 |
| Cailee Spaeny in "Alien: Romulus" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
When director Ridley Scott returned to the “Alien” franchise in 2012 with his prequel, “Prometheus,” it was the first installment he directed since the 1979 original. Although the prequel had its flaws, it was a visually mesmerizing film that set up some fascinating prospects as to where this mythology could expand. Five years later, he gave us his followup, “Alien: Covenant,” which, despite being an okay entry, didn’t do much to move the pre-“Alien” story forward in a meaningful way. Since then, any continuation of Scott’s new batch of films was abandoned.
Now, director Fede Álvarez brings us back to this iconic series with “Alien: Romulus.” With this film, he doesn’t give us a prequel or sequel, but rather, a movie that takes place in between “Alien” and James Cameron’s 1986 followup, “Aliens.” While it doesn’t reach the heights of those two films, it nevertheless shows that there’s still potential in this franchise to charter some new outer-space territory.
The story follows a group of space colonists who, while exploring an abandoned space station, must do what they can to survive when a xenomorph goes on the hunt.
Cailee Spaeny, who plays Rain Carradine, is a welcome addition to the leading ladies of the franchise, following in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver, Noomi Rapace, and Katherine Waterson. She exhibits the terror of being faced with a deadly, otherworldly being, while also showing the fortitude to keep as many of her group alive as possible. It’s the type of performance that has become a staple of the series, one that carries a grit to it as Rain and her group must evade the bloody rampage of the xenomorph. If there are more films that continue this storyline, Spaeny proves that she’s a force to be reckoned with to carry this narrative further.
Just as Spaeny succeeds in emulating those who came before in similar roles, David Jonsson does the same in his role as Andy, an android who accompanies the colonists. Actors like Ian Holm, Lance Henriksen, and Michael Fassbender have all had a chance to portray such AI characters, and Jonnson puts his stamp on it as a robot who’s hopelessly adamant about making sure their mission directive is met. He’s engaging to watch as you see him make decisions that he forms out of logic, but provides tension as we watch the consequences of such choices, see him come to terms with the effects, and how the rest of his group responds to it.
The screenplay by Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues, who collaborated on the scripts for Álvarez’s “Evil Dead” remake and “Don’t Breathe,” pretty much follows the basic outline of most “Alien” movies, but it still adds enough to the mythology to make the franchise’s overall story still worth exploring. While some of the fan service can be a bit irksome on occasion, the narrative makes a few crazy, but effective creative decisions that involve some unexpected connections to other films in the series. While the first two thirds of the film are pretty standard, but still fun and tense sci-fi horror, it’s the third act that offers quite a bit that can open some doors as to where this franchise can go. Seven installments into this series (not including the two “Alien vs. Predator” movies), it’s great to see that there are still some enticing possibilities to be had.
The cinematography by Galo Olivares, who’s working with Álvarez for the first time, offers both stunning visuals of space and accomplished framing of the space station’s interiors. When it comes to the vastness of space, Olivares offers imagery that shows the beautiful and terrifying depth of outer space and what could be hiding amongst the stars and darkness. When it comes to the space station, Olivares makes us apprehensive at the shadows of the many dark or low-lit rooms where anything can be hiding.
Álvarez is someone who’s exemplified a terrific handling when it comes to films where characters are in one location for a majority of the runtime, whether it be young adults stuck in a cabin facing off against supernatural forces in “Evil Dead,” or a group of burglars being retaliated against by a blind veteran in “Don’t Breathe.” He takes that talent and presents it on a bigger scale with a space station and instills the terror for which he’s known. Just as he did with “Evil Dead,” Álvarez exhibits a confidence in taking on a well-known series and providing his own sense of invention to the larger scope that has grown out of Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 film that started it all. He utilizes both practical effects and CGI imagery to great impact, mixing them in a way that shows a devotion to the lower-budget sensibilities of the earlier installments and the advanced effects of the later entries.
If what we see in “Romulus” is anything to go by, this series has more of those alien facehugger eggs to hatch.
Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment