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Here’s my hot take on the Alien franchise: there isn’t a single bad Alien flick in the entire chronological timeline. Yep, I said it. Just like pizza, even when Alien is ‘bad,” it has something good to offer. That said, I’ll admit I was a bit anxious when I heard we were getting another entry, the soon-to-be-released Alien: Romulus, in this long-running series—especially with it being the seventh installment. But then, our very own Eric Eisenberg ranked it the third-best in the franchise with a solid three-and-a-half-star review. After seeing the buzz surrounding this upcoming horror movie, I’m so excited that my chest might burst.
The anticipation around this sci-fi movie is off the charts, especially given how beloved the Xenomorph series has been over the years. Now that critics have finally had their say, fans can breathe easy—Fede Álvarez was the right choice to helm Alien: Romulus. While some critics note that the film sticks pretty close to the classic formula, it does so with the finesse you’d expect from top-ranked entries in the franchise. As John Nugent from Empire put it:
The journey that follows, though formulaic in places, is an intense, stressful delight. Alien: Romulus plays the hits, but crucially remembers the ingredients for what makes a good Alien film, and executes them with stunning craft and care. It is, officially, the third-best film in the series.
I’ll admit, I was a bit concerned about the level of fan service we might see in the upcoming sequel—especially since that’s a trap many legacy sequels fall into. But from what I’m hearing, Fede Álvarez brings enough of his filmmaking prowess, as showcased in Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead, to make Romulus a must-watch. Damon Wise from Deadline sums it up perfectly:
Álvarez doesn’t put fan service first, even if certain moments are lifted from the back catalogue shot for shot. Instead, he works hard to bring something of his own to the project, which he does in a virtuoso scene that finds Rain dodging silver globules of acid alien blood while firing hundreds of rounds from an M-41A pulse rifle in zero gravity.
Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune echoes the positive buzz surrounding this new entry, noting just how strong of an addition it is to the franchise. He writes:
The movie knows what it’s doing. It’s sharply paced, dynamically varied filmmaking with dash and purpose, along with scads of blech and viscera.
Popular YouTuber Cris Parker of 3C Films is over the moon with excitement for the movie. In his video posted to his channel, he shared:
Fede Álvarez cleverly crafts a story weaving in the best elements from All the past entries. Perfect balance of Horror & Action. Breathtaking visuals! Spaeny & Jonsson are a real highlight. Overall a solid re-entry into the universe.
Meanwhile, Owen Gleiberman of Variety also praises the film, calling it one of the better sequels. However, he points out that it leans toward being a video game-style thrill ride rather than capturing the complete shock and awe of Ridley Scott’s original. As Gleiberman puts it:
This is closer to a grandly efficient greatest-hits thrill ride, packaged like a video game. Yet on that level it’s a confidently spooky, ingeniously shot, at times nerve-jangling piece of entertainment.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also shares a similar perspective on the film. While he gives credit where it’s due, acknowledging the movie does many things right, he’s quick to note that it doesn’t take many big risks. In his words:
It’s fun, tense, and slimy. It’s also nowhere near as ambitious as some of the films in this series deemed failures. We can’t have everything.
Even if the critics aren’t as over the moon as I’d hoped, the movie still boasts an impressive 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at this time. So, to borrow a phrase, even “bad” pizza is still pretty good, and Alien: Romulus sounds like it’s more than just pretty good—it’s pretty great.
Alien: Romulus bursts onto the 2024 movie schedule this Friday, August 15. I’m gearing up for it by streaming the entire series, which you can catch with your Hulu subscription.