‘Alien: Romulus’ first reactions praise the sci-fi horror as the “best movie since ‘Aliens’”

13 August, 2024

Alien

The first reactions to Alien: Romulus have praised the film as “best movie since Aliens” and “gnarly, gripping & gorgeously bleak”.

The new sequel, the seventh film in the sci-fi horror series, is out this Friday (August 16) and directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe).

The world premiere for the movie was held in Los Angeles last night (August 12) with many of those attending hailing the film, which takes place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986).

“ALIEN: ROMULUS is the best Alien movie since Aliens. The perfect bridge between the sci-fi horror of Scott’s original with the thrilling action of Cameron’s sequel,” shared ComingSoonNet‘s Jonathan Sim. “It gets more thrilling with every scene, culminating in a mind-blowing final act that proves Fede Álvarez never holds back. Absolute insanity filled with fresh ideas.”

Courtney Howard, writer at Variety, said: “Fede Alvarez’s #AlienRomulus is gnarly, gripping & gorgeously bleak (everything from the story to Olivares’ cinematography to Wallfisch’s score). Innovatively delivering smart, savvy stuff, subtly playing the greatest hits. Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson dominate. This rules!”

The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit also hailed the franchise’s latest movie. He wrote: “ALIEN: ROMULUS: Has all the great hallmarks of what you would expect in an Alien flick but never feels like it’s pandering to nostalgia or fan service…and even goes into a crazy new direction. Fede Alvarez & the cast just gave birth to summer’s best movie.”

Owner & Editor-In-Chief of the entertainment awards website Next Best Picture, Matt Neglia added: “ALIEN: ROMULUS leans heavily into its horror origins to craft a relentless, visceral thrill ride that starts off slowly and increases in intensity until you’re left gasping for breath by the end.”

Chicago Film Critic, Emmanuel (E-Man) Noisette also heavily praised the movie. He wrote: “Alien Romulus had me on the edge of my seat with suspense. Fede Alvarez understood the assignment and passed with flying colours. As a fan, I loved the new elements and twists that were introduced. This has breathed new life into the Alien franchise and could be one of the best.”

While most praised the film, some were more scathing of the latest sequel.

Brendan Hodges who writes for Next Best Picture, described it as “mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills, but in a franchise famous for its psychosexual weirdness, it’s the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been. I did not love it.”

Jake Hamilton, who co-hosts Cinema Blend‘s podcast, Reel Blend was also disappointed by the ending.

He wrote: “There’s a lot about ALIEN: ROMULUS I like – some truly creative moments in the first two acts that I REALLY dug. However, the finale takes a BIG swing that just didn’t work for me and left me feeling underwhelmed.”

You can read some more early reactions below:

Meanwhile, Álvarez recently revealed to NME, he also had help from franchise father Ridley Scott, who directed the original.

After an initial meeting to discuss the “broad strokes” of the story, Scott was “really supportive”, the director said. He also shared a few pearls of wisdom, carefully gleaned from 50 years in the industry.

“He said the director should not be editorial all the time because you lose objectivity with your film,” revealed Alvarez. “If you can stop looking at it for a while and come back to it, you will make it so much better. So I did that during the [Christmas] holidays. I took a month off from the movie and went away and came back… That was great advice he gave me.”

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