ALIEN: ROMULUS | Spoiler Discussion Thread | ***SPOILERS***

[MOVIEGUY]

On 8/14/2024 at 2:43 PM, Youngstar said:

I will preface this by saying I'm new to the franchise and have only seen Alien and Aliens (though I do know some stuff about the other ones).

I really loved this movie. Just a great time. Sure some unessary callbacks, but whatever. I didn't even notice that the damaged synthetic had the same face as the guy in Alien 1. (which probably proofs that they could have just used a new actor.)

 

I can definitely see this being more appealing to someone newer to the franchise. I've a big fan of the series for a long time and personally a lot of the callbacks felt tacky and in the case of some of the familiar setpieces, felt a bit "been there, done it" but yeah if you're not catching all that stuff then it's not gonna bother you (also I'm glad you liked it and I hope I'm not coming off as a judge-y snob lol)

 

I wanted to like this more. I actually quite liked the setup on the colony, that's when it felt the most like it's own movie. Andy is another great android in this series. The first facehugger sequence was very good and the most effectively tense part of the movie. After that it just becomes an action thrillride / slasher, which is decent fun for the most part but I think Fede Alvarez works best when he's in his horror bag.

 

Also should've been a lot gorier and nastier. The birth scene got a good reaction out of me but The First Omen already topped that earlier this year. 

 

Isabela Merced though👌Looking forward to her in The Last of Us, she'll make a great Dina.

[lorddemaxus]

13 minutes ago, MOVIEGUY said:

Isabela Merced though👌Looking forward to her in The Last of Us, she'll make a great Dina.

Her hair+makeup in this would work pretty well for Dina. Also chemistry between her and Spaeney in this reminded me of Ellie and Dina a little.

[JohnnyGossamer]

This was fun enough. But, pretty forgettable. Oh, well. Until the next Aliens prequel/sequel that gets us all hyped. Guess we'll never learn.

Edited August 16 by JohnnyGossamer

[TomThomas]

2 hours ago, lorddemaxus said:

Her hair+makeup in this would work pretty well for Dina. Also chemistry between her and Spaeney in this reminded me of Ellie and Dina a little.

Spaeney should've been Ellie in the first place and she can still do it because she still looks like a teenager. Too bad they chose who they chose.

Edited August 16 by TomThomas

[JimmyB]

I have to agree it was a fine sequel but forgettable.  I'd put it on par with Alien Covenant.    

 

The giant alien-engineer thing at the end was just giving flashbacks to the ending of Prometheus.  It looked like an engineer IMO.

 

I didnt hate Rook. I thought it looked really good at times and really bad at other times.  IDK, if Ian Holm's estate signs off on it and they get a nice paycheck out of it, I dont really care.  I agree with the other comment that it could have been a face mask on some actor with burn makeup and that'd of work.

 

Overall, 6/10.  

[Claire of Themyscira]

I enjoyed it a lot, it's not a perfect movie though.

 

But, it was such an experience to watch in theaters. A lot of what the fuck moments from me, I was on the edge of my seat a lot. Not every decision will be received well, but I enjoyed the swings.

The two leads were strong actors, but I expected Cailee to do well. Glad to see her prove me right! Isabela was kinda a standout. That scream? Golden. She could be a scream queen! Definitely had the nastiest scene in the movie.

 

Like...she was going THROUGH it the whole movie. My biggest gripe is Ian Holm. I feel there was a way to do this without the blatant CGI which stood out as poorly done.

Didn't mind the bitch line!

[JohnnyGossamer]

8 minutes ago, JimmyB said:

I have to agree it was a fine sequel but forgettable.  I'd put it on par with Alien Covenant.    

 

The giant alien-engineer thing at the end was just giving flashbacks to the ending of Prometheus.  It looked like an engineer IMO.

 

I didnt hate Rook. I thought it looked really good at times and really bad at other times.  IDK, if Ian Holm's estate signs off on it and they get a nice paycheck out of it, I dont really care.  I agree with the other comment that it could have been a face mask on some actor with burn makeup and that'd of work.

 

Overall, 6/10.  

Wasn't it supposed to look like the engineers because of the black goo she injected herself with to stay alive? Thought that was intentional.

 

But, yeah, this was essentially a greatest hits compilation with nothing new whatsoever to offer and, aside from maybe 3, easily the least interesting cast in any Alien film. Just completely forgettable stuff from everyone outside the two leads. 

 

It's weird that Prometheus is actually aging far better with each passing sequel in this franchise. Hell, even Resurrection is aging better because the kills are so memorable in that one especially how creative the death of the hybrid is there colored to how dull the death of the hybrid was here.

Edited August 16 by JohnnyGossamer

[Gavin Feng]

It's fine for me. Again, I do think it's Rogue One thing. A team of rookies get killed one by one with some references and CGI old character... I really think Disney has found a formula.

[ddddeeee]

23 hours ago, ViewerAnon said:

When the electro alien caught Cailee Spainy in the elevator I had a split second kinda horrified/kinda excited thought: “Did the black goo turn Isabella Merced into an alien and now there’s a good alien???”

Same, and this was the only time I really perked up during this.

 

I liked the opening set-up. The planet was cool, the sets were excellent and I thought it had a lot of promise.

 

Then the rest happened.

 

Making a greatest hits of the Alien franchise does not work because all the movies are so different. This moves between homaging a shreddingly suspenseful horror movie and an edge-of-your-seat action thriller without truly committing to either. It's not scary, and it's not exciting. And, as mentioned before, the 'wild' ending is straight from Resurrection/Prometheus/Alien Covenant.

