Andy: The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space
Synopsis
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.. Director Fede Alvarez explains the rule he set on Alien: Romulus that "if it can be practical, it will be practical," so that the cast were always acting opposite a physical representation of the xenomorph.. Director Fede Alvarez sought out the special effects crew from Alien 2 (1986) to work on the creatures. Physical sets, practical creatures, and miniatures were used wherever possible to help ground later VFX work.. When Rain turns off the ship’s gravity and shoots all the aliens, all their blood is suspended in midair in long, smear like patterns . Zero gravity in real life causes liquids to form into sphere shapes, not spread out into long, flat pieces like in the movie.. The 20th Century Studios fanfare freezes and turns ominous, as in Alien 3 (1992), leading into the film's opening scene.
okay, I guess?
The logo itself suffers a burst of static and turns green.. Featured in Nerdrotic: The Acolyte: Force is Female CONFIRMED? The Death of Theaters – The Real BBC @MauLer @HeelvsBabyface (2024). Theme from AlienWritten by Jerry Goldsmith. A few hours after coming out of the theater and I’m not sure what to make of this. It was… It felt like Fedy Alvarez examined the production of each of the previous films, and every left-over idea from them was thrown finally to the screen, along with rehashing the core components of the franchise.
Been there, done that
You have pieces from Alien, Aliens, Resurrection, and Prometheus/Covenant. For a fan of the series, there are subtle and not-so-subtle easter eggs every few minutes, from sound effects to reused dialogue. The plot is really simple, as it should be. A group of people exploring a space station. However, I really liked the use of temperature and gravity in this film, those were something not seen much in this universe. And there were plenty of jump scares. I’m not usually a fan of those, but this time they worked well.
Aesthetically pleasing, if you like this kind of look
The two lead actors were pretty good, the rest rather forgettable. And not sure what to make of the beyond-the-grave role of one actor…The world is great. Forget the sleek and clean world of Prometheus, this is back to the ugly 70s retro futuristic stuff. Simply lovely. Finally, however, it does feel like there is really nowhere for this franchise to go in terms of story. I wouldn’t call it artistically bankrupt, but it is close. While this film tied neatly together the "proper" Alien films and the new Prometheus sidestep, it is hard to think what more to make of this creature.
More stand-alone films?
Nearly all the mystery has been stripped from the Xenomorph. I do wonder, is there anything left to do with this creature? The final season of "What We Do in the Shadows" is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month. Check out our October calendar for more!