Sci-Fi Alien: Romulus (2024)

[Lily Adler]

I didn't really get the "back to basics" vibe from Romulus at all frankly. It felt like AI written DLC for Alien Isolation. Damn near everything that happens once they get to the space station is a half-assed callback to a previous film. Prey did it better on almost every level.

If only Scott didn't chicken out on Covenant.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

If only Scott didn't chicken out on Covenant.

I don't know what Covenant was originally supposed to be, but it's probably better than what we got. Id like to see Ridleys third prequel, but I'm likely in the minority

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I didn't really get the "back to basics" vibe from Romulus at all frankly. It felt like AI written DLC for Alien Isolation. Damn near everything that happens once they get to the space station is a half-assed callback to a previous film. Prey did it better on almost every level.

The birthing pod for Xenomorph to grow to full size was new. The 'hot room' scene with the face huggers was also as we never knew they reacted to heat and stress and the zero G acid sequence was also new. Even the aim assist on the pulse rifle was new for the franchise. And while the hybrid creature in theory wasn't new, the creature itself was, as well as Kay giving birth to it. The movie had plenty of callbacks to previous movies but also plenty of new stuff also, that's why people liked it.

It was also IMO good to see a fully functioning terraforming site which had been mentioned in other movies but only really scene in a quick deleted scene from Aliens. As a fan of Prometheus (not so much Covanent) I appreciated the callbacks to that movie also.

 

[Zantera]

Feels like the next one also crossing over with the Prometheus/Covenant story wouldn't be that surprising though? Sure some might be speculation but if I read tomorrow that Fassbender joins the cast of the next one, it wouldn't surprise me.

I'm very mixed on the Ridley prequel movies though. Some ideas are cool but I don't think we needed backstory on the creature (the less known the better) and both Prometheus and Covenant have most of the stupid deaths in them. Covenant in particular, the whole sequence around the backburster with multiple people slipping on blood and one of them blowing up the ship could be set to Looney Tunes music.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

The birthing pod for Xenomorph to grow to full size was new. The 'hot room' scene with the face huggers was also as we never knew they reacted to heat and stress and the zero G acid sequence was also new. Even the aim assist on the pulse rifle was new for the franchise. And while the hybrid creature in theory wasn't new, the creature itself was, as well as Kay giving birth to it. The movie had plenty of callbacks to previous movies but also plenty of new stuff also, that's why people liked it.

It was also IMO good to see a fully functioning terraforming site which had been mentioned in other movies but only really scene in a quick deleted scene from Aliens. As a fan of Prometheus (not so much Covanent) I appreciated the callbacks to that movie also.

This stuff is superficial at best and reads like you're grasping at straws. The zero G sequence in particular looked like crap and I found it unintentionally funny. Its also lifted from Alien inspired games like Dead Space and Prey (Arkane.)

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

This stuff is superficial at best and reads like you're grasping at straws. The zero G sequence in particular looked like crap and I found it unintentionally funny. Its also lifted from Alien inspired games like Dead Space and Prey (Arkane.)

This is all just your opinion. All of those sequences have been praised by reviewers and fans who liked the movie, of which they were many judging by the box office.

You didn't like the movie and that's fine. But don't try and tell other people they're wrong for liking it. Plenty of people didn't play those games including me and to many the zero G sequence looked great. Hence why it's been praised by critics and fans alike.

 

[Zantera]

Almost everything they did with the facehuggers was new. Never really had a set piece around multiple facehuggers coming at people before. That corridor scene also used them in a way never done before. The zero gravity also hadn't been done in an Alien movie before. And while you can scoff at it and say "they do that in any other franchise" it was still new for the Alien films.

At the end of the day it's the 9th movie featuring these creatures and how much new ground breaking do you really expect? If you want to dismiss several of the key set pieces as being superficial and not anything special then apply that same reasoning to the other films and you can make the same argument there.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Almost everything they did with the facehuggers was new. Never really had a set piece around multiple facehuggers coming at people before. That corridor scene also used them in a way never done before. The zero gravity also hadn't been done in an Alien movie before. And while you can scoff at it and say "they do that in any other franchise" it was still new for the Alien films.

At the end of the day it's the 9th movie featuring these creatures and how much new ground breaking do you really expect? If you want to dismiss several of the key set pieces as being superficial and not anything special then apply that same reasoning to the other films and you can make the same argument there.

Yep, at their base level every movie has borrowed something from another. The guy praises Prey, a great film, but it didn't do anything new with franchise apart from the setting. It's more than plausible to say both movies went back to basics and were successful for it.

