SPOILERS AHEAD!

After the disappointing prequels, I was nervous about the latest addition to the Alien universe. Set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), Alien: Romulus (2024) fleshes out the canon, revealing what happened to the original xenomorph. It takes the franchise back to basics, without the convoluted philosophy of the prequels, and delivers on its promise of returning to its body horror, jump scare roots. The crew even had to turn their backs while filming the offspring birth scene as it was so gory.

While some found the blatant fan service and forced nostalgia an annoyance, I thoroughly enjoyed the references to the other films. They felt natural and furthered the plot. It is, however, a shame that a film focused on practical effects is ultimately taken down by an uncanny CGI rendering of the late Alien actor Ian Holm. While Andy’s (David Jonsson) rendition of “Get away from her…you… b*tch.” received a mix of laughs and groans from my screening, I loved that he put his own spin on the iconic quote. Andy was by far the best character. His mix of dad jokes and ability to seamlessly switch from the lovable brother figure to the cold and calculated synthetic gave Jonsson the chance to flex his acting muscles. Isabela Merced also gave a truly ‘scream queen’ worthy performance, and I hope to see her in more horror.

No new Alien movie will ever beat the first two. However, Alien: Romulus is successful in breathing a new lease of life into the franchise. It invites a new generation of fans with its cast of up-and-coming young actors while still appealing to its original fanbase through its return to classic sci-fi horror. The design of the xenomorph and the offspring was outstanding and demonstrated that practical effects will always beat CGI in creating the most terrifying creatures.

This is what Alien is all about!

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