Does "Alien: Romulus" come anywhere close to the quality of the xenomorph's first two appearances? That depends on who you ask. The newest installment in the sci-fi saga is leaving some critics disappointed, while others are ready for more.
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00:00Does Alien Romulus come anywhere close to the quality of the Xenomorph's first two appearances?
00:06That depends on who you ask.
00:08The newest installment in the sci-fi saga is leaving some critics disappointed, while
00:12others are ready for more.
00:14The Alien movies have had their fair share of ups and downs, to say the least.
00:18While Ridley Scott's newer entries Prometheus and Alien Covenant have received their share
00:23of moderately positive attention, the first two films remain the franchise's brightest
00:28gems.
00:29Director Fede Alvarez's Alien Romulus promised a return to the horror roots of the 1979 original,
00:35and even though the first critic reviews have finally been released, it remains to be seen
00:39whether or not it actually manages to do so in a unique and engaging way.
00:45Many reviews are positive, but there's still enough division to leave thousands of longtime
00:49fans a bit nervous.
00:51"...Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
00:54"...Let's go."
00:55Some critics suggest that, even though Alien Romulus has plenty of merit as far as horror
00:59and inventiveness are concerned, it plays things a bit too safe on occasion.
01:04As Andrew J. Salazar of Discussing Film put it,
01:07"...Alien Romulus isn't trying to reinvent the wheel.
01:09Rather, Fede Alvarez puts his f----- up spin on a classic horror story with some truly
01:14marvelous visual storytelling."
01:16It's too nostalgic at times, but Fede has proved his worth for a trilogy.
01:20Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons also praised the film's most creative visuals while still
01:25finding their nostalgia moments underwhelming.
01:27In his words,
01:28"...Strong lead turns from Caley Spaney and David Johnson, but far too many homages and
01:33callbacks so it never truly forges its own identity."
01:36Solid watch overall.
01:38It appears that the film's clear references to its predecessors weren't so exciting for
01:42some reviewers.
01:43Brendan Hodges of Next Best Picture tweeted,
01:46Alien Romulus is mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some
01:51occasionally strong thrills.
01:53But in a franchise famous for its psychosexual weirdness, it's the safest, blandest, and
01:59most vapid the series has ever been.
02:01I did not love it.
02:03Those reviews aren't very impressive, but they're far from the only ones.
02:07Fans shouldn't completely lose hope, because other critics found themselves impressed by
02:11the ways in which Alien Romulus pays homage to the past while also moving in new directions.
02:16Shortney Howard of Variety and The A.V. Club posted,
02:19"...innovatively delivering smart, savvy stuff, subtly playing the greatest hits.
02:24Caley Spaney and David Johnson dominate.
02:27This rules!"
02:28Jermaine Lucia of io9 and Gizmodo had a similar opinion.
02:32He wrote,
02:33"...Alien Romulus is a bonkers rollercoaster ride to the previous six Alien movies, using
02:37bits of all of them to tell a focused, mostly standalone story filled with glorious gore
02:42and scares.
02:43It gets better as it goes along, ending with the phenomenal big swing of a third act."
02:48Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue also had nothing but praise for the movie and the horrors it
02:53brings, stating,
02:54"...Alien Romulus is the first time I have been terrified during one of the Alien movies.
02:59Caley Spaney's reign is the perfect character to follow on this journey, and through Fede
03:03Alvarez's twists and turns, you never really know where Romulus is headed.
03:07The third act is truly wild.
03:09I dig it."
03:10Lucia and Leishman weren't the only ones to highlight the movie's third act.
03:14Film critic Nico Caruso, MovieWeb's Richard Fink, and The Direct's Russ Milheim are just
03:19a few of the others who have praised Alien Romulus' endgame for its inventive horror.
03:24All in all, it seems that even purist fans of the first two movies may want to see what
03:28terrors Alien Romulus, and its final moments, hide.