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Alien: Romulus

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Alien: Romulus
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFede Álvarez
Written by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGalo Olivares
Edited byJake Roberts
Music byBenjamin Wallfisch
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Studios
Release dates
  • August 12, 2024 (2024-08-12) (Los Angeles)
  • August 16, 2024 (2024-08-16) (United States)
Running time
119 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80 million[2]
Box office$18.1 million[3][4]

Alien: Romulus is a 2024 American science fiction horror film directed and co-written by Fede Álvarez. Produced by Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions, it is the seventh installment in the Alien franchise and serves as a standalone story set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Its plot follows a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with a Xenomorph.

At the CinemaCon in April 2019, 20th Century Fox announced their plans to produce future Alien films. Álvarez was attached as director in March 2022, and Spaeny joined the film as the lead later that year. Filming took place from March to July 2023.

Alien: Romulus had its world premiere in Los Angeles on August 12, 2024, and was released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on August 16, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

A Weyland-Yutani space probe investigates the wreckage of the USCSS Nostromo, collecting an organic object containing a Xenomorph.

Rain Carradine, an orphan, works with her adoptive brother Andy, a reprogrammed synthetic human, at the colony Jackson's Star. After her contract is unexpectedly extended, she agrees to join her ex-boyfriend Tyler on a mission to a derelict spacecraft to retrieve cryonic stasis chambers. These chambers will allow Rain and her friends—Tyler, his pregnant sister Kay, cousin Bjorn, and Bjorn's girlfriend Navarro—to escape to the planet Yvaga. Andy's ability to interface with systems is crucial for the mission. Rain is hesitant to send Andy but is convinced by Tyler and Andy to allow him to assist. They fly the hauler Corbelan to the spacecraft, which is revealed to be a station divided into parts Romulus and Remus. While retrieving stasis chambers, Tyler, Bjorn, and Andy accidentally revive frozen facehuggers and trigger an automatic lockdown. To override the lockdown, Rain installs a chip from a damaged android into Andy, granting him access to the station and updating his prime directive.

As the group flees the chamber, a facehugger latches onto Navarro. Rain reactivates the station's officer android Rook, who discloses that the station's crew was killed by the xenomorph and its clones. While Tyler tries to remove the creature, Rook warns it may have implanted a "seed". Despite Andy's attempts to stop him, Bjorn flees with Navarro on the Corbelan. A chestburster emerges from Navarro, killing her. The Corbelan, with Kay and Bjorn aboard, crashes into the Romulus hangar, jeopardizing the station's orbit and leaving less than an hour before it collides with Jackson's planetary rings. Kay is knocked unconscious from the impact and the chestburster escapes into the ship. She regains consciousness and runs into Bjorn, who dies of acid blood after discovering and attacking the Xenomorph gestating into its form.

Rain and Tyler navigate to the bay while avoiding the facehuggers. Kay escapes the Corbelan but is stalked by a Xenomorph trying to lure the others into a trap. Andy refuses to unlock the door so as not to put everyone at risk, and they watch helplessly as Kay is attacked and dragged away. Andy finds samples of a compound scientists had extracted from the Xenomorphs, which Rook calls the "Prometheus strain", intended to "perfect" humans. Rook insists the samples must be brought to the colony and disables the Corbelan from leaving without them. Rain and Tyler rescue Kay from a cocoon, but Tyler is killed and Andy is incapacitated. Badly injured, Kay injects herself with the fluid during their escape. Rain returns to the Romulus, helps Andy and disables the ship's gravity to make the Xenomorphs float in the air as better targets for her shooting. They make it back to the Corbelan just before the station crashes into the rings.

As Rain and Andy prepare for their trip to Yvaga, Kay, affected by the fluid injection, gives birth to a rapidly growing human-Xenomorph hybrid. The hybrid kills Kay and injures Andy, but Rain manages to eject the cargo pod and creature into Jackson's rings. She places Andy in a chamber and records a log expressing tentative hope about their arrival at Yvaga before entering stasis herself.

