Alien: Romulus (REVIEW) | Projector | The most conflicted I've ever felt about a film

[@FilmBrain]

[Ad] Thanks to INTOTHEAM for sponsoring this video! My 10% off affiliate link: intotheam.com/FILMBRAIN

[@ShaneKixmiller]

Let’s not forget the immaculate job they did in bringing back Dr. Loomis for the flashback sequence in Halloween kills. It wasn’t a deep fake. It was an actor who looked and sounded a lot like Donald Pleasance and they fitted him with prosthetics and it’s the most amazing job I have ever seen. They didn’t disrespect the actor, and it was one of the best parts, if not the best part of the movie. Halloween kills, as much as people hate it, should be a shining example as how to bring back dead actors. It can be done. Hell, they did it in Voice in Halloween H2O.

[@Peroy1]

"No more Alien movies in the vending machine please!!! - Don't worry, there wil be plenty of Alien movies for you. Nobody will take away your precious Alien movies!"

[@captcrais101]

This movie was terrible! I couldn’t connect with the characters and all the call backs with the Aliens were awful. I hated hearing the Iconic line from Aliens the most. Crap movie.

[@robotrix]

Edit - Never had a movie lose me so fast. Did that look like an explosion the Nostromo could come out of in pieces? If they're that close just go to the planet with the Space Jockey!!!! You have to have travel permits but you can just take a company vehicle off colony out of nowhere and nobody chases you??????????? JFC! Scott said on the Red Carpet that he was writing over the director's shoulder - and he was kicking chairs over it. This is what we're going to have until Scott passes on or Fox grows a spine. This franchise has had an android problem from day one, IMHO. Alien gives you zero clues that androids are even possible at this time until the reveal...and it's obvious to everyone on board that it has to belong to the company. Can someone living on a mining platform as an indentured servant really afford to keep even a old model android???? Probably not but Scott wants his android But love how those three guys on the Prometheus sacrificed themselves for nothing trying to keep the black goo from leaving the planet - because Shaw just takes off in a ship full of it (David was still in two pieces he could force her). Thought she was just as adamant that the Engineer had to be stopped? And so it not only is spread but makes it's way to Earth. Let me guess - the goo still just does whatever the script needs it to do? Can't wait to hear what you have to say about The Crow, Mathew. Unlike this film, just because the movie spends a lot of time with the characters still doesn't mean you get to know them in any way but one. PS - SPOILER - They know Lance Henriksen is still alive, right?

[@jamesatkinsonja]

You do need to put the twist in 'Alien' into context as if your a first time viewer in 1979-while you know Ash is a bad guy him being an android is a shocking twist precisely because there is no foreshadowing so it's very effective although this is lost now given it's such a trope of the series which was used in the Non-Ridley Scott sequels as well-Aliens was made by the creator of Terminator after all and Call in Resurrection is pretty much co-lead with the Ripley clone [hence Wynonna Ryder getting joint top billing]. It was more that the Prometheus sacrificed itself to stop a mass attack from the engineers [who had there own weapon turn against them subsequently]. I believe the 'goo' in this film was reverse engineered but I might be wrong and Wayland-Yutani's obsession with the Alien as a bio-weapon despite all the signs that's a bad idea is also a running theme in all the films. I made this point in another comment but Hendrickson is in his mid-80's and sounds it so unless they were going to 'de age' him+ his voice it probably wouldn't work [and his appearance in 'Alien Vs Predator' might have counted against him given that didn't gain that film much credibility]. I guess trying to avoid comparison to Covenant is why they didn't have Andy+ Rook played by the same actor but that would probably have been the best solution.

[@robotrix]

@@jamesatkinsonja I think I commented on your post that Henriksen's age and voice could be explained away by the damage done to Rook (which I'm curious how only half of him ended up in that acid shower) or that they took the disc from him. And "trying to avoid comparison" IN THIS MOVIE????????? But I disagree....that conversation that Shaw and Janek had as she was suiting up was ALL about that the goo can't leave the planet - and he made himself clear that it was at all costs for him. Shaw mentioning that the Engineer was headed for Earth was just the icing on the cake. I think Janek would have done the same even if Shaw didn't know where the Engineer was going.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@robotrix Maybe Hendrickson was just something they never considered. Lots of question marks! What I meant was if you cast the same actor as Andy+ Rook it would feel like a repeat of the last film so that's why they probably didn't do that [even if the plot point is similar-evil robot trying to manipulate the good one]. Fair enough on the Janek point but Shaw leaves the planet in the Engineers ship which contains the 'goo' so she is taking it away from the planet to there home world as far as I can see.

