Summary
- Alien: Romulus
heavily references previous films, acting as a stealth sequel to
Prometheus
and
Alien: Covenant
. - The movie includes a shocking Xenomorph/human hybrid birth scene reminiscent of
Alien: Resurrection
. - Direct callbacks to previous
Alien
films, including iconic lines and scenes, are plentiful throughout
Alien: Romulus
.
As a lifelong fan of the Alien franchise, I must say that Alien: Romulus has certainly delivered on the promise of a thrilling and immersive addition to the saga. The concept of a human/Xenomorph hybrid that resembles an Engineer is both intriguing and fitting, considering the cyclical nature of creation and destruction that permeates the franchise.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Alien: Romulus.
As a devoted fan of the Alien franchise, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the seventh installment in the main saga, titled Alien: Romulus. If you count the Alien vs. Predator films, it would be the ninth, but Ridley Scott has made it clear that this isn’t part of that series. With Disney taking over 20th Century Fox and rebranding it as 20th Century Studios, this film marks a new era for the franchise.
Anyone watching the film “Alien: Romulus” will notice that it deeply explores the broader mythology and symbolism of the franchise. Although it serves well as a solo entry for those unacquainted with any “Alien” films, aficionados of the series are likely to spot references to numerous earlier installments, including those happening before “Alien: Romulus“, and some following ones too. The film shares links with all six primary franchise films: “Alien“, “Aliens“, “Alien 3“, “Alien: Resurrection“, “Prometheus“, and “Alien: Covenant“.
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Ash Returns in Alien: Romulus
The filmmakers make a contentious choice by resurrecting the character of Ash, or a Hyperdyne Systems model 120-A/2 android from the original Alien movie, now called Rook. Originally portrayed by actor Ian Holm in 1979, who sadly passed away in June 2020, the filmmakers opted to recreate Ian Holm’s likeness from 41 years ago instead of recasting or using a different android for this role. In broader shots where Rook’s face is hidden, it appears as a puppet, but when interaction with other actors is required, a digital replica of the actor is employed, much like Peter Cushing was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Daniel Betts performs the character on set and provides the voice, which is altered post-production to mimic Holm’s distinctive tone.
In this case, the filmmakers aren’t attempting something as questionable as digitally resurrecting Christopher Reeve for a low-budget appearance in The Flash, just for the sake of garnering applause. Instead, they introduce an android character, Ash, who plays a significant role in the second half of the film and is found on multiple Weyland-Yutani ships. However, the use of this CGI character can be somewhat disruptive at times, and it’s hard not to perceive it as another cash grab, exploiting familiar imagery.
Filmmakers ought to consider creating fresh characters instead of relying on established ones, as actors who portray these characters are not immortal. The passage of time means that these beloved actors will eventually leave us, making it essential to keep franchises vital by introducing new characters. It’s important to remember that behind every character lies a real person, and their likeness should be respected rather than simply being used as a marketing tool for brand extension. Introducing a new actor or character could breathe new life into the series, as opposed to constantly referencing past works. Similarly, if we consider this scenario isn’t involving the same robot from Alien, then there’s no reason for its presence other than to evoke nostalgia from previous films.
It’s quite peculiar that they opted not to utilize an android character like Michael Fassbender’s David/Walter model from both ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Covenant’, especially given that ‘Alien: Romulus’ seems to be not just a standalone ‘Alien’ film, but possibly a covert sequel to ‘Alien: Covenant’. This could have made the story flow more smoothly as the plot unfolds.
Prometheus Namedrop and Lore Confirmed in Alien: Romulus
As a passionate advocate for the Alien prequel franchise, I was initially thrilled by Ridley Scott’s vision to weave an expansive narrative that began with Prometheus. However, the mixed response to Prometheus led to a significant shift in direction for its sequel, Alien: Covenant. Many of Scott’s original ideas were abandoned, and the story was molded into a more conventional Xenomorph origin tale. Alien: Covenant concluded with David, the android, continuing his chilling experiments on the human subjects aboard The Covenant, leaving us hanging on the edge of our seats. Unfortunately, the film’s underperformance at the box office, even compared to Prometheus, made it seem like these storylines might be left unresolved. To add fuel to the fire, news that Noah Hawley’s forthcoming Alien: Earth series will disregard the prequel films has led many to believe that both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant might be overlooked in the grand scheme of the franchise.
Yet with Ridley Scott producing Alien: Romulus, he certainly included some callbacks to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and in many ways, Alien: Romulus acts as a stealth sequel to those two entries. When the characters go to the lab aboard the Romulus space station, they discover that the Weyland-Yutuni Corporation has been studying the Xenomorphs. A piece of the Prometheus score plays, and the Ash/Rook android directly mentions that “Mr. Weyland died looking for the secrets of the universe” and namedrops the mythical figure Prometheus, for which the ship Prometheus was named after.