 

I'm a Fede fan, and I can only hope that his work here is a 'one for them' and a means to get out of director jail. I hope the movie does well for his sake, but while competently made, this is really just a bit... lame. It's the first Alien movie that's not weird, and that made me sad.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

On 8/14/2024 at 7:29 PM, CaptainJackSparrow said:

As somebody who is a big fan of the original Alien and Prometheus, the spoilers I've read have excited me! I can't wait to see the movie tomorrow!

Yep, I enjoyed the movie!

[CoolioD1]

idk I thought it was kind of a banger. all of the set pieces were well done and I loved the android character in this one. It really did feel like an Alien Isolation movie at times. I'm not a fan service guy but I didn't mind the nods I didn't really feel like any of them got in the way or anything.

 

Alien Resurrection had a better human/xenomorph hybrid though that guy was a gross little cutie pie. 

 

[Claire of Themyscira]

56 minutes ago, CoolioD1 said:

idk I thought it was kind of a banger. all of the set pieces were well done and I loved the android character in this one. It really did feel like an Alien Isolation movie at times. I'm not a fan service guy but I didn't mind the nods I didn't really feel like any of them got in the way or anything.

 

Alien Resurrection had a better human/xenomorph hybrid though that guy was a gross little cutie pie. 

 

I got Alien: Isolation vibes too! Ugh, kinggg.

[eddyxx]

I don’t care this movie ripped off the end of Alien:Resurrection. I enjoyed it!

[Krissykins]

I enjoyed this too, thoughts in the non spoiler thread.

 

one thing though: stop de-ageing. It always looks pathetic and takes you out of the film. 

[SnokesLegs]

Massive Alien series fan here and while I concede that it does feel a bit ‘Alien: Greatest Hits’ at times and it’s obviously nowhere near Alien/Aliens, I did feel like it did just about enough of its own thing to stand apart. I didn’t think it was as thematically lacking as some have said either, it still had the whole “young people struggling to survive because of the mistakes of an older generation” thing going on, which is relevant to today, and I liked the mining colony stuff. Also really liked the use of facehuggers in this, particularly the part where they raise the temperature to avoid being spotted.

 

David Jonsson was great as well, definitely the standout character and I liked seeing an Alien film which was almost from the perspective of the android (also if you’ve not seen him in Rye Lane, give it a watch, he’s fantastic). Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced were also good, although the others were pretty forgettable.

 

My main gripe is definitely the CGI Ian Holm which wasn’t necessary at all and I highly doubt he would have consented to it, it just came across as distractingly ghoulish. Hollywood needs to stop doing this with people who have passed away, its not cool, it’s just disrespectful. The “get away from her you bitch” line was forced as hell too and out of character for Andy to say it, although it seemed to get a reaction from the crowd so I’m probably in a minority.

 

Overall though, a step in the right direction after two divisive prequels, but I’m glad they didn’t completely abandon the Prometheus stuff, so that was a pleasant surprise to see the black goo pop up. 
 

Oh, also, bonus points for doing the Alien 3 extended chord thing with the 20th Century Studios opening fanfare, I always loved that.

Edited August 17 by SnokesLegs

[Cmasterclay]

Eh. Something about it felt kind of....lifeless. It's certainly not bad or anything. Well-shot and well-acted, really liked the two leads. Some of the early worldbuilding and the sets and stuff are excellent. Liked the first 45 minutes quite a bit. But once it gets going, it just feels very lifeless to me. Not scary, not particularly well-blocked or staged. It's not bad or anything at all. It's just....fine? Idk. I feel out of place in this thread because I liked the first 45 minutes much MORE than the other stuff.

[Prometheus]

I loved it. Sure it’s nothing new but you can’t please all Alien fans anyway. I hope a sequel is announced. 

[Mojoguy]

Fantastic 1st half turned into an okay 2nd half. Great production values and effects for a Hulu film. Only Rain and Andy mattered, the rest were just there to die.

 

They might have gone too far into the greatest hits things with the call backs. I sat there in disbelief when the andriod straight up quoted a line from A2.

 

Bad idea to have GCI Ian Holm, so distracting. Didn't like how they brought back the dumb newborn hybrid idea from Resurrection for the climax, should have done something else. Dora the explorer gave birth to a mutant baby!

 

Overall it was entertaining which is a huge win for any Alien sequel after Aliens.

[Morieris]

18 hours ago, MOVIEGUY said:

I can definitely see this being more appealing to someone newer to the franchise.

 

This is me; I saw Alien, AvP, and Prometheus, the middle which I saw as a child and the latter I didn't know was part of this franchise until yesterday. Even without 4DX, I would have considered it one of the better movies I've seen this year. Alien is so ingrained in pop culture that I knew what would happen to these characters so I knew not to get attached, but I still felt bad when it happened. The sets were so great, I love an old-retro spaceship.

 

I think David Johnson had to do a lot of heavy lifting and he did wonderfully.

[elcaballero]

Thought the movie slapped. Loved seeing more of the colonies, and great production design really sold the aesthetic. Everything looks fantastic. Some great set pieces too. The xenomorph continues to kind of suck for being a "perfect organism," though I did like how they utilized the acid blood. The way people were talking about the ending, I thought they would do something completely crazy, but it's all just in line with the rest of the franchise. 

 

The "get away from her... you bitch" line was horrible though. Needless callback, made no sense for the character, made no sense to say to a random xenomorph, should have been cut out.