[@amovieguy14]

The reason why Andy said the famous line from Aliens (in the context of this film) is, because Bjorn (the one in the bandanna) would say, “bitch” a few times in his sentences, so Andy pick up on that from him to say in that moment where he confronts the Alien with the pulse rifle.

[@FilmBrain]

I hadn't picked up on that at all, and the explanation just makes it even more laboured.

[@amovieguy14]

@@FilmBrain Certainly felt tacked on, but the audience I saw it with were laughing at that moment, so that’s a win for Fede I guess.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Time line wise: if your watching them in order this film happens before Aliens so it would work even less! [I groaned at it tbh].

[@robotrix]

That explanation works for something he would say to one of his group. I understand why Ripley as Newt's surrogate mother would be yelling at the Queen - the emotions that would be involved. Would an android think that an alien would understand and respond to what he was saying?

[@FilmBrain]

@amovieguy14 In my screening, it was greeted with dead silence.

[@christopherclack660]

I have an hour left on my drive to Savannah, Georgia , you dropped this review at the perfect time. Thank you, Matthew.

[@crashdummysvideodomain]

@@christopherclack660 safe travels

[@LemonsAndSalt69]

Commenting on KZbin while diving? You're really dumb.

[@DVEric-d3v]

@@crashdummysvideodomain How can he be safe? He's posting comments while he's driving. Total imbecile.

[@FilmBrain]

The assumption I made was that he had parked somewhere to take a break to comment, and would presumably be listening to the video like a podcast or radio.

[@LemonsAndSalt69]

@@FilmBrain Right, keep making assumptions. People text and post comments while driving every day.

[@oranmccann2476]

Every time someone said a famous line from the other films, I kept on saying to myself "He said it"

[@jamesatkinsonja]

5:54 I think the in-universe explanation is that the Nostromo is a low-class 'working class' mining ship while the Prometheus+ Covenant were more advanced 'Elite' ships but that's the issue with doing prequels long after the originals [the Star Wars prequels technology feels more advanced than what we see in the original trilogy in general].

[@alfje5492]

See also, Star Trek where the cardboard sets of TOS really don't stack up to the much more futuristic look of later series set around that same period. It's just one of those things you have to accept in long-running SF franchises.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

@@alfje5492And if there’s a decent explanation, then it doesn’t even matter anyway.

[@Blackmagik66]

There is no viable excuse or explanation for tech gap.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

@@Blackmagik66 There just was. Even Fede said that's what he was going for. Mathew was just failing to take that into account, even though the Corporation stepping over the littler people is one of the major themes of the franchise.

[@NickMichalak]

The sound mix on the colony was very cluttered. Trying to identify characters via the dialogue was very difficult for me, and created some confusion for me and I saw this in an AMC IMAX theatre with top quality sound. In terms of look and feel, this does get so much right in matching the worlds those first three Alien films established. The craft is clearly on display in high quality, but Alvarez falters in many other places. Some of the characters were better portrayed than they were written, and the Prometheus connections struck me off kilter. It kinda felt like they were trying too hard to make everything relevant instead of making this more self-contained. The fan service really irked the hell out of me, especially the Rook character. It made me want to walk out of the theatre in anger. I had utter contempt for it. When David Gordon Green does a better job with bringing back a legacy franchise character by utilizing smart casting and makeup instead of dodgy CGI, you have truly failed. And AVP: Requiem & Resurrection were EXACTLY the grotesque choices in that conclusion that came to mind and being baffled why anyone would evoke those films, for crying out loud! I was conflicted so much on this film as well. If they stripped away the fan service, it would’ve settled in with me much better.

[@justinriley]

That ONE aspect really kept me from fully loving it. But, I still really enjoyed this.

