The following contains some spoilers forAlien: Romulus
A lot of people are going to really loveAlien: Romulus. In some ways, it’s a fantastic showcase for the work of several audiovisual artists. While it’s a finely-tuned and immaculately-crafted horror experience, it’s also a dull greatest hits showcase for a franchise that used to treat every installment as something new. The specific sensation ofAlien: Romulus’s stagnant lack of curiosity and fondness for callbacks reminds viewers of nothing so much as Disney’s firstStar Warsprequel,Rogue One. Both projects say a lot about the future of entertainment in the Mouse’s hand.
Fede Álvarez is an undoubtedly talented director who has a bit of trouble when it comes to beloved series. He previously established himself with his2013 take onEvil Dead. While undoubtedly exhilarating, his version of Sam Raimi’s classic lacks character. It’s a thrilling ride with several excellent moments, but it fails to stick with its audience. It’s all guts and no heart. Unfortunately,Alien: Romulusshares a lot of the same problems.
Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues
Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy, John Knoll, and Gary Whitta
June 09, 2025
July 25, 2025
TheAlienandStar Warsfranchises were in very similar spots when their respective entries came out. Both saw massive success in the 1970s and 1980s before arun of controversial prequels. Audiences called out for something familiar, prompting Disney, the owner of both franchises, to grant their wish. The result sees a very skilled filmmaker weave a tapestry of familiar sights and sounds into a stunning audiovisual experience with the power of modern technology. Starved of the things they loved decades earlier, audiences flock to a “return to form,” but critics tend to be a little more mixed on the matter. In both cases, the result captures plenty of references to the original work but lacks the spirit that made it iconic in the first place. It’s a very expensive fan film, delivering hits of dopamine to those who remember the classics without adding anything to the conversation. It is, all in all, sadder to seethis happen toAlienthan it is toStar Wars. There is one perfectly shared mistake that ties the two together and reveals much of the problem, but it is a massive spoiler. Exercise caution before reading ahead.
Rogue Oneuses a digitalrecreation of actor Peter Cushing, who passed away in 1994, to fill the role he originated in 1977. This CGI necromancy remains disgusting, regardless of Disney’s ability to get consent from Cushing’s estate. Cushing is far from integral toRogue One. This isn’t like recreating Brandon Lee to finish the last few scenes ofThe Crow. It’s a blatant attempt to draw applause by flashing a familiar face to an undiscerning crowd.Alien: Romulusattempts the same gimmick. Sir Ian Holm, who portrayed Ash in the originalAlien, returns as a ghoulish digital mask over actor Daniel Betts for the role of Rook. Rook is the film’s only English-speaking antagonist. He’s there to provide exposition and issue commands. There was no reason to use the worst-looking effect in the film to dredge up Ian Holm. A new character would have filled that role just fine. Unfortunately, another actor couldn’t have sparked applause from excited viewers desperate to see a familiar face without a second mouth jutting out of it. It’s the apotheosis of the lazy, short-sighted, and gross decisions Disney makes to earn money by abusing nostalgia.Does it ruin the movie? Not necessarily, but it definitely detracts from it.
WasRogue Onegood?
Rogue Onespent and earned an absurd amount of money.It’s aStar Warsmovie, so massive price tags come with the territory. The film has a very positive Rotten Tomatoes score, sitting at 76% at the moment. When critics started comparingRomulustoRogue Oneafter initial early screenings, tons of social media users proclaimed their delight. Very few reviewers meant that note as a compliment. On one level,Rogue Oneis excellent. It’s a compelling war movie with jaw-dropping special effects and award-winning sound design. It works as a celebration of the craft. It falls apart as a story, delivering generic, half-formed characters and well-trod narrative ground. Still, it’s an unquestioned crowd-pleaser.Alien: Romuluswill earn the same praise. It gives the audience everything they want and hopes that they won’t notice the absence of everything else. That trick can’t work for long, but it can definitely carryviewers through 119 minutes. TheStar Warsfranchise being about eight years ahead ofAlien, it’s worth looking at the rest of their output as a sort of road map.
Why does Disney keep doing this?
The short answer is that Disney keeps doing this because it works.Alien: Romuluswill make around half of its budget back on its opening weekend andRogue Onemade over$1 billion. Nothing else matters. However, it is worth looking at how Disney treatedStar Warsover the intervening years.Rogue One, one of the weakestStar Warsprojects of the Disney era, spawnedAndor, a masterpiece that stands next toEmpire Strikes Back.Alien: Romulusmight be the franchise’s equivalent toDoctor Whobringing back David Tennant or Marvel dragging Robert Downey Jr. in for another picture. It could be a reset that sets the franchise up for something more interesting to come. As it stands, however,it’s a sign that Disneywill continue to treat every IP it buys like a toy box first and a work of art second.
Alienhas always felt weird as a franchise. It feels much weirder as a collection of tropes, callbacks, familiar lines, sight gags, and dead actors for Disney to repackage and resell.Alien: Romulusis an excellent horror film with a mountain of brilliant artistic choices. It’s worth celebrating for its successes, but that shouldn’t allow its failures to go by unnoticed. Disney will continue to turn the art it buys into nostalgia-fueled fan films until it stops working. Hold out hopefor the nextAlien.
