Alien: Romulus (2024): Returning to the Roots of Sci-Fi Horror

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The Alien series has been one of the major movie franchises in the field of Sci Fi horror for many years, entertaining people with suspense, horror and the main event, aliens. The next part of the movie is planned to be released in August 16, 2024 and will return to the origins of the series but at the same time it will introduce new aspects to the film saga. This new chapter by Fede Alvarez is set as an interquel, this term was new to me but is a film that takes place between two other films; it fills the gap between the first movie "Alien" released in 1979 and the second "Aliens" released in 1986, back then someone ran out of ideas just adding an S at the end. As a result, this latest installment chooses to go back to fundamentals of effects and revive the specific horror of having the aliens stuck in a confined space that was so effective in the first Alien movie. For this very reason I'm so excited about this movie, just waiting for Aliens to jump out from the top, bottom or side panels of the ship, on this post I will try to provide an insight on the plot, cast, production and other features of the new and much anticipated Alien film.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18412256/
• Platform: Theaters
• Release: August 16, 2024

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The Plot: A Return to Terrifying Roots

The story develops around a group of young space colonizers who are in a rather challenging position as they are hunting for resources in a deserted space station, as always the Xenomorph is the most terrifying life form in the entire universe and they finally meet it as they roam around the deserted outpost. This story reminds me of the first movie where the setting was very isolated and full of dread, this description kinda tell me that this would be the same case.

The plot is based on a girl named Rain Carradine portrayed by Cailee Spaeny and an android named Andy portrayed by David Jonsson, they are the main romantic pairing of the movie and their interactions are the focus of the show, which is about siblings and humans’ connection to artificial intelligence. This element is suppose to enrich the story staple of the Alien threat, as the characters are not only fighting the extraterrestrial menace, but also their relationships and trust. Although, if we were back then during the 80s or 90s I would say its fine and nothing suspicious but with now days how they twist and screw movies with the gender wars this truly makes me wonder if this movie is going to fall under the same trap, lets hope its not the case.

One of the story lines that is quite interesting is the reappearance of the black goo, seen in the "Prometheus" movie, this substance is called the Prometheus Strain here, its been describe that researches in the International Space Station have been testing it as a cure to all diseases and instead they created a bigger menace, that's how on Prometheus (2012) one of the "Engineer" kills himself, but the Engineer drinks the black substance as part of a sacrificial act to seed life on Earth, when the Engineer consumes the black liquid, it causes his body to disintegrate and his DNA is released into the water, triggering a biogenetic chain reaction that leads to the creation of life on the planet..

It also has a connection with the first movie "Alien" in a very unusual manner as it is shown that Weyland Yutani corporation picked up the Xenomorph that was ejected from the Narcissus at the end of the first film and transported it to the Romulus research facility. This connection also brings a corporate element into the film and relates to the continuity of the series theme of corporate maliciousness and the risks of reckless scientific advancement.

The Cast: Fresh Faces in a Familiar Universe

Newcomers dominate the movie, which can be a plus because the actors bring interesting skills into the Alien franchise. The cast is headed by Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine. Spaeny has been making waves in the industry with her versatile performances, gaining recognition for her role in "Pacific Rim: For her leading role in the film “Women in ‘Uprising” and more recently for her starring role in ‘Priscilla’, which got her the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival.

Isabela Merced who portrays the role of Kay is relatively young, but she has a lot of experience acting. She's best known for her titular role in "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" and has appeared in high-profile films like "Transformers: “Transformers: The Last Knight” and “Sicario: Day of the Soldado. ”

The actor who portrays Andy is David Jonsson, who in the current HBO/BBC series “Industry. ” This is one of his first film, however, television work has trained him for this big leap into the blockbusters.

Archie Renaux, whose character specifics are still unknown to the public, has been building up the hype in recent years. He most recently rose to fame playing Malyen Oretsev in the Netflix series ‘Shadow and Bone,’ and has also been seen in ‘Morbius’ and ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever. ’

Other cast of the movie are Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu in major roles. Fearn has a previous experience in “The Batman” and some other TV shows, while the given movie can be considered as Wu’s major success.

 

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Behind the Scenes: Crafting a New Vision

The director Fede Alvarez, who delivers horror movies, comes into the Alien series. Alvarez is best known for the director’s seat in the films “Evil Dead” (2013) and “Don’t Breathe” (2016) which are known for delivering very visceral horror. His style of directing motion pictures can be described as pragmatic and anti-CGI, which is a concept that a series of Alien films embrace.

During the making of the movie Álvarez worked with franchise legends Ridley Scott and James Cameron to show that he respects the series and wants to make a film that will appeal to the fans while introducing the series to new viewers. Scott was heavily involved as a producer offering comments during story development and meetings on the script as well as the last stages of the film.

The production designers also did everything they can to make everything look real and believable to provide the much-needed realism to the sci-fi horror genre. They created practical locations, ships and models and used digital effects mainly for enhancement of practical effects. This process also respects the original movies and, at the same time, gives the actors even better conditions to work in.

Benjamin Wallfisch, an acclaimed composer, who worked for the movies such as “Blade Runner 2049”, “It”, created the orchestral music that enhances the horror theme of the movie, making it more engaging.

Expectations and Anticipation

As for the film, it is receiving both, criticism and anticipation from the critics and its audience, many fans online are thrilled about Alvarez direction for the franchise to go back to horror roots with the anticipation for the “pure” horror movie filled with fear, with the atmosphere likened to the Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’, I wonder if there is room for some psychological trauma to be the cherry on top.

The practical effects especially with the Xenomorphs and facehuggers have been praised as has been wished upon, hoping to get more realistic and gritty scare, people also like that the film takes place between the “Alien” and “Aliens,” which gives a new angle to the series, very unusual situation.

There have recently been a lot of real life marketing around New York and Theaters with real people showing with facehuggers attach to them, laying around, makes me wonder when they going to show, at least at the theater, someone with an Alien busting through their chest, that would be cool.

However, there are still some doubts because recent Alien movies are not very popular among the audience with only to movies reaching scores over 8 at IMDB and the rest are lower.

Over time, the fans eagerly wait for this new addition to the Alien series as the release date gets closer, coming back to the roots of the franchise and at the same time adding something new the film seems to be a perfect combination between tradition and the new. The stress on the practical effects and the shift back to the pure horror are the signs of the desire to provide the viewer with the type of experience that was given by the first ‘Alien’.

The young talented cast is vital for the new continuations of the franchise and a great twist, as they might give good acting performances for both experienced and new spectators. However, the genre experience of Fede Alvarez who directs the film, along with the scriptwriters, some of whom worked in previous films of the franchise, provide some optimism for a movie that would pay respect to the series’ roots and pave its own way.

Until the film is released in cinema, the movie is a strong proof of the relevance of the Alien series and its capacity to transform while maintaining its major motifs of survival, corporate machinism and aliens. I just hope that this movie doesn't flip with a bunch of gender commentary shit, and ruin the potential of this film

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