It’s a while since we’ve reviewed a film, but we just had to go to the Dundee Contemporary Arts Cinema to see the latest instalment of the Alien franchise on the big screen. Did Alan Dean Foster really know what he had started?
With sequels, and prequels and remakes and reboots spilling out of Hollywood at an alarming rate, it’s no wonder that creative genius is on the decline. That can be incorrect, if a sequel presents the hungry moviegoing public with something new and unseen, and not repeating the same old formulaic formula that maybe works twice, but no more than that.
“Alien: Romulus”, the next chapter in popular science-fiction franchise presents the classic space travellers encountering a highly dangerous alien creature, who are eventually picked off one by one. The first four alien movies did it, and so does Romulus. Undoubtedly predictable, the movie is perhaps better summed up as ‘it was good, not great, but at least it wasn’t Alien again’. For the most part it repeats the same classic scenes from the original movie, presents the characters with the same obstacles to overcome, and the resolution is the same setup, with the same outcome. On paper Romulus is a mirror image of Alien, it is at heart, almost a remake. For anyone who doesn’t know anything about the Alien movie, don’t worry. There’s the classic expositional backstory to fill in the blanks, and even more expositional explaining as new challenges and situations must be overcome.
As a film produced in the 21st century, the movie is blessed with realistic imagery, explosive special effects, stunt work that jumps off the screen, and the aesthetic feeling that you are in fact in the far future, on a distant, remote planet. The film excels in drawing the audience into this make-believe world, it feels organic, lived in; it just feels right.
With any sequel, new ideas must be introduced to the universe, it just can’t rely on notoriety and play it safe sticking to the same path, and never wandering away from the direct line. Romulus does have new ideas, and they are introduced at the right time, and never outstay their welcome. The whole film does stay together remarkably well, but the writing is at times too convenient and at times ridiculous. Its pushes the unbelievable a bit too far: far-fetched at times, and nonsensical at others. The writing is also there to help create flesh-out characters; ironically, the star is David Jonsson as the android, where he gets to play a dual-role. The rest are fine, if you don’t mind everyone being killed off. It’s a film that doesn’t allow the viewer to become invested in the characters, because like any other Alien film, everyone must be killed-off due to some unwritten rule that has persisted with the entire franchise.
“Alien: Romulus” is a good instalment, but it’s far from being a strong link in what is otherwise an equally strong series of films. It mixes the right about of old and new and makes the new future instalment worth the wait.
PS I really enjoyed the film and am in broad agreement with Benedict’s review. I am a sucker for “Alien” films and this one has been a long time coming. I was watching it at a more superficial level perhaps and bow to Benedict’s superior knowledge of film techniques and production!
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