As someone who had never seen an Aliens movie before, I was naturally quite excited to see what all the hype was about. A franchise from the late 1970s rarely produces movies as good as the original around 45 years later, but for Aliens, it’s a rare case of nostalgic revival. The director, Fede Alvarez, is known for his other works like Don’t Breathe, and The Girl in the Spider’s Web. This is an interesting twist from the other Aliens movies, as Aliens (1979) was directed by Ridley Scott and Aliens (1986) was directed by James Cameron.
In short, the story revolves around the main character Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her robot-human Andy (David Jonsson). Rain and Andy meet up with their friends and discuss leaving a corrupt corporation, eventually prompting them to launch a spacecraft to enter the planet’s orbit and shortly enter another spacecraft to leave. Unfortunately, this spacecraft was also carrying alien embryos and the team had to find a way to survive. Overall, the movie was an impressive display of Alvarez’s talent and his team’s work. Throughout the movie, there were a plethora of scenes and aspects that appealed to the general audience.
The first thing I noticed when watching this movie was the suspense. The suspense was not nearly as great as in other Aliens movies, but there was still a sense of impending danger you could feel for the characters. Another thing I noticed was that the genre of horror had taken a turn from the original 1979 slasher-like horror to a less frightening action-horror movie. There were also plenty of references to the original movie, whether it be phrases, actions, or words—all of which were hidden everywhere throughout the movie.
Although the general consensus of the movie was positive, the film did not come without its flaws. One thing that really bothered me—as well as the general public—was the AI-generated actor. Actor Ian Holm, who played the antagonist robot, Ash, in the 1979 movie, died in June of 2020. The director, Fede Alvarez decided to use an AI software to animate his face onto a plastic animatronic. Many fans hated this aspect, some even going as far as to post on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Once they showed the dead CGI face, I was completely taken out of it. Let the man rest.” Other users joined the protest, sarcastically remarking, “The fake Ian Holm in ‘Romulus’ may be a cynical attempt at using a dead man’s face and voice for the sake of nostalgia, but at least it also looks terrible.”
Another negative about this movie was the ending. Not the final five minutes of the movie, but the last ten or twenty. The human-alien hybrid, played by 7’7” former basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi, was by far the most disturbing and vile part of the movie. In general, there was less gore in the movie in comparison to the rest of the series, but there was still enough to be grossed out by it. Although many people thought the creature was a great addition, everything to do with the hybrid creature made me sick. Not only the design, but also its mechanics and creation. I watched this movie with a friend, and we collectively agreed that if we were in the position of directing a movie, neither of us would have put so much effort into such a disgusting creature. Even Disney, the company that owns the franchise, pushed back against the idea. Unfortunately, Disney’s comment only reinforced Alvarez to keep the part in. The hybrid creature ruined the ending for me, but other than that, the ending was pretty good. Overall the movie was really impressive; throughout the movie, the benefits outweighed the flaws, and whether or not you’ve seen an Aliens movie, it’s a great watch.
