Alien Guys
Beloved franchise, but quite mistreated.
Before I begin I WARN THAT SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW so proceed at your own risk!
Alien: Romulus. The new addition to the film series, set between the first Alien and Cameron's Aliens.
We were eagerly awaiting a new movie in the universe, especially after the successful revival of Predator with Prey. So, you think, why not? Only, while Prey was done right from start to finish, this one started off well and lost it at the end...
I'll start with the positives though. First of all, the effects, design, and makeup. The people behind it put in the work. A lot of work. Animatronics, practical effects, people in suits, blood, saliva, old-school vibes—all done perfectly. The xenomorphs are here, they’re alive, you can feel them on screen. Even the CGI in the movie was well done, especially in anything involving space, the ship, and the planet. Only one specific CGI bothered me, which looked fake several times. I won’t say what it is, you’ll see it, it’s obvious. Also, for the first time, we see in close-up detail what xenomorph blood does to the human body. It’s brutal...
Another great positive for me is the sound. Incredible sound editing, and especially the absolute silence of space at the right moments—an amazing detail.
Wonderful direction, with very beautiful shots, especially outside the ship. The cinematography could easily give you futuristic frames for decor. Nice close-ups of the xenomorphs, dark and claustrophobic enough to keep the atmosphere where it needs to be. You had to feel the threat, you had to feel uncomfortable, and they achieved that.
Now, onto the negatives...
(I'll skip over the acting, it’s not worth discussing...)
Pffff... I’ve been sighing ever since I saw a particular scene. But to get there, I'll start from the beginning. The movie starts strong, very promising, grabs you by the neck and says, "Come here, now you'll see what xenomorph means, in case you’ve forgotten." And it does it well! The first two parts of the movie go full throttle! It sets up a basic story—you don’t need much more, to be honest—and from there it starts unfolding a very nice plot and connection with the Nostromo and the first xenomorph. Damn, we even learn new details about the xenomorphs and how they function! I found myself unable to take my eyes off the screen, completely absorbed in the story the director was giving us. I thought, we’re definitely in for a great movie! But then the third part of the movie came, and we took a nosedive...
They brought in two truckloads of easter eggs and dumped them all in. Weren’t two enough? Bring another 2-3, just to be sure. We get it, you wanted to pay tribute to the movie’s universe, but enough already! You already did a tribute when you explained what happened on the Nostromo and showed a photo of a crew member. You even did a tribute to Prometheus by closing at least one significant plot hole with the black goo. The third part of the movie was clearly a patchwork of the previous 4 movies just to wrap up the story.
Here’s the rundown (I might miss something):
Ripley and the elevator: CHECK
Ripley, Hicks, and weapon training: CHECK
Blue mist: CHECK
Throwing the villain into space: CHECK
Bill Paxton’s line: CHECK
Ripley and the suit: CHECK
Humanoid xenomorph birth: CHECK
Ripley and xenomorph face-to-face: CHECK
Ripley’s final message: CHECK
Counting ammunition percentage: CHECK
And it’s a shame because they did such a good job on most of the movie. In the end, it felt like old Uncle Ridley took the wheel... What can I say. He didn’t give us a complete Prometheus (we’d be raving if that movie was complete), and I’m convinced he had a hand in Alvarez’s work as well.
The movie would easily be a 9 if it hadn’t taken a nosedive at the end. 6.5 from me...