Alien Romulus | Review Thread

[John Elden Ring]

First Reactions :​

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Alien Romulus premiered at D23 and several early press screenings yesterday evening, those who have seen the film apparently had a lot to say about Fede Alvarez's upcoming film. I will be periodically updating this post as more thoughts come in.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Alien Romulus is by far the best movie of the year. It’s the best in the franchise, and may be my new favorite horror. Can’t wait to see it again and I’m so excited for the world to enjoy this masterpiece like we did tonight." -The Escape Pod Podcast

"first thoughts on #AlienRomulus: Fede brought us back to the horror roots without compromising on the action, Great homages to the original while adding new elements to the franchise, CRAZY ENDING, definitely watch the OG and ALIENS beforehand, 4/5 for me "

"more initial thoughts on #AlienRomulus (no spoilers)it truly has a perfect mix of the horror elements you loved from the 1979 original and the badass set pieces from Aliens (ambiance, tension and buildup, sound design, sets all on point), really happy they chose to go with practical effects with most of the creatures,
transformations, and k*lls, loved the fact that the obstacles /solutions to the alien infestation seemed logical and believeable from regular people , solid performances acting wise BUT David Jonsson was the CLEAR STANDOUT, mans was COOKING, Also, without a doubt this has the WILDEST ending in the franchise. Pure nightmare fuel."

"#AlienRomulus NAILED the ending, has my second favorite third act ending / twist in an Alien film besides Aliens (1986), you think it’ll end one way, and then BOOM crank up the stress and disturbing reveals at 100mph, props to the writing team for doubling down and not playing it safe" -TropicalJoe

"#AlienRomulus The bitch is back. Was skeptical going in, but this is easily one of the better films in the franchise. Fede Álvarez doesn't disappoint. Awesome sound design and world-building. The practical effects are so good that the film gave me nightmares." -Jazz Tangcay

"I went to an early screening of #AlienRomulus today. Fede Alvarez was the perfect choice for this one. If you’re a true Xenomorph fan, trust me—you WON’T be disappointed! I had doubts about the young cast too, Man, I was SO WRONG. The best sound editing experience of 2024!" -Perfect Organism
"I’ve seen Alien: Romulus. Fede Alvarez remains undefeated. Get ready." -TheJStoobs"

"#ALIENROMULUS is one of the movies of the year omg.. The most insane final act of a film I think I've ever seen.." -BigScreenBerkan

"The fedalvar has officially done it. ALIEN: ROMULUS weaves Scott's terrifying claustrophobia and Cameron's game-over carnage to create an ALIEN movie that sits with its predecessors and stands on its own. It is an absolute wrecking ball of a movie. See it big, loud, and scream." -Beyond Fest

"Guys, I just saw Alien Romulus in 4DX. 4DX can sometimes for me be a bit hit or miss but I actually thought it was enhanced for this film. I'm a big fan of the Alien franchise and I feel like a lot of people are gonna be saying this: It's definitely the best Alien movie since Aliens. In the first half of the film, I was like "This is a really great play on the Alien movies", and then the last half I was like "they are doing some really different things here". It is like just an intense fun thrill ride, I loved it, you gotta watch it in the theaters man because you wanna get immersed in that. It was great, Fede Alvarez knocked it out of the park, the acting was great too." -Reel Rejects

"I’m thrilled to report that #AlienRomulus scared the shit out of me. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s horrifying. #Alien fans will love it. Fede Alvarez played continuity chess VERY well. He’s no rook, he’s the king. Thank you so much 20thcentury for a great time! There are story elements that shocked tf out of me, It's the best of both worlds" - Z. David Van Norman

"Alien Romulus was fucking awesome. holy shit." -Matt Ramos

"#AlienRomulus is one of my favorite movies of the year so far and it was made even better watching it in #4DX. You think you know where the movie is going, but baby that ending takes it to a whole new level. I was never big on the Alien franchise, but they made me a fan." -Black Gay Comic Geek

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Reviews:
Alien: Romulus

• Rotten Tomatoes 81% (90 Reviews)

Honoring its nightmarish predecessors while chestbursting at the seams with new frights of its own, Romulus injects some fresh acid blood into one of cinema's great horror franchises.

