Alien: Romulus

Much like the creature itself, the Alien franchise can go through many a setback but still make a return one way or the other and in 2024, Alien: Romulus came to our screens hoping to prove the naysayers wrong and that there was still more to mined in this universe. The harshest critics might say there hasn't been an Alien film worth watching since Aliens in 1986 but I did find some entertainment with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant so I went into this with some optimism.

Set after the events of Alien on a very bleak mining colony in deep space where sunlight is a scarcity, a small group of young friends hope to escape the fates of those around them and leave the planet for anywhere else via the means of a derelict ship floating just outside their atmosphere. All seems well at first but they soon they aren't alone...

If I was to be harsh; Alien: Romulus is the greatest hits of the Alien quadrilogy all wrapped into a single film while paying some lip service to Ridley Scott's divisive sequels ensuring everything is still canon but fails to find an identify of its own. The visuals, sound and music are all top-notch and director Fede Alvarez does a great job at setting the tension but it all feels very familiar and doesn't really do anything new. Those also eagerly waiting since 2017 to see where the end of Covenant would take the story next will be left disappointed as that narrative is ditched in favour of an entirely new cast. Yet I still had a fun time with this, and David Jonsson is particularly great as the android in the team, but I wish this offered something more than another haunted ship in space.

With all that said, Romulus is the best Alien film since Aliens and offers some fun thrills over its tight two hour running time. Alvarez and his talented crew really do a great job at keeping this consistent with the style of the franchise but it's just a shame there had to be some rather mishandled references to the other films which come out of nowhere. Fans should still find some enjoyment here and newcomers will also have fun time but the announced sequel will have to take some risks given how predictable this felt.