"Alien: Romulus" is the most unique work in the series, with audacious strategies. *Note! Contains spoilers.

An unconventional approach that looks at the entire series

The opening of this film is clearly inspired by " Alien ." A small crew encounters an Alien in a closed space. Retro-futuristic technology. Dark visual texture. And a surprise appearance by an android of the same type as Ash (Ian Holm) from the first film.

However, as the story progresses, the action elements become more and more flashy, and the film develops in a way that is reminiscent of " Aliens. " As the time limit for the destruction of the space station approaches, the scene in which Rain returns to Romulus alone to rescue Andy, who has been left behind, clearly references " Aliens ," in which The Talented Mr. Ripley returns to the colony to rescue Newt, who has been kidnapped. By combining Part 1 and Part 2, which are considered to be some of the best in the series, " Alien: Romulus" aims to increase its strength as a movie.

Fede Alvarez actually received advice from Ridley Scott and James Cameron during production. The impressive use of Jerry Goldsmith's score for Part 1 and James Horner's score for Part 2 in the film is also a sign of respect for both works.

Alien: Romulus (c)2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Moreover, the motif of Kay giving birth to an Alien resonates with " Alien³ " in the sense that The Talented Mr. Ripley carries an Alien in her womb, and the human- Alien hybrid that appears at the end reminds us of the Newborn from " Alien 4 ". The black liquid extracted from the Alien is the Prometheus strain that appeared in " Prometheus " and " Alien : Covenant ". There are nods to other than Part 1 and Part 2.

Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and other eccentric filmmakers have proudly demonstrated their own artistic talents, but Fede Alvarez doesn't emphasize his own style, but instead uses the bold technique of serving different ingredients on one plate and looking down on the history of the series.

Alvarez's father, who had once seen a Quentin Tarantino film, asked, "What's new about this film?" His father was familiar with the exploitation films that Tarantino referenced, but Alvarez, who didn't know the history, found Tarantino's films very fresh. If he was going to revive "Alien" after 27 years, he must have calculated that a tribute-like approach would look fresh to younger audiences.

It is likely that "Alien" will release more new works in the near future. However, the forbidden technique of "taking all the good parts of the previous series" will never be able to be used again. "Alien: Romulus" is the most unique work in the series, with a bold strategy by "sequel movie master" Fede Alvarez.

(*1), (*2) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/21/neill-blomkamp-interview-demonic-chappie-alien

(*3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCX8nmQ0MxI

(*4) https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2024/03/21/fede-alvarez-alien-romulus-interview-round-up/

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who focuses on movies, music, and TV. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER" ( http://popmaster.jp/ ).

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"Alien: Romulus"

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Distribution: Walt Disney Japan

(c)2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.