Fans seemed to like the creepy vibe of the trailers for "Alien: Romulus," but what do critics say now that they've seen early screenings of the full film? Is this new entry worth saving or is it expendable?
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00:00Fans seem to like the creepy vibe of the trailers for Alien Romulus,
00:04but what do critics say now that they've seen early screenings of the full film?
00:08Is this new entry worth saving, or is it expendable?
00:13First reactions to director Fede Alvarez's long-awaited entry into the Alien franchise
00:17are here, and many critics say it plays like a greatest-hits take on the series.
00:22Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate, but early reactions so far appear more
00:26mixed than fans who loved the trailers might have expected. The hype paid off for some critics,
00:31including Slash Films' B.J. Colangelo, who notes on X that it's in her personal top three Alien
00:36films. She adds,
00:37"...Alien Romulus is a return to form for the franchise in the sense that it is an unapologetic
00:42legacy sequel, but also is filled with thrilling, disgusting, and scary-as-hell moments."
00:46Slash Films' Bill Brea praises the film's sound, cinematography,
00:50cast, and great squeaky creature work. Meanwhile, our own Chris Evangelista says
00:55it's the least interesting movie in the series. Both write that the movie looks back to previous
01:00Alien films, but with different connotations. Other critics couldn't really be brought to feel
01:04much of anything at all. Freelance critic Matt Donato is one of several early reviewers who
01:08calls the movie simply...fine, writing on X that it never reaches the level of Alvarez's bonkers
01:14Evil Dead revamp from 2013. Some were completely put off by the various callbacks to other
01:19installments. Next Best Pictures' Brendan Hodges calls the movie
01:22the safest, blandest, and most vapid the series has ever been, adding,
01:27"...Alien Romulus is mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play,
01:30remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills."
01:34Are you sure you want to do this?
01:36One aspect of the film that seemed to be getting an entirely positive response, though, is the cast.
01:40Matt Neglia, also of Next Best Pictures, writes,
01:43"...the grounded performances from Kaylee Spaney and David Johnson provide just enough
01:47emotional weight to keep audiences invested during the slaughter."
01:50Freelance critic Isaac Feldberg also praises Spaney's performance while at the same time
01:54ripping the film itself, seeming to prefer original Alien director Ridley Scott's recent,
01:59divisive returns to the franchise instead.
02:02"...Spaney sells her Ripley stand-in, but I would take more of Sir Ridley's messy grappling
02:05with godhood over his cover band any day."
02:08The third act of Romulus does apparently change things up a bit.
02:11Inverse editor Huitran Bui calls the late twist...
02:14"...delightfully disgusting."
02:16Critic Mike Ryan wasn't wild about the first two-thirds of the film,
02:19but said the third act was more gnarly, disturbing, much more unique,
02:22saying he wished the whole movie was like that.
02:25Critic Eric Vespi, who liked the movie, contends that the finale will be divisive, but I loved it.
02:30Speaking of divisive choices,
02:32several critics noted but did not reveal one moment that they contend will be polarizing.
02:36Critic and podcast host William Bibiani contends that one decision, quote,
02:41"...sucks so much that it calls to mind a famous 2016 moment when director
02:45Hayao Miyazaki told someone showing him an AI demonstration,
02:48I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself."
02:52What the hell is this?
02:54I don't know."
02:55Based on these reactions, Alien Romulus may not be the guaranteed cinematic slam-dunk
02:59that fans may have expected.
03:01Critics can't even agree about the set and creature designs.
03:04IGN's Amelia Emberwing posted to X that the movie's set pieces call to mind a video game level,
03:09theme park ride intro, or horror night's maze.
03:12Vespi, meanwhile, says that the alien effects are so satisfying.
03:16So, are the callbacks good or bad?
03:18Are the creature designs creative or chintzy?
03:20It's all in the eye of the beholder.
03:22At the very least, you'll probably enjoy
03:24Kayleigh Spiney's performance when Alien Romulus hits theaters August 16th, 2024.