• Metacritic: 63 (34 Reviews)

Reviews
The Hollywood Reporter:

The creatures remain among the most truly petrifying movie monsters in history, and the director leans hard into the sci-fi/horror with a relentlessly paced entry that reminds us why they have haunted our imaginations for decades.

Deadline:

Cailee Spaeney might seem, at first glance, to be an unlikely successor, but the Priscilla star certainly earns her stripes by the end of Alien: Romulus’ tight and deceptively well-judged two-hour running time.

Variety:

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.

Entertainment Weekly (B+):

It's got the thrills, it's got the creepy-crawlies, and it's got just enough plot to make you care about the characters. Alien: Romulus is a hell of a night out at the movies.

IGN (8/10):

Alien: Romulus’s back-to-basics approach to blockbuster horror boils everything fans love about the tonally-fluid franchise into one brutal, nerve-wracking experience.

Slant Magazine (3/4):

Romulus ends up as the franchise’s strongest entry in three decades for its devotion to deploying lean genre mechanics.

The Daily Beast (See this):

Proves that forty-five years after the xenomorph first terrified audiences, there’s still plenty of acid-bloody life left in the franchise’s monstrous bones.

The Telegraph (4/5):

Romulus might inject an appalling new life into the Alien franchise, but it won’t do much good for the national birth rate.

BBC (4/5):

[Álvarez] has triumphed with a clever, gripping and sometimes awe-inspiring sci-fi chiller, which takes the series back to its nerve-racking monster-movie roots while injecting it with some new blood – some new acid blood, you might say.

The Times (4/5):

It's taken a while — 45 years, four sequels and two spin-off films — but finally they've got it right. An Alien movie worthy of the mood, originality and template established by Ridley Scott in 1979.

USA Today (3/4):

The filmmaker embraces unpredictability and plenty of gore for his graphic spectacle, yet Alvarez first makes us care for his main characters before unleashing sheer terror.

Collider (7/10):

Alien: Romulus proves that for the Alien franchise to move forward, it might have to quit looking backward so much.

[Bloody Disgusting] (https://bloody-disgusting.com/revie...ceral-salute-to-the-franchises-greatest-hits/) (3.5/5):

Alvarez puts the horror first here, with exquisite craftmanship that immerses you in the insanity.

Screen Rant (3.5/5):

Somewhere between Alien & Aliens — fitting given its place in the timeline — Romulus serves up blockbuster-level action & visceral horror all in one.

Independent (3/5):

Alien: Romulus has the capacity for greatness. If you could somehow surgically extract its strongest sequences, you’d see that beautiful, blood-quivering harmony between old-school practical effects and modern horror verve.

ScreenCrush (6/10):

What’s here isn’t necessarily boring or bad, but it represents a back-to-basics approach for Alien that feels like a betrayal of something central to the Xenomorph’s toxic DNA, which is forever mutating into another deadly creature.

IndieWire (C):

It’s certainly hard to imagine a cruder way of connecting the dots between the series’ fractured mythology.

Vanity Fair:

If it hadn’t had someone of Álvarez’s care and attention at the helm, Romulus could certainly have been a lot worse.

[Slashfilm] (https://www.slashfilm.com/1641960/alien-romulus-review/) (5.5/10):

Those craving a well-put-together monster movie with creepy creature effects and sturdy set-pieces will probably find plenty to like here. But it shouldn't be controversial to want better results. As I said at the start of this review, there are no bad "Alien" movies. But with Alien: Romulus, there's definitely a disappointing one.

Rolling Stone:

Does it tick off the boxes of what we’ve come to expect from this series? Yes. Does it add up to more than The Chris Farley Show of Alien movies? Well … let’s just say no one may be able to hear you scream in space, but they will assuredly hear your resigned sighs in a theater.

The Guardian (2/5):

A technically competent piece of work; but no matter how ingenious its references to the first film it has to be said that there’s a fundamental lack of originality here which makes it frustrating.

[San Francisco Chronicle] (https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/alien-romulus-cailee-spaeny-19651912.php) (1/4):

The foundational mistake came when someone said, “Hey, let’s make another ‘Alien’ movie.” Newsflash: The alien concept is dead. Leave it alone.

 

[ethomaz]

Seems like it plays a lot with nostalgia but don’t offer anything more than that

Still a good movie to watch.

 

[Entropi]

I watched this over the weekend and it was entertaining. I recommend it.