Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus!
Summary
Alien: Romulushas made one major improvement on the franchise, proving that it learned the right lesson fromRidley Scott’s $240 million prequel.Alien: Romulusgoes in a wildly different direction when compared to other recentAlienmovies, with the 2024 film sticking closer to the atmosphere and horror of the 1979 originalrather than focusing on the worldbuilding and grand themes of Ridley Scott’sPrometheusprequel. While this move may have been controversial,Alien: Romulusundoubtedly did one thing right when compared to its immediate predecessor, learning a major lesson from a past box office disappointment.
Alien: Romulusis finally here, with the film managing to pull off the impressive trick of uniting the entireAlienfranchise. Despite the movietaking place betweenAlienandAliens,Alien: Romulusheavily relies on story reveals from the prequel movies,PrometheusandAlien: Covenant. InAlien: Romulus, it is discovered that the black goo,also known as Prometheus Fire, is on board theRomulusspace station, with it being extracted from the Xenomorph from the 1979 original. The acknowledgment of the prequels is exciting, even if it went back on one ofAlien: Covenant’s biggest changes.
Alien: Romulus Ending Explained
Alien: Romulus' ending leaves the door open for another entry in the franchise. We break down the Alien sequel’s final moments & what might come next.
Alien: Romulus Mostly Relies On Practical Effects & It’s Great
It Is A Huge Franchise Improvement
One of the best parts ofAlien: Romulusis that the film’s monsters and gore mostly rely on practical effects, and they are great.The new Xenomorph is seen throughout the movie, and the film’s handling of the creature is more in line with the 1979 original, with the Xenomorph mostly appearing hidden in shadow. This allowsAlien: Romulusto rely on puppets, suits, and animatronics when creating its Xenomorph, and it looks so much better than the CGI Xenomorph that have been seen in recentAlienmovies.
Alien: Romulusdefinitely does use a lot of CGI, but only when it would otherwise be impossible to pull off an effect. Things like exterior shots of theRemusandRomulusstations crashing into planetary rings obviously have to be CGI, as well as some other elements. There are some times that the titular monsters have to be CGI, such as in a few action scenes. However,the Xenomorph and Facehuggers manage to mostly stick with practical effects, something that not only makes the monsters feel more tangible, but also more in line with the originalAlienandAliens.
Ian Holm’s Role In Alien: Romulus Explained
Alien: Romulus includes a role for original Alien star Ian Holm, who played Ash in the 1979 film. Here’s his character and connections explained.
Alien: Romulus Brings The Franchise Back To Its Practical Roots After Covenant’s CGI
Which Was One Of The Prequel’s Biggest Problems
Alien: Romulus' decision to bring practical effects back is a great one, as the previous film went way too far with CGI. WhilePrometheusused CGI for its alien creatures, the true Xenomorph didn’t appear in that film. However,Alien: Covenant’s Xenomorph used way too much CGI, and while this did allow the creature to move more like an animal, it also made it feel less real.Alien: Covenant’s CGI Xenomorph was one of the biggest points of criticism of the film, with it taking much of the fear out of the iconic movie monster.
The techniques used to bring the Xenomorph to life inAlien: Romulusare much closer to the original movies, and that’s a good thing.Alien: Romulusset out to recreate the tone and atmosphere of the original film, and by creating the Xenomorph with practical effects, the film was able to do that.Alien: Romulus' practical effects are absolutely fantastic, and manyAlienfans are excited to see more of how they were done asAlien: Romulusbehind-the-scenes footage continues to release.
8 Reasons Alien: Romulus' Reviews Are So Positive
Alien: Romulus’ reviews are in, with critics describing Álvarez’s film as the best Alien movie since James Cameron’s Aliens and a return to the form.
Alien: Romulus' Practical Effects Make The Aliens Scarier
Like In The Original Movie
One of the big benefits ofAlien: Romulususing practical effects is thatthe Xenomorph are a lot scarier, with it being a major improvement overAlien: Covenant. The Xenomorph inAlien: Covenantis frequently shown in direct sunlight, and that combined with the CGI look makes it seem far less scary.
However,Alien: Romulus' use of practical effects requires the film to keep the Xenomorph in shadow a lot more, making it far more terrifying. This is a strategy that was used in the originalAlien, and it is great that it has returned in the most recent film. Since the Xenomorph is rarely seen in full, it is up to viewers' imagination to truly piece together exactly what the Xenomorph looks like. This allows for a much more terrifying movie monster, withAlien: Romulusbeing a perfect example of why practical effects can often be better than CGI.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