Cast

Cailee Spaeny plays Rain
  • Cailee Spaeny as Rain, an orphaned miner
  • David Jonsson as Andy, an android programmed by Rain's father to be her surrogate brother
  • Archie Renaux as Tyler, Kay's brother and Rain's ex-boyfriend
  • Isabela Merced as Kay, Tyler's pregnant sister
  • Spike Fearn as Bjorn, Tyler and Kay's cousin
  • Aileen Wu as Navarro, a pilot and Bjorn's girlfriend

Daniel Betts portrays Rook, with the voice and likeness of Ian Holm (who portrayed Ash in the original 1979 film) credited as reference. Trevor Newlin portrays the Xenomorph, while the human-Xenomorph hybrid (credited as "Offspring") is portrayed by Robert Bobroczkyi.[5]

Production

After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company, it was officially confirmed at the 2019 CinemaCon that future Alien films were in development.[6] In March 2022, it was announced that Fede Álvarez would write and direct the first film after pitching his own story, and was said to be "unconnected" to the previous films in the franchise, with the project set to be released on Hulu in the United States.[7] It was later announced that the film would take place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), with some technical crew members returning from the latter film,[8] and visual effects from Image Engine, returning from Alien: Ore (2019).[9][10] The film also draws inspiration from the video game Alien: Isolation (2014), in which Andrea Deck portrayed Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley.[11]

By November, Cailee Spaeny had entered negotiations to star.[12] In March 2023, Isabela Merced was set to co-star opposite Spaeny.[13] Later that month, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu joined the cast.[14] Principal photography took place in Budapest from March 9 to July 3, 2023.[a] The film was shot chronologically and utilized practical effects.[19] Its score was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch.[20]

Release

Alien: Romulus was originally scheduled to be released on Hulu,[7] but was switched to a theatrical release shortly before filming commenced.[21] The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on August 12, 2024[22] and screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 15, 2024 for its UK premiere.[23] It was released by 20th Century Studios in the United States and United Kingdom the following day on August 16.[23]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Alien: Romulus is projected to gross $28–40 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates going as high as $45–55 million.[2][24][25] The film made $18 million on its first day, including $6.5 million from Thursday night previews.[26][27]

Critical response

Alien: Romulus received largely positive reviews.[28] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that critics praised the film's "striking visuals and claustrophobic terror with gory action and a formidable lead performance from Cailee Spaeny", calling it "arguably the best installment since Aliens".[29] On the website, 81% of 254 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7/10. Its critics consensus reads: "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."[30] According to Metacritic, the film received "generally favorable" reviews based on a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 from 54 critics.[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 82% positive score, with 65% saying they would definitely recommend it.[27]

Jordan Hoffman of Entertainment Weekly praised the film's direction, design, and writing, calling it "impressive, however, especially in how it looks like a new movie but is simpatico with the tech of the 1979 original" and deemed Spaeny "the finest weapon in the arsenal… differentiating herself quite a bit from the doe-eyed characters she played in Civil War and Priscilla. Her petite nature may not scream action hero, but, as has long been established, in space, no one can hear you scream anyway."[32] Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Alien: Romulus "one of the best Alien sequels… It delivers the slimy creep-out goods in a way that none of the last three Alien films have." He further wrote that "Spaeny, with her clear eyes and serene resolve, makes her presence felt as Rain, the closest equivalent here to the fearless Ripley [Sigourney Weaver]."[33]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the film by writing "The first 45 minutes are boring beyond description. ... [T]he script has the aliens waking up and falling asleep at the convenience of the screenwriters, not in a way that makes consistent sense. ... The foundational mistake came when someone said, 'Hey, let's make another Alien movie.' Newsflash: The alien concept is dead. Leave it alone, and leave poor Ian Holm out of it."[34]

Notes

  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references: [15][16][17][18]

