Friendships are strained and tested throughout the movie in a way that feels genuine.
A common theme within the franchise is greed and human interaction with forces we have yet to know about. This film is no different.
The plot begins because of Romulus’s mine and only spirals from there. Weyland-Yutani’s greed over their workers sets the dominos to begin crashing into each other.
While the film was released in theaters all across the nation and the world, it was originally going to be a Hulu original film.
“This is the budget for the Hulu movie, by the way. The budget never changed.” said Álvarez in an interview with Collider.
Despite the lower budget, the film did a great job with its effects — both practical and computer generated — which were used for the aliens.
The film wasn’t received as well as previous movies in the series, but I personally enjoyed what it added — especially some of the new characters introduced.
As a person who enjoys the franchise, it was definitely a fun and cool addition to the timeline, and while not necessary or groundbreaking it was definitely a captivating journey.
