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The 1st full-length for Alien: Romulus is finally here, proving there’s plenty of gory life left in the spacefaring horror franchise.
In the distant future where humanity has evolved to travel through space, a group of young scavengers come across a deserted space station. But they soon find out that life still exists in this desolate place: in the form of terrifying chestbursters and facehuggers. The heroes, led by Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her android half-brother (David Jonsson), are soon forced into a battle against the most dangerous life forms in the universe.
Alien: Romulus (2024) – source: 20th Century Studios
The 1st trailer for Alien: Romulus feels like a confident return to the franchise’s Z-grade horror roots. With recent entries panned for their over-focus on worldbuilding and cerebral tone, new director Fede Alvarez brings a fresh coat of pulpy blood-red paint to an old formula.
The trailer focuses primarily on the film’s visuals, which feel decidedly more dynamic and brightly-colored than previous installments. Fans hoping for a new iconic hero a la Ellen Ripley will be disappointed, with the human protagonists looking & sounding almost laughably generic. However, this trailer’s pacing makes an emphatic statement that this movie is a visual feast first, and a coherent plot second.
While facehuggers and chest bursters no longer feel novel, Alien: Romulus feels like the first film that truly aims to advance the style of these creatures. Imaginative sequences including a lit-up chestburster fighting to escape a human corpse immediately burn into the viewer’s skull, proving there may still be potential for these old horror icons to traumatize a brand new generation.
Alien: Romulus will be released theatrically in the US on August 16th, 2024. The movie stars Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson.
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