References

  1. ^ "Alien Romulus (15)". BBFC. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (August 13, 2024). "Will Alien: Romulus Continue Disney's Summer Box Office Streak?". Variety. Retrieved August 13, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Alien: Romulus – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Alien: Romulus". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Alien: Robulus Final Credits". The Walt Disney Studios Media Kits' All Access Pages. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Getty Images.
  6. ^ Giardina, Carolyn; McClintock, Pamela (April 3, 2019). "New 'Avengers: Endgame' Footage Hits CinemaCon". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Kit, Borys (March 4, 2022). "New Alien Movie in the Works With Don't Breathe Filmmaker Fede Álvarez (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (November 28, 2023). "Alien: Romulus Star Cailee Spaeny Confirms New Entry Is Set Between the First Two Films". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Image Engine VFX Studio [@ImageEngine] (August 30, 2019). "C R E A T U R E S – Image Engine artists built and animated the alien asset of Alien: Ore, using the design and performance seen in the original films as inspiration. https://vimeo.com/339395280" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Image Engine [@image.engine.vfx] (March 20, 2024). "Image Engine VFX Studio | T E A S E R – The terrifying first look trailer for Alien: Romulus is here! We're thrilled to be part of this iconic franchise. Releases in theatres on August 16th. #AlienRomulus #VFX". Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Mathai, Jeremy (August 15, 2024). "Alien: Romulus Pays Tribute To A Beloved Alien Video Game". SlashFilm. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 16, 2022). "Cailee Spaeny Circling New Alien Movie At 20th Century And Scott Free". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 2, 2023). "Isabela Merced Joins Cailee Spaeny In New Alien Movie For 20th Century And Scott Free". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (March 3, 2023). "Fede Álvarez's Alien Movie Rounds Out Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Alexa, Laurén (March 10, 2023). "Cast of Upcoming Untitled Alien Film Revealed". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  16. ^ VG (March 6, 2023). "Budapesten napokon belül elkezdik forgatni a legújabb Alien-filmet". Világgazdaság (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Kroll, Justin (May 2, 2023). "How WGA Strike Could Impact Movies Gearing Up For Production". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  18. ^ Dela Paz, Maggie (July 4, 2023). "Alien: Romulus Wraps Production, Director Fede Álvarez Celebrates". Coming Soon. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Alien: Romulus Filmed Chronologically, Director Details Practical Xenomorphs & Teases "Many Deaths”
  20. ^ Reporter, Film Music (March 20, 2024). "Benjamin Wallfisch Scoring Fede Alvarez's 'Alien: Romulus'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Davids, Brian (March 20, 2024). "Alien: Romulus Director Fede Álvarez Unveils First Teaser, Talks Ridley Scott and James Cameron-Approved Prequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (August 13, 2024). "Ridley Scott Was "Hugely Relieved" When First Watching 'Alien: Romulus,' but Gave Notes That Made Fede Álvarez "Punch the Door"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (July 1, 2024). "Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus To Make UK Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival". Deadline Hollwyood. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (August 14, 2024). "Summer Isn't Over: Here Comes Alien: Romulus, Set To Gobble Up $75M Around The World – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  25. ^ "Weekend Preview: Alien: Romulus Aims to Topple Deadpool & Wolverine?". Boxoffice Pro. August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Box Office: 'Alien: Romulus' Bares Sharp Teeth With $6.5M in Thursday Previews". The Hollywood Reporter. August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  27. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 16, 2024). "'Alien: Romulus' Shows Fangs With $40M+ Opening – Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  28. ^ "Alien: Romulus director on fighting Ridley Scott's notes: "It's intimidating"". Radio Times. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "Alien: Romulus First Reviews: The Best in the Franchise Since Aliens". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  30. ^ "Alien: Romulus". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  31. ^ "Alien: Romulus". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  32. ^ "'Alien: Romulus' launches Cailee Spaeny into winning gross-out orbit". EW.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  33. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (August 14, 2024). "'Alien: Romulus' Review: The Primal Shock and Awe Is Gone, but It's a Good Video-Game Horror Ride". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  34. ^ "Review: 'Alien: Romulus' is boring sci-fi tied to a dead concept". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
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