Moreover, the Xenomorphs are often called bio-weapons, engineered to be the ultimate organism, as depicted in the film “Alien: Covenant,” which was previously referred to as the Xenomorph by Ash in the original “Alien” movie. In “Alien: Covenant,” we see David using a substance known as black goo or Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15, which he used to eliminate the Engineers and infected several crew members in “Prometheus.” This chemical was designed by the Engineers to rid planets of unwanted life, with the Xenomorphs being their embodiment. They represent an evolution of this weapon, now transformed into a living organism capable of spreading itself across the galaxy. In a short scene, “Alien: Romulus” serves to connect the events of “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” with the original “Alien” film and the rest of the franchise.
Xenomorph/Human Hybrid From Alien Resurrection Test Subject
In the intense finale of the movie “Alien: Romulus”, instead of a typical final confrontation with just one Xenomorph left, the filmmakers deliver an unexpectedly gruesome twist, reminiscent of director Fede Alvarez’s earlier works like “Evil Dead” (2013) and “Don’t Breathe” (2016). The character, Kay, portrayed by Isabela Merced, finds herself in a life-threatening situation while pregnant. In her bid to survive, she resorts to using an experimental drug that has been studied for its effects on Xenomorphs. Her friend Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) initially objects due to the substance’s unknown nature, but Kay takes it anyway in a moment of desperation.
Inside her cryopod, Kay seems secure, but her vital signs deteriorate. Ray extracts her, and surprisingly, she goes into labor even though she’s barely past due date with no visible symptoms. A Xenomorph-human hybrid is born from her, a stark contrast to the typical chest bursting scene. Instead, it resembles a human birth, emerging as an egg before hatching and rapidly growing into a colossal blend of the two creatures. This scene will undoubtedly remind fans of the hybrid creature in the controversial film Alien: Resurrection, with the graphic birthing process being a reversed version of how the Xenomorph Queen in that movie gave birth to the alien hybrid in a human-like manner. Essentially, here we have a human giving birth to a hybrid in a manner reminiscent of the Xenomorph birthing process.
The hybrid character depicted in “Alien: Romulus” seems to be the ideal blend of human and Xenomorph, unlike the one from “Alien: Resurrection,” which was a flawed experiment because it originated from a clone of an Alien Queen. What makes this even more intriguing is that the design of the hybrid in “Alien: Romulus” bears a striking resemblance to the Engineers from “Prometheus.” Given that “Prometheus” introduced us to the Engineers, who created humans, and humans who then created the android David, and David who subsequently produced the Xenomorph; this hybrid creature can be seen as a twisted embodiment of the continuous cycle of creation and destruction within the Alien franchise. In essence, the hybrid that resembles both an Engineer and a Xenomorph serves as a visual representation of the film’s central theme, tying together all aspects of the series.
Direct Callbacks to the Previous Alien Film
The film “Alien: Romulus” takes place in the year 2142, approximately two decades after “Alien” and thirty-seven years before “Aliens.” The narrative unfolds as a direct continuation of “Alien,” with events revolving around the discovery of the petrified Xenomorph that Ripley ejected into space in the previous film. This ancient extraterrestrial organism is found by a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft and brought aboard the Romulus space station for examination. Although the original creature was eventually killed, it managed to spawn new clones of itself, hinting that Weyland-Yutani may have acquired Xenomorph embryo samples from David, as seen in “Alien: Covenant.”
Even though it predates the film “Aliens”, this movie incorporates numerous obvious nods to it. In a particular scene, the remaining characters discover rifles resembling those used by the Space Marines from “Aliens”. The most noticeable, fan-pleasing instance occurs when the android Andy (David Jonnson) shields Rain from a Xenomorph, slays it while uttering, “Get away from her, you bitch”, a verbatim quote from Ripley in “Aliens”. This seems contrived, as this line holds no significance within the movie’s narrative, and the characters involved have no prior interaction. It appears to be exclusively for the fans and feels forced because, unlike the “Predator” line, it is only found in “Aliens”.
The movie includes numerous references back to itself, with Andy using the term “artificial person” similar to Bishop in Aliens. Additionally, there is a scene where a Xenomorph attacks Rain and turns her head towards its second mouth, reminiscent of an iconic image from Alien 3 when the Xenomorph confronts Ripley. Furthermore, Navarro’s bald appearance resembles Ripley’s signature hairstyle in Alien 3.
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2024-08-17 01:32