 

[CB Fan]

Yup nothing wrong with a well done back to basics film. It serves as a jumping on point for new audiences and allows the older one to remember what they loved most about the franchise. I’m pretty much in the new audience as I hadn’t seen Alien or Aliens before last year though I had seen Prometheus and Covenant. My first Alien anything was the non canon AVP.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

This is all just your opinion. All of those sequences have been praised by reviewers and fans who liked the movie, of which they were many judging by the box office.

You didn't like the movie and that's fine. But don't try and tell other people they're wrong for liking it. Plenty of people didn't play those games including me and to many the zero G sequence looked great. Hence why it's been praised by critics and fans alike.

Not picking on you specifically, but I don't really about how successful a film is at the box office. There's plenty of dog **** out there that makes money. It's one of the weakest defenses I've seen on this forums over the years.

I'm not saying you're wrong for liking the movie but you're examples of new elements are incredibly weak.

The difference between this and Prey is changing time period and setting actually offers something new in terms of how would an ancient culture handle this type of technological advanced alien and how far has their alien tech come along between then and now. The callbacks in it feel more organic like the script was written by an actual human.

All Romulus does is ask whether or not you remember the other films for 90 minutes. If feels like the studio crammed every Alien movie into an AI and had it **** out a script then hired a real director to cover it up. It being the 7th main film is no excuse either considering other media has been telling better stories set in this franchise for decades now. They just can't seem to do it with the film franchise anymore. Too much money and corporate politics involved, I suppose.

I also don't think its the worst film in the franchise. Resurrection and Covenant definitely take home that title, but it's definitely the blandest in my opinion.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Not picking on you specifically, but I don't really about how successful a film is at the box office. There's plenty of dog **** out there that makes money. It's one of the weakest defenses I've seen on this forums over the years.

I'm not saying you're wrong for liking the movie but you're examples of new elements are incredibly weak.

The difference between this and Prey is changing time period and setting actually offers something new in terms of how would an ancient culture handle this type of technological advanced alien and how far has their alien tech come along between then and now. The callbacks in it feel more organic like the script was written by an actual human.

All Romulus does is ask whether or not you remember the other films for 90 minutes. If feels like the studio crammed every Alien movie into an AI and had it **** out a script then hired a real director to cover it up. It being the 7th main film is no excuse either considering other media has been telling better stories set in this franchise for decades now. They just can't seem to do it with the film franchise anymore. Too much money and corporate politics involved, I suppose.

I also don't think its the worst film in the franchise. Resurrection and Covenant definitely take home that title, but it's definitely the blandest in my opinion.

Covenant flopped, so Romulus making the money it did showed that it brought fans back on side. That's the story of the box office. This franchise was in the doldrums after Covenant and Romulus has brought it back.

You say the new elements are weak, yet both critics' and fans alike praised them. That doesn't scream incredibly weak to me. It seems you didn't like the movie and can't accept that others did. David as a character was something new for the franchise also, and he was another thing that was highly praised.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Romulus delivered everything I want out of an Alien film. Horror + Action amusement park ride.

Sure they could've thrown in robot vs. robot like in Covenant, but that's not what I'm really there for. Scott was trying to make the Alien franchise increasingly into like bizarro space Blade Runner with too much worldbuilding and not enough 'ride'. And he's just not that good of a director anymore, The Martian (based on a book) notwithstanding.

 

[Sithborg]

From what I've seen, the reception lies in a large part with how into the Aliens franchise you are. The bigger the fan, the bigger the callbacks took you out.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

From what I've seen, the reception lies in a large part with how into the Aliens franchise you are. The bigger the fan, the bigger the callbacks took you out.

Aliens is my favourite movie ever. I was 4 years old when it came out and about 6 when I finally watched it. I am a pretty big fan of the franchise and have been for years. And I loved Romulus. It's exactly what the franchise needed after Covenant.

 

[Zantera]

I do think the sequel has a tougher job ahead though. It's one thing to follow up 20 years of very mixed reception Alien films by making a 'back to basics' horror movie again. Now you've played that hand and whether you liked or disliked Romulus I think it's fair to say just doing the same thing again won't work. So they gotta find a good balance of not repeating earlier mistakes of the franchise that scarred people, but they also have to find some unique new nugget of storytelling to make it a story worth telling.

A recurring problem with the franchise is that even though every movie ends with the alien(s) dead and our heroes getting the F out of there, we still gotta bring those characters back into contact with the same creatures in the next film.

 

[TheVileOne]

The constant callbacks were the worst part of Romulus for me, especially someone saying, "Get away from her, you blank."

That line being in there was bad and made no sense. Also, they literally ripped off the ending from Alien Resurrection. One of the most hated installments of the franchise, so it's ironic that more people like this one.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

The constant callbacks were the worst part of Romulus for me, especially someone saying, "Get away from her, you blank."

That line being in there was bad and made no sense. Also, they literally ripped off the ending from Alien Resurrection. One of the most hated installments of the franchise, so it's ironic that more people like this one.

