Plot
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.
Cast
A mostly young cast of folks I barely or don't even know.
Spaeny was a passable lead and Jonsson was the stand out performer of the movie.
Verdict
I love xenomorphs, I don't always like the movies they're in however. In fact when creating my Aliens/Predator universe best to worst list I was alarmed at just how low the average ratings were and after the likes of Prometheus and Convenant I had little to no faith this would be good.
I often skip trailers as they spoil too much but as my expectations were already low I decided there'd be no harm and I'd likely not be rushing to watch it anyway. I was immediately concerned by the young cast, it just didn't work for me and I feared this would damage the movie further. Then I remembered I thought the same thing about the ill fated Willow (2022) and was proven wrong so kept an open mind going in.
The first thing you notice is the feeling that you're in that familiar Alien universe, it presents this exceptionally well. Then it builds up that familiar dread and does it fantastically well, a nice slow burn but doesn't leave it too late to deliver lots of xenomorph action.
The pacing is great, the delivery is mostly solid although I will argue that in a couple of places both the xeno's and facehuggers look a bit hokey.
The movie has several very memorable sequences and more intelligence than I expected, this was actually really quite good stuff and though flawed in areas most of it was entirely forgivable.
Sadly it presented us with a rather naff finale, it reminded me greatly of the end of Alien: Resurrection which a lot of fans of the series would rather forget. It didn't kill the film for me but it certainly damaged it.
Alien Romulus fell as the 3rd best movie from the Alien/Predator series, I enjoyed it and am now looking forward to more which I haven't been able to say for a very longtime.
Rants
So let's talk about that line, that iconic line from Alien (1986) which for some reason they decided to replicate here. Now I'm all for fan service, in many instances I think it's needed and can certainly benefit a movie. I mean after all Deadpool & Wolverine was almost entirely fan service! But there's a time and a place and sometimes it's so poorly done or unnecessary it pulls you out of the illusion and reminds you that you're watching a movie and the line in question here is an example. The sad thing is which made it so much worse is which character they had deliver it! It felt so out of character, it just felt forced, awkward and I have no idea why someone thought that would be a good idea.
The Good
Some great cast members especially Jonsson
A few great moments
Really feels like an Alien movie
Very tense stuff
Mostly well made
The Bad
A few bits look hokey
That line!
A few week cast members
I didn't like the Ian Holm element
Poor finale.
