It has been 45 years since the masterpiece ‘Alien’ (1979) directed by Ridley Scott. The landmark sci-fi horror film series ‘Alien’ has been reborn in modern times. The latest installment, ‘Alien: Romulus,’ marks a return to the origins, depicting the “after” of the series’ first film while introducing all-new elements.
Newly appointed as the director is Fede Alvarez, known for ‘Don’t Breathe’ (2016), joining the ranks of prestigious filmmakers like Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He boldly claims, “If you have never seen the previous films, this is a wonderful opportunity to experience the first one,” assuring that even newcomers to the series can enjoy its broad appeal and high quality.
True to his words, the film garnered an impressive critic score of 81% and an audience score of 86% on the famous review site ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ immediately upon its release in the United States (starting point). Following ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’ (1986), it has received one of the highest ratings in the series.
How did the visionary Alvarez revive a franchise that had experienced ups and downs, including the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ series and the prequels ‘Prometheus’ (2012) and ‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017) directed by Scott?
A New Story in ‘Alien’
In the year 2142, humanity had expanded its operational sphere into space. Rain, a woman working in the harsh environment of the Jackson mining colony, dreams of traveling to a distant planet with Andy, her android companion bound by their “sibling” relationship. However, she struggles to receive travel permission.
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One day, Rain’s ex-boyfriend Tyler proposed a certain plan. He suggested taking over a drifting space station in the sky, using the ship and equipment to bypass the travel permission issue and venture out. Their hope is Andy, who can breach the ship’s security. Rain and Andy, along with Tyler and his sister Kay, and workers Bion and his girlfriend Navarro, form a team to take action. They attempt to restore the now-ruined space station, but are unable to reach distant planets with their current fuel. As an alternative, they consider adding the frozen fuel stored in the cargo hold, only to inadvertently awaken “something” that was also cryogenically preserved.
The “Mismatched” Youths
A significant characteristic of the ‘Alien’ series is the confrontation with aliens in confined spaces, and Sigourney Weaver, who played the iconic Ripley from the first film to ‘Alien: Resurrection’ (1997), led the series for approximately 20 years. However, this film inherits the former’s elements of “chamber drama” and the coexistence of humans and androids while steering the story in a new direction.
The key point is that the characters, starting with the “sibling” duo of Rain and Andy, are all mismatched youths. There are no military personnel with strong physiques or special skills, nor crew members with expert knowledge of spaceships. They are driven solely by the motivation to escape the colony and break free from their current lives.
Ordinary young people confront an unknown threat in the form of aliens. For Fede Alvarez, known for ‘Don’t Breathe,’ this kind of plot is practically his specialty. After all, ‘Don’t Breathe’ was a thriller where three young robbers break into a house, only to be pursued by a blind former soldier. If you replace “house” with “space station” and “blind former soldier” with “alien,” it’s easy to see that the narrative structure is remarkably similar.
Co-writing the script with Alvarez is Rod Sayagues, who also wrote ‘Don’t Breathe.’ Notably, the action-horror elements that are vital to ‘Alien’ are reserved for the second act of a three-act structure, allowing the first act to delve deeply into human relationships, creating a slightly slow-starting coming-of-age story within the sci-fi thriller genre.
By taking the time to depict the nuanced relationships among the youths and highlighting issues of discrimination and violence between humans and androids, it suggests that the setting serves as a metaphor for the real world. Moreover, all these elements provide groundwork for the later part of the film, showcasing a meticulously crafted script.