“Romulus” takes “Alien” back to its roots
For such a beloved series, the "Alien" franchise only really has two good movies; "Alien" and "Aliens." The rest have been interesting at best but, more often than not, terrible. Despite all that, this series has had staying power. The original came out in 1979, and now, 45 years later, the tenth film in the franchise.
Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her "brother," an android named Andy (David Jonsson). When they are offered a chance to escape the mining planet they are on, she and the group scavenge a derelict ship for resources and encounter an unknown creature.
I loved this movie, and it is easily the third-best of the franchise (behind "Aliens" and "Alien"). The other movies tend to focus on employees of Wayland-Yutani, but "Romulus" looks at ordinary people suffering under the company's power. Early in the movie, Rain requests passage off the planet because she has worked her contracted number of hours, but the woman tells her that the company has now doubled the number of hours, so she has to stay. This is just one of many glimpses into life under the thumb of this cooperation.
To me, the standout performance is Jonsson. When the movie starts, Andy is malfunctioning. He is an older model of android, and is glitchy. He loves to tell bad jokes and was given the prime directive to protect Rain by her father before he died. When they get to the derelict ship, he gets an upgrade, and a) he has a British accent and b) he becomes colder towards the humans he is with. He is willing to sacrifice them if need be. His new directive is to protect the interests of the company. It is a fascinating transition to watch.
I did not know what to expect from this film. I have not liked an "Alien" movie since I saw "Aliens." While the first two movies set the bar high, the subsequent sequels didn't even attempt to reach that bar. "Romulus" is a welcome change from that. I may have a few issues with it, but nothing that ruins the movie. This brings the franchise back to its roots: a great mix of sci-fi and horror.
8/10
Rated R for bloody, violent content and language
1h 59min
