For everything "Alien: Romulus" gets right, it's not quite perfect. And one surprise character has some fans actually angry. Major spoilers ahead!
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00:00For everything Alien Romulus gets right, it's not quite perfect,
00:04and one surprise character has some fans actually angry. Major spoilers ahead.
00:09Judging by the early reviews, it's clear that director Fede Alvarez's Alien Romulus has proved
00:14to be worthy of its spot in the Alien movie saga. However, even with tension that's as
00:20tight as a facehugger's grip and the gut-churning horror that comes with it,
00:24there's one major plot point and surprise appearance of a legendary Alien cast member
00:28that will turn your stomach more than any Xenomorph could.
00:31Upon sneaking aboard Remus to get the gear they need,
00:34Reign and crew come across Rook, a decimated Hyperdyne Systems 120A2 android that's fallen
00:40victim to whatever chaos erupted before our heroes arrived. Die-hard fans need only see
00:45the blue button-down uniform and white undershirt to know that this is the same model as the
00:50treacherous Ash, the android that tried to kill Ripley and return the cargo to the company in
00:54the original 1979 film.
00:57How do we kill it, Ash?
00:59There's gotta be a way of killing it. How?
01:01How do we do it?
01:03You can't.
01:05While understandable to a point, the inclusion of this particular model creates a minefield
01:10that Alvarez dares to tread through, and since the original actor Ian Holm died in 2020,
01:15it leads to yet another deepfake of a deceased actor. In this instance,
01:18it's not as bad as some might make it out to be, but it's not good, either.
01:22Things get off to a promising start with Rook's introduction. Discovered face-down in a familiar
01:27milky-white fluid with exposed noodles from his torso, the crew lifts him up to reveal Ian Holm's
01:32unmistakable side profile steeped in shadow, confirming what model of android we're about
01:37to meet. That ultimately is as much as we should have seen of him. In a film that spends most of
01:42its time in darkness, with only hazard lights lighting up cramped rooms or the glow of outer
01:46space filling up long corridors, there's no reason that Rook couldn't have been kept more out of
01:50sight. Not only would it have actually been more respectful of the late actor, but it would have
01:54sent the audience's stress levels up a notch and kept them there. As it was shot, it feels like
01:59fanservice gone too far. It's especially distracting in a film that prides itself on another approach
02:04that could have helped here — practical effects. Relying wholly on animatronics would have provided
02:09the perfect range of motion for an older android that isn't exactly in the best shape.
02:14Well, that explains it, and the A2s always were a bit twitchy.
02:17Instead, the unfortunate result is that people are comparing it to Star Wars. Peter Cushing,
02:21Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill were all Star Wars legends that got the CGI treatment in recent
02:26movies. And even though it could be argued that the technology has improved since they returned
02:31to the saga, the inclusion of George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Helen Slater as Superman
02:35and Supergirl in The Flash proved the code to properly using it still hadn't been cracked.
02:40The most frustrating thing about all of this, however, is that Romulus has all the tools
02:44required to perfect this not-so-magic trick Hollywood continues to try,
02:48but uses none of them the way it should. Instead of keeping the focus on Rook,
02:52Alien Romulus could have simply looked to what worked best in the previous Alien films — keep
02:57its audience in the dark as much as possible. On the other hand, a little more damage to the
03:02android could have solved the problem. Even after the likes of David, Ash, and Bishop have been
03:06torn apart, they're still a little bit functional. With that in mind, the Romulus android could have
03:10taken a bit more of a pounding, to the point where Rook's face only partly resembled Holmes'.
03:15It also could have permitted for even more modulation on Rook's voice to further disguise it.
03:20That wouldn't have been a stretch, by any means.
03:22"...bring back life form. Priority one. All other priorities rescinded."
03:29Ultimately, throwing the wrecked android into the film's mix really is a logical
03:33and essential story beat, but it's one that ultimately ends up feeling more hollow than it
03:37should.