[@KingHawkBloxYT]

I have to admit I haven’t watched any of the Alien movies, but given I want to expand my film horizons, I might try to watch them in the future. This was a great review as always.

[@lordvlygar2963]

2:00 Prometheus originally was its own movie, just set in the same universe as Alien (and by extension Blade Runner and Terminator). But, Ridley was forced to put in some xenomorph stuff and the space jockey as the engineers (ugh). Had he been able to stick to his original plan, I would have loved it so much more. Anyway, I know you are the Filmbrain, but I am not sure you knew that about Prometheus.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

In fairness the script started as 'Alien: Engineers' and a direct prequel to Alien before it started to move away from that in development. It's sequel-originally called 'Paradise'- made the opposite journey-starting as much more related to Prometheus than Alien before moving more in the Alien direction [with the title changed to 'Alien: Paradise Lost' then Covenant] as it went on.

[@jackkain7141]

What I appreciated about this movie is that none of the characters are morons. All the choices they make (with arguably one exception) make sense with the information they have at the time. That it makes matter worse is no fault of their own. This a very nice contrast to the last 2 movies where that was abundantly not the case. I also agree entirely with your feelings on Prometheus and Covenant! I've said ever since seeing it that Covenant felt like Scott having a tantrum because people slagged Prometheus so badly. And I feel, too, that the beginning was rushed. We needed a similar opening to the first 30 min of Alien where we got to know the crew and see them do their jobs, to see how they work together. There was a perfect opportunity for that in this film, too. Instead of just describing it to Rain later, they should have shown us the crew of the ship having a bit of a misadventure and finding the station. It could have also shown the cold, uncaring nature of the colony admin, too. Then we could cut to Rain and Andy and play that part as seen in the film.

[@stephenatwood241]

I don't understand why people (and critics) are calling the Rook insertion a cameo considering how important the character is to the plot.

[@CalvinChikelue]

I’d say it’s understandable when the film makers themselves deliberately devote time to attempting a digital recreation of the original actor. “Cameo” IMO is appropriate labelling for just how pointlessly cheap and jarring it when the plot importance comes across as secondary to the urge to include Holm in particular for fandom points & nothing else. Like FB said, a recast or prosthetic would be a better choice for the film on top of being less distracting on both a believability of the CG & ethicical level.

[@xHx23x]

I really liked it. And went with people who have not really seen the alien franchise before and they liked it so it is a very good entry point for newer people. But yeah, that one thing also bugged the hell out of me.

[@GlenGlingo9]

I'm glad to hear someone praise Alien 3, vastly underrated although the extended cut is far superior.

[@FilmBrain]

Yeah, I'm basing my thoughts on the Assembly Cut, the only version I've seen.

[@Fiveash-Art]

It's not 'underrated' ... It's just a boring depressing movie. Especially coming off of Aliens. Even Fincher has separated himself from the movie. The 'extended cut' doesn't improve it, it just makes it longer. The composited puppetry effects they used were interesting but ultimately looked like crap in the end result. Killing Newt and Hicks off screen was just unforgivable too.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@Fiveash-Art I don't think Alien 3 really recovers from opening with Newt+ Hicks death. Setting it in a prison was an odd choice as it means most of the characters are mostly very unlikable.

[@freddy9088RAY]

Awesome news! I am so glad to see your video I've been waiting for you to talk about this one. I went to see it twice in theaters. Loved the hell out of it but I couldn't agree more with you on the case of the CGI reincarnation of an actor that has passed the last 4 years. I didn't dig that but I got to be honest I don't know what else to do. The movie did its job and this is Disney in charge of the alien series now and I don't see anything getting better when it comes down to that type of of money grubbing studio execs but overall yes, great movie. I just don't see any way we're going to ever stop this war of CGI reincarnating actress of the past. It's just unreal how sad it's gotten

[@dvass7253]

Despite the whole "Tarkin in Rogue One" aspect, as well as the ultimate fate of one of the characters, I absolutely loved this movie. It's clear that Fede Alvarez understood why people fell in love with the series in the first place, and it's nice to finally have a good Alien movie out in theaters again, albeit an imperfect one. Alvarez recently stated that he would love to collaborate with Dan Trachtenberg on an Alien vs. Predator movie, and personally I am very much on board with that idea.

