Alien: Romulus
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While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
What critics thought
Romulus lands as a solidly effective horror-thriller that most critics found scarier and more viscerally satisfying than recent franchise entries, though the gap between its strong press reception and more measured critical enthusiasm elsewhere signals real disagreement about its depth. Cailee Spaeny's lead performance and the film's claustrophobic craft drew consistent praise, but detractors argued that Fede Álvarez prioritizes punishment over character, delivering jolts without the soul that made the originals endure. The near-universal flash point was the digital resurrection of the late Ian Holm — condemned across the spectrum as ghoulish and unnecessary, and widely regarded as the film's most serious unforced error.
“one of the best Alien sequels... It delivers the slimy creep-out goods in a way that none of the last three Alien films have.”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“The director would rather torture his cast than develop their characters. There's nothing inherently wrong with that trade-off, but Álvarez doesn't satisfy the first half of the equation well enough to justify his disregard for the second. High on jolts [...] and low on more probing scares, Romulus isn't nearly inventive enough to forefront its slaughter at the expense of its soul.”
David Ehrlich·Indiewire
“a film engineered mostly to provide some basic genre thrills and keep the IP alive so that the now-Disney-owned Fox can generate more Alien movies.... Alien: Romulus is diverting enough, but it's also instantly forgettable—something I don't think I've ever said about any other Alien film, good or bad.”
Bilge Ebiri·Vulture
“a queasily misguided choice”
Wendy Ide·The Guardian
“impressive, however, especially in how it looks like a new movie but is simpatico with the tech of the 1979 original”
Jordan Hoffman·Entertainment Weekly
Accolades
Genres
Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Fede ÁlvarezDirector
Cailee SpaenyRain
David JonssonAndy
Archie RenauxTyler
Isabela MercedKay
Spike FearnBjorn
Aileen WuNavarro
Rosie EdeWY Officer
Robert BobroczkyiOffspring
Trevor NewlinXenomorph
Benjamin WallfischComposer
Rodo SayaguesWriter
Galo OlivaresCinematographyAlien: Romulus
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
What critics thought
Romulus lands as a solidly effective horror-thriller that most critics found scarier and more viscerally satisfying than recent franchise entries, though the gap between its strong press reception and more measured critical enthusiasm elsewhere signals real disagreement about its depth. Cailee Spaeny's lead performance and the film's claustrophobic craft drew consistent praise, but detractors argued that Fede Álvarez prioritizes punishment over character, delivering jolts without the soul that made the originals endure. The near-universal flash point was the digital resurrection of the late Ian Holm — condemned across the spectrum as ghoulish and unnecessary, and widely regarded as the film's most serious unforced error.
“one of the best Alien sequels... It delivers the slimy creep-out goods in a way that none of the last three Alien films have.”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“The director would rather torture his cast than develop their characters. There's nothing inherently wrong with that trade-off, but Álvarez doesn't satisfy the first half of the equation well enough to justify his disregard for the second. High on jolts [...] and low on more probing scares, Romulus isn't nearly inventive enough to forefront its slaughter at the expense of its soul.”
David Ehrlich·Indiewire
“a film engineered mostly to provide some basic genre thrills and keep the IP alive so that the now-Disney-owned Fox can generate more Alien movies.... Alien: Romulus is diverting enough, but it's also instantly forgettable—something I don't think I've ever said about any other Alien film, good or bad.”
Bilge Ebiri·Vulture
“a queasily misguided choice”
Wendy Ide·The Guardian
“impressive, however, especially in how it looks like a new movie but is simpatico with the tech of the 1979 original”
Jordan Hoffman·Entertainment Weekly
Accolades
Genres
Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Fede ÁlvarezDirectorCailee SpaenyRainDavid JonssonAndyArchie RenauxTylerIsabela MercedKaySpike FearnBjornAileen WuNavarroRosie EdeWY OfficerRobert BobroczkyiOffspringTrevor NewlinXenomorphBenjamin WallfischComposerRodo SayaguesWriterGalo OlivaresCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy