Since Ridley Scott’s “Alien” in 1979, many movies have been released under the “Alien” franchise, all attempting to capture the essence of what made the original so iconic. These films have ranged from somewhat decent summer horror movies (“Alien 3”) to absolute cinematic disasters (“Aliens vs. Predators: Requiem”), but all had failed to satisfy the fanbase with a story that aligned with Scott’s original film. Yet, after the disastrous “Alien: Covenant” in 2017, “Alien: Romulus,” released in Korean theatres on Aug. 14, emerged as the movie sequel that took the series into a new direction.
The most apparent difference with the new movie “Alien: Romulus” is that it is R-rated but for a reason. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez, also director of “Don’t Breathe,” who is known for his frequent usage of cinematic gore and violence. The new movie is full of gory scenes, purposefully integrated to strengthen the “Alien” theme of the movie, such as the iconic scene when the Chestburster emerges from its host or when the Xenomorph hunts for its hosts. The rating is also partially explained by the highly sexual scenes in the movie, which are a byproduct of Álvarez’s attempt to portray the Xenomorph and its species as a natural organism just like any other animal on earth or even like humans. Scenes that portray the genitalia of Facehuggers and the Offspring, or the Xenomorph hatching from its genitalia-like egg all just show the biological process of how life is created, providing a level of grotesque admiration for the fictional alien species.
“I heard the movie was one of the greatest Alien movies released,” Chris Ahn (10), member of the SIS Film Club, said. “I watched it with my friends, and I enjoyed the original, yet very traditional Alien movie.”
However, for some, the movie felt predictable and unoriginal. For instance, many knew that the Facehuggers would hug someone’s face, and that the Chestbursters would burst out of someone’s chest. Thus, the recurring storyline of the movie was criticized by many movie watchers and famous film critics.
The lack of originality and the reliance on the original film raised concerns for the future of the “Alien” franchise as well, as many believed that there were no more aspects of the Xenomorph species that remained as a mystery. The movie also was heavily criticized by the movie industry for its use of artificial intelligence to reconstruct the face of Ian Holm, a deceased actor who played as a humanoid named Rook in the original movie.
“‘Alien: Romulus’ is a good movie not because it has a good story, but because it has great aspects of cinematography,” Alex Lee (12), student filmmaker selected for the National Film Festival Talented Youth ‘Bring On The Kids!’ category, said.
Yet, in a cinematic sense, the movie is shot beautifully, employing the retro-futuristic aesthetic. The CGI is especially great in “Alien: Romulus” because Álvarez purposefully decided to incorporate both CGI and the physical sets to increase the realism of the movie. For example, the colony Jackson star, which is where the movie begins, is not fully computer-generated, but is partially a physical set that was created for that scene. Also, the new movie gained a lot of attention online after the movie directors clarified that the Offspring was not CGI, but was actually played by Robert Bobroczkyi, a 7’7” college level basketball player. Finally, as a summer horror movie, the movie has multiple jump scares that are not generic and are actually able to make watchers jump in their seats.
“The movie is unique because it takes the old concepts of the Alien franchise and modernizes it to fit the current audience,” Andrew Ro (12), professional photographer, said. “From the movie posters and logo, the Alien franchise has been reborn through this new movie.”
Overall, “Alien: Romulus” is a perfect filler movie. The movie cleared up many of the logical fallacies of the series, while adding the Scott-ish aspects its prequel lacked. The movie alone is cinematically pleasing, and is the horror movie for this year’s summer. For “Alien” fans, the movie is a must watch.