[@jackboulter4901]

Agree with this for the most part, I personally liked the inclusion of *That.* character as he was different enough despite looking the same, Also I think this movie is pretty perfect honestly and is easily the best since Aliens. I'm also excited and hopeful that we do get a good if not great AvP film from Dan and Fedè as both of them seem to get each franchise pretty damn well.

[@dvass7253]

@jackboulter4901 And that's the key phrase there - "different enough". He even has a different name, so why didn't they pick a different actor? Are they really gonna tell us with a straight face that in the 20 years since the original Weyland-Yutani didn't create a different android model to bridge the gap between Ash and Bishop?

[@robotrix]

I love how everyone is upset about Trakin in Rogue One but not Leia....which was even more "Uncanny Valley" IMHO. I guess because of what I'd heard about Rook I was expecting The Scorpion King in The Mummy 2. The effect was passible but it was no Rachel in Blade Runner 2049

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@robotrix In fairness the Leia case was different as Carrie Fisher was still alive at the time [passing away shortly after release] and she'd agreed to it while Peter Cushing died years before so he couldn't give his consent for his appearance.

[@Fiveash-Art]

@@jamesatkinsonja Well. He's dead. I'm sure he doesn't mind. 😂This whole moral panic about movie studios resurrecting characters with CGI as being 'distasteful' or 'disrespectful' seems a bit ridiculous to me. Everyone has to have some sort of crusade these days, and when it comes to meaningless stuff like this, it just comes off as a put on. I'm sure their families were well compensated .. Who cares as long as the family is cool with it? It's just a movie. It's not like it's being created by some criminal producing deepfake content to frame someone negatively putting their name on the line. I definitely see an argument about how it could be used in that sense. But using someone's image in a piece of obvious fiction. Who cares? The effect could've been better.. that's my only criticism of Ian Holm being used. "That model was always a bit twitchy." - Bishop ... That's why they used him. I quite enjoyed the idea. Enough with the fake moral crusade and the pearl clutching.

[@humblescribe8522]

Talking about references to Blade Runner, the trio of street kids who pick on Andy in the opening scene are dressed exactly like the trio of streetkids who steal Deckard's car's... radio? air conditioning unit? Mechanical thing on the top of his car anyway - while he's sat outside the Bradbury apartments in Blade Runner.

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

Been waiting for this Matthew! And you posted your review less than an hour from Perfect Organism and their full review! I’m psyched

[@leprechaunking4656]

Great review. Romulus was a good attempt but was not impressed. Alien Franchise ended with Alien 3, which I very much enjoyed as well. Was hoping Romulus would have the same Magic as "Prey" had for the Predator franchise, but the focus on fan service ruined it. Lack of originality.

[@Fiveash-Art]

Alien 3 is a depressing slog of a movie .. Besides the composited puppetry of the xenomorph looked really bad. Alien Romulus is so much more watchable than that thing. The fan service absolutely did not ruin Romulus. People are exaggerating so hard when it comes to that stuff. They just want to sound like proper old school fans who are too smart for this one. It's nonsense.

[@Prawnsacrifice]

This is the real 3rd alien movie 😊 this was exactly like prey both badass movie

[@Fiveash-Art]

@@Prawnsacrifice I farted

[@jamesatkinsonja]

13:18 Cailee Spaeny is going to be in the new Knives out movie next year and at 26 she certainly is a name to keep an eye on.

[@ThatResolves]

Was looking forward to your review I don’t know (yet!) if you touch on it; but I kinda hated the autism representation but upon introspection I think because it was a little too real.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I'm autistic [asperges] and didn't mind it personally [I certainly related to Andy more because of it] and it was a lot better than 2018's 'The Predator in that regards but I can see why it would be a bit too real.

[@wstine79]

I will say that the movie looks great. It has that late 70s sci-fi look ALIEN down to a keyboards.

[@bensneb360]

What is a very well-made movie with cool effects and I liked Andy and Rain… but franchises gotta come back with the callbacks and using nostalgia as plot points

[@sebsignat8286]

I was question if the planet Andy and rain were going 2 was the planet from part 2. Rewatch of part 2: it's the planet from film 1

[@r.a.r.1981]

Is that the same hat you wore in the Blackbird review, or am I seeing things? Anyway, great work, as always. I am embarrassed to admit I have not seen any of the Alien movies, even though I was almost named Ripley in honor of Sigourney Weaver's character. Parents chickened out at the last minute and went with something more conventional. Oh, well.

