★★★★ - STUFF
- Fede puts the fright back into the beloved sci-fi franchise -
In 1986, it was the movie every self-respecting 12-year-old Kiwi boy wanted to see.
When not playing Bubble Bobble at the local arcade or thrashing Madonna’s True Blue, we were plotting how we could see James Cameron’s Aliens – given that someone in the censor’s office had deemed it RP13 (annoyingly it was later reduced to an M).
It took us two attempts to succeed at Dunedin’s Octagon, but the effort and angst was well worth it. The Terminator helmer had taken Ridley Scott’s haunted-house-horror-in-space conceit from seven years earlier and turned into a full-on action flick, as Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley was joined by a group of marines in taking the fight to the deadly xenomorphs.
It was frightening, exhilarating and crowd-pleasing, everyone cheering as Weaver, who remember, was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, delivered the ultimate kiss-off line to her foe.
It’s taken 38 years, during which I’ve endured two lesser sequels, two strange prequels and two execrable monster mash-ups which I’ve tried my best to deny exist, but finally the Uruguayan director of Don’t Breathe and New Zealand-shot Evil Dead, Fede Álvarez, has delivered an Alien movie to – almost – rival Cameron’s magnum opus of barely contained chaos.
Rather than continuing down the path series godfather Scott was laying in order to reveal how “the perfect creature” ended up on LV-426 (one that only ended up with the madness of Michael Fassbender fingering a flute), Álvarez has instead crafted a movie designed to act as a bridge between Alien and Aliens. It’s one that is executed with care, smarts and clearly a deep knowledge of the franchise’s history.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are nods to all six tales so far – a one-liner here, an iconic image there – while Benjamin Wallfisch’s (Blade Runner 2049) atmospheric score contains elements of the past works of Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and Harry Gregson-Williams.
What really impresses though is how Álvarez makes this movie look, as was his stated aim, as if it was made in 1982 (the year another classic sci-fi horror was unleashed to freak out unsuspecting audiences). Taking inspiration from gaming consoles of the era and enlisting Aliens’ original practical effects teams, as well our own Wētā Workshop, he recreates the tactile and gloopy terror of the first two films to a, sometimes, alarming degree.
In many ways, at least one I dare not mention, Alien: Romulus feels like this series’ equivalent of Star Wars: Rogue One (with a bit of The Force Awakens thrown in). It’s a standalone story focused on a heist gone awry that is infused with the franchise’s DNA, but (as was the case with all the entries in Alien’s original quadrilogy) also has its own distinctive personality, reflective of its helmer.
Romulus’ Jyn Erso, Rey Skywalker or Ellen Ripley equivalent is Rain Carradine (Civil War’s Cailee Spaeny). Orphaned and seemingly trapped on Weyland-Yutani’s Jackson’s Star mining colony, she dreams of a life on a planet where she can actually see the sun.
Even a journey of nine years to Yvaga III would be preferable to the struggle to make ends meet she’s currently enduring. Three months behind on rent, she only has her non-biological “brother” Andy (Rye Lane’s David Jonsson) and his “Dad jokes” for regular company, but is convinced that she’s done enough time to finally be released from her contract and be eligible for travel papers.
The news though from the Office of Colony Affairs is all bad. The quotas have just been doubled and Rain is being reassigned to the mine itself. With “accidents” on the increase and a new disease seemingly every cycle, she knows she won’t survive much longer, so even though her friend Tyler’s (Shadow and Bone’s Archie Renaux) plan seems crazy, it might be her last chance to escape her seemingly inexorable fate.
What appears to be a decommissioned ship has appeared above Jackson’s Star. Tyler, along with his best mate Bjorn (Aftersun’s Spike Fearn), Bjorn’s girlfriend Kay (Dora and the Lost City of Gold’s Isabela Merced) and expert pilot Navarro (Aileen Wu) want to fly their ship – Corbelan IV – up to the seemingly abandoned vessel and see if they can borrow some of the tech they know is onboard – particularly the Cryopods which would help them escape to a new life.
What they need Rain for, is Andy. After all, what better way is there to be able to get in and out of a Weyland-Yutani craft with a minimum of fuss than with the assistance of a synthetic created by the very same company?
There’s just one problem, it quickly becomes clear that the Romulus is something greater than a simple space vehicle and feels more like it has been deserted, rather than decommissioned. Then there’s the half-a-synthetic and the giant hole in the floor that goes several storeys deep.
Yes, you all know what’s coming next, but it’s a thrilling ride, sold brilliantly by Álvarez and his young crew, and filled with all the jump scares, point-of-view shots, unexpected twists and nightmare-inducing imagery any sci-fi or horror fan who was 12 in 1986 – or 2020 – could wish for.
- James Croot, STUFF
Alien: Romulus is now playing at Light House Cinema!