Yesterday, the review embargo dropped for Alien: Romulus, the next entry in the long-running Alien movie franchise. This time, directorial reign was given to Fede Alvarez, who directed 2013’s excellent Evil Dead. Judging by the reviews, viewers are in for a blast of nostalgia that manages to successfully put a new spin on an old formula (that still works). However, it’s not all perfect as the movie does have a few problems too, though not enough to derail its fun factor.
With Alien: Romulus hitting cinemas this weekend, make sure you also check out our ranking of all the Alien movies from worst to best. This list doesn’t include Romulus but we’ll make sure to update the article in due time. For now, here’s a look at what the reviews are saying about the latest sci-fi horror spectacle.
IGN‘s Tom Jorgensen awarded Alien: Romulus 8/10, stating:
“Evoking the genetic f***ery that always spells doom in these movies, Alien: Romulus is a lean, mean, chimeric beauty. Fede Álvarez proves that his Evil Dead remake was no fluke: The director seamlessly keys into the narrative and aesthetic touchstones of the series and marshals them to breathtaking ends.”
Mark Cassidy of ComicBookMovie.com gave it 4/5, saying:
“Alvarez does succeed in recapturing the claustrophobic chills and visceral terror of those first two films – even if he overindulges in nostalgia while he’s at it.”
Marianna Neal from Impression Blend awarded it 8/10:
“Fede Álvarez breathed new life into the franchise with Alien: Romulus, finding creative ways to use already established, iconic elements of these films, and to once again make facehuggers and xenomorphs the nightmare fuel they were meant to be.”
John Nugent of Empire Magazine also gave it 4/5, saying:
“Alien: Romulus plays the hits, but crucially remembers the ingredients for what makes a good Alien film, and executes them with stunning craft and care. It is, officially, the third-best film in the series.”
GameSpot‘s Phil Hornshaw was a bit less enthusiastic about the movie, giving it 6/10:
“There are a few bad movies in the Alien franchise, and judging it by its peers, Alien: Romulus does all right. The bar is low, however, and try as it might to conjure up the good feelings of Alien and Aliens, Romulus falls well short of them.”
Matthew Jackson from Looper gave it 8/10, stating:
“It’s the most purely frightening “Alien” movie in nearly 40 years, a vision of what the franchise can achieve when in the right hands, and hopefully a stepping stone to even more stories in the universe.”
Alien: Romulus hits cinemas on 16 August 2024.