[@FilmBrain]

It is! Keeps the sun at bay a bit.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I'm not sure what to make of the film on my initial viewing. I'm glad after the success of 'Prey' they made this a theatrical release given some of the shots in the film and it used the 'haunted house in space' premise well along with the great performances from Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson. It did have the feel of an 'expanded universe' novel and certainly seemed too focused on keeping to the 'formula' [certainly with the 'second climax'] and fan service [a certain line being quoted was the low point for me and I did get unfortunate flashbacks to the films you mentioned at 19:56] but overall I did enjoy it. Given it's opened well and the TV series is coming, they'll probably be more to come [although whether following this film directly or being another anthology film] and hopefully will do some different things [while I can understand why the Colonial Marines haven't featured in the post-Aliens films given there a James Cameron creation, maybe something with them on a 'bug hunt' would be fun].

[@sbaltys]

I'm pretty sure Alien, Bladerunner, and Soldier are in the same universe.

[@robotrix]

Blade Runner and Soldier are absolutely in the same universe (and yet Harlan Ellison never screamed about that). Blade Runner 2049 still had ads for Pan Am up....they're not connected to Alien. 2001: A Space Odyssey maybe.

[@baxterwilson368]

7:48 I had the same problem and also thought it was just my theater, seeing as some of the trailers before the movie were hard to understand as well. 9:51 The only scene I jumped at was at the end when the hybrid jumps at Rain as she’s climbing back into the ship. 24:57 I see you’re really passionate about this, but I loved seeing Ian Holm’s 1979 appearance in a new movie. It was surreal.

[@HBarnill]

Jurassic World and The Force Awakens have done immeasurable damage to franchises. Nostalgia and fanservice have taken over characters and storytelling.

[@christopherb501]

And Ghostbusters: Afterlife...and Men in Black 2...and too many more to count...

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

I mean, this specific film is out on the 45th anniversary of the franchise’s origin, so I see why they’d want some more references but you’re right in your own way.

[@knowgo411]

Def Agree 💯 This movie would've been Great without the fan service dialogue & I think Alvarez just gave way to the producers whims instead..shame really😑😤

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

@@knowgo411 For all we know, Fede and his writer might have wanted it that way

[@jamesatkinsonja]

But films like Top Gun Maverick and Creed show it can be done well.

[@animex75]

Oh yeah, that thing about the prequels having tech waaaaay more advanced than the (chronologically) later films bugs me, really pulls me out of a film. That was one thing that bugged me about Star Trek: Discovery, too.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Given your strong feelings on the prequels I was very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Great video.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Great review man

[@MorganLegerInVaulting]

Off topic, I am so glad I am not the only one who sticks up for Alien 3....The Assembly Cut. To this day, I refuse to see the theatrical cut given how much I have heard about it. Given there are key elements in the longer edit that fascinate me more with the chestburster and the prisoners feeling more developed. With that said, I feel some of this movie works and some of it doesn't. Without spoiling too much, the portions where they do callbacks or connections didn't quite work. It's ironic as there are good and bad examples like the drinking bird that appears at one point is not too distracting. But repeating an iconic line in a spot that doesn't make sense really kills what could have been a powerhouse moment. And the final 20 minutes, I am on the fence about it. I remember sitting there feeling confused and unsure how to feel. If it was removed, it would have made the ending maybe better. It feels like a studio note piece like "this is a key thing we keep doing and just need it." Just let this entry be its own. There's so much going for it like the facehuggers being more front and center or the zero gravity escape with the acid blood floating around. This is one I wouldn't mind sitting through again, but mostly likely I'll have the fast forward button on stand by.

[@robotrix]

You're good with the ideas that 1) Ripley would put everyone in cryo without going over that ship with a fine toothed comb first and 2) either one egg can produce two face huggers or one special face hugger that can impregnate two beings (and knew somehow not to impregnate Newt or Hicks because they wouldn't survive the crash)?

[@MorganLegerInVaulting]

@robotrix I repeat, Assembly Cut only. At least they show a Queen Facehugger (even if brief) which is said to produce additional eggs. Alien 3 was doomed from the start, but the longer edit is more fleshed out compared to the truncated Theatrical which has characters like Golic disappear without reason.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@MorganLegerInVaulting The film never really recovers from that opening for me given it's really contrived and the move to kill of Hicks and Newt is a very 'why did you do that' move. Setting it on a prison planet is also an odd move as it makes the characters hard to like. Still glad it's got it's fans and they got the assembly cut.

[@dadeleemurphy85]

honestly if it's not you or Oliver Harper doing the review I really don't care -because too many people are either one side or the other.

[@furtsmagee1513]

It’s a good movie!

[@scottloessel6493]

Yea they should have saved that last 10-15 minutes as a teaser for a possible sequel

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Alien always has that 'double climax' though but I get what you mean.

[@CreditR01]

100% with you. No more digital necromancy.

[@Fiveash-Art]

It's just a CGI effect .. The family was most likely well compensated. Get over it. The man is dead, he doesn't care.

[@JesseWFDusk]

The part of Rogue One you mentioned was the low point of a movie I mostly liked.

[@Prawnsacrifice]

I actually like all the alien movies sure some are worse than others for me the first 2 mainly 2 are gold id say its 2,1, 4, promethus,3,avp films and then covenant 😊 ooooh and dont forget those ign shorts they were really cool too

[@magnusdiridian]

when are we going to get an Aliens:Earth war trilogy?

[@alienboy1322]

I agree with bringing back the Ash character. I felt it was problematic in Rouge One, and it took me out of Romulas. They should have done what Halloween Kills did with Loomis. Get an actor who vaguely looks like the original actor who played the character and add some makeup to look like the character.

[@noneednoneed5752]

Other horror movies these days are just comedies

[@zephyr8072]

I'd have liked the movie a lot more without the silly finale on the ship. The hybrid was a stupid idea (why do they keep doing this?) and was nowhere near as scary as the xenomorphs, especially with that gormless albino man face. Yes yes I get it. Human + Prometheus goo = Engineer. Very clever. Nobody cares.

[@sebsignat8286]

My best head canon reason 4 the off putting rook is alien blood messed him up really bad But yea; should have done better job with it

[@dubitataugustinus]

Amazing video 👏

[@kazaloolovesgames]

I think it is a 6-ish out of 10 movie. Watchable with excellent production design, some nice tension sometimes and two good lead performances but I am officially sick of the member-berries style of storytelling. Evil Dead was decently solid but I wasn't big on Don't Breath nor That Girl Who in the Spider's Web. Fede Alvarez isn't a director that I look out for because I've seen nothing special from him. Romulus has done nothing to change my mind. Prey was a slam dunk great sequel. A shame my praise is so tepid for Alien: Romulus.

[@Fiveash-Art]

Prey was good, but Romulus was easily just as good. Neither are masterpieces, but still good fun regardless.

[@CanIswearinmyhandle]

Twins... Romulus and Remus...

[@erikthewriter]

I loved Prometheus and like Covenant a lot. Romulus Looked like alien but didn’t feel like alien. I particularly hated the characters, who were some of the most obnoxious and idiotic characters of the entire franchise. One scene was so stupid I actually laughed. I think it’s s movie that will grow on me with time. That said it’s by far the worst of the main series Alien Movies.

[@Fiveash-Art]

People keep saying they were making dumb decisions .. And when you ask them why that is?, their answers are usually based on interpretations they've made because they didn't understand what was happening. They sound dumb. Personally I I felt the core characters Rain, Andy and Kay were more than enough to root for when it came to this movie. I even felt some empathy for Bjorn the bully .. and what a fantastic death scene that was with the acid. The characters were fine.. good actors, written with enough depth to keep me invested. Sucks you didn't enjoy the movie. I had a blast with it. You're saying this movie is worse than those Alien vs Pretor movies, Resurrection, Alien 3 and Covenant? You have no credibility at all. I hope people stop listening to the people exaggerating how bad the movie is. They're full of crap.

[@erikthewriter]

@@Fiveash-Art oh god no