Alien: Romulus

<em>'Alien: Romulus'</em> is actually very good. Of the more modern day releases from this franchise, this is the one I've enjoyed the most. When I was immediately coming out of the cinema I was just plainly thinking of it as being solidly good, however the more I think about it the more I had fun with this seventh installment. The plot, or at least the set-up to it, is quite uncreative, as in I feel like so many films - from this series included - have a crew make-up of similar people and similar characteristics/motivations; <em>'Crater'</em> and <em>'I.S.S.'</em> (both very good, don't get…

I gather director Fede Alvarez made a conscious - and probably expensive - decision to keep the use of CGI to a minimum here and it really does work. "Rain" (Cailee Spaeny) and her "brother" are looking to get off-planet but she can't get travel papers from the all-powerful mining company. Desperate, she and "Andy" (David Jonsson) are offered a chance by wide boys "Tyler" (Archie Renaux) and "Bjorn" (Spike Fearn) to raid a decrepit old spacecraft that appears to be in a decaying orbit, so they can pinch it's cryogenic pods and enable them all to escape to another planet out of reach of their…

Whilst not as awful as the Aliens franchise films that came after the excellent first and second films, starring Sigourney Weaver, Alien Romulus is not without its shortcomings. Whats immediately noticeable, in spite of the rugged, industrial setting, is a cast that look like they just escaped from the set of Beverly Hills 90210. Youthful, fresh faced, physically unimposing, with not a grease stain or blemish in sight, they feel badly out of place. If you can put the sense of disbelief regarding the casting aside (I couldn't) the actual story fares only marginally better. It feels like a…

Color me thoroughly surprised at how much I was delighted by “Alien: Romulus,” a highly creative, beautifully executed, pulse-pounding science fiction film from director Fede Alvarez. This sequel is a rare gem in the world of big budget franchise flicks because it not only respects its predecessors with thoughtfully well done homages, but also pushes the boundaries of the universe it inhabits with inventive set pieces and a plausible story. Fans of the series and the genre are in for a real treat. Going back to the roots of the “Alien” franchise, the film tells the story of a group of young…