I think Romulus did it better.

Also, Alien 3 might be the most hated...or they're both the most hated for different reasons.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Covenant flopped, so Romulus making the money it did showed that it brought fans back on side. That's the story of the box office. This franchise was in the doldrums after Covenant and Romulus has brought it back.

You say the new elements are weak, yet both critics' and fans alike praised them. That doesn't scream incredibly weak to me. It seems you didn't like the movie and can't accept that others did. David as a character was something new for the franchise also, and he was another thing that was highly praised.

Again, still don't give a **** about the box office. All that tells me is the general audience just wants memberry pie out of this franchise.

Say what you will about the prequels, but they at least tried to have their own ideas and left David in an interesting place to pick up from. All this film did was ask "hey remember the alien franchise?" Yes, I do because its readily available to me on Disney + at any given moment.

From what I've seen, the reception lies in a large part with how into the Aliens franchise you are. The bigger the fan, the bigger the callbacks took you out.

Alien is my favorite sci-fi franchise and the callbacks just made it feel like a studio produced fan film. I've went down some fairly dire paths with this franchise over the years but corporate Disney cynicism is a bridge too far for me.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

The audience has certain expectations out of these Alien and Predator movies and I think the 20th Century division has done a very good start with both.

Maybe the Alien: Earth TV show they’re working on will be more to those who a want a drama out of the franchise’s liking since they have a lot more time to work with than a movie.

FX’s “Alien: Earth” Launching Series of Immersive Experiences Starting with SXSW Event

The Alien franchise is heading to the small screen for the very first time with FX’s highly anticipated “Alien: Earth,” and that anticipation is only going to grow with the launch of three immersive experiences leading up to the Summer 2025 premiere, starting with SXSW. “Alien: Earth” is...

bloody-disgusting.com

 

[Sithborg]

Again, still don't give a **** about the box office. All that tells me is the general audience just wants memberry pie out of this franchise.

Say what you will about the prequels, but they at least tried to have their own ideas and left David in an interesting place to pick up from. All this film did was ask "hey remember the alien franchise?" Yes, I do because its readily available to me on Disney + at any given moment.


Alien is my favorite sci-fi franchise and the callbacks just made it feel like a studio produced fan film. I've went down some fairly dire paths with this franchise over the years but corporate Disney cynicism is a bridge too far for me.

As if Evil Dead wasn't as bad?

 

[Drizzle]

Say what you will about the prequels, but they at least tried to have their own ideas and left David in an interesting place to pick up from. All this film did was ask "hey remember the alien franchise?" Yes, I do because its readily available to me on Disney + at any given moment.

I'll give you Prometheus but Covenant goes off the rails and deep into memberberry pie territory in the third act when it becomes a condensed version of the original film. Everything with David and Walter is the most interesting aspect of the film but it's not enough to save it.

That said, I've made it clear in this thread more than once that I think the next sequel should merge the Romulus plotline with David's thread from Covenant. He was too good of a character to fizzle out like that. He deserves a proper ending.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I'll give you Prometheus but Covenant goes off the rails and deep into memberberry pie territory in the third act when it becomes a condensed version of the original film. Everything with David and Walter is the most interesting aspect of the film but it's not enough to save it.

That said, I've made it clear in this thread more than once that I think the next sequel should merge the Romulus plotline with David's thread from Covenant. He was too good of a character to fizzle out like that. He deserves a proper ending.

I honestly hate David and Walter. I don't need Alien meets Blade Runner.

 

[Drizzle]

I honestly hate David and Walter. I don't need Alien meets Blade Runner.

To each their own. I thought an android trying to play God was a fascinating aspect of Prometheus and Covenant.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Again, still don't give a **** about the box office. All that tells me is the general audience just wants memberry pie out of this franchise.

Say what you will about the prequels, but they at least tried to have their own ideas and left David in an interesting place to pick up from. All this film did was ask "hey remember the alien franchise?" Yes, I do because its readily available to me on Disney + at any given moment.

That's fine if you don't give a **** about box office. But it IS a good indicator of how popular a movie is when it shows good legs and is coming off the previous movie which wasn't well received and flopped. It's much harder to get audiences back when that happens and Romulus did that. Plenty of better sequel's have flopped because the reception to the previous movie was poor.

I thought Covenant was just a poor movie in general. And the finale was just your typical Alien finale of thinking they had escaped only for another Xeno to show up and needing to blast it into space. Romulus actually made me like Covenant a bit more as the former showed David didn't create the Xenomorph like Covenant heavily implied.

Again, Romulus did a few new things along with the memberberries but you shoot that down.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

To each their own. I thought an android trying to play God was a fascinating aspect of Prometheus and Covenant.

Yeah, great concept for Blade Runner, not Alien.