Alien: Romulus

i had a random ass dude talking throughout the movie next to me and i still had a blast in this movie. getting the one negative out of the way, a bit too much fan-servicey things happen and some definitely missed the mark. now, alien: romulus is FANTASTIC. álvarez takes the franchise back to where it started and builds upon that foundation and excels. some may see that as playing it safe but i strongly disagree and there are some sequences that will have you gripping the armrest. spaeny is the standout as rain and matches, if not, exceeds ripley as a main protagonist. the thing i love about aliens is how james cameron managed to add heart to a violent and grim planet the survivors are trapped on. rain and the android, andy, have such a beautiful and heartfelt bond in this film and it significantly heightens the emotional core setting stakes for the audience. the original alien did an amazing job introducing and developing the crew members of the nostromo and the crew investigating the romulus bay is no different. no matter the screen time, not a single person felt completely safe and that only increased the anxiety. i keep comparing this film to the previous films because they represent what romulus is: a celebration of the franchise, honoring and building on what came before. the practical effects were absolutely insane and blew me away in how terrifying and real they felt. extremely gruesome and gory and some scenes had me flinching in my seat. don’t even get me started on the audio design and score. from the emptiness of space to acid melting through metal flooring, i felt so immersed in the theater. to keep this review from being too long, i’ll leave it at this: did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut? he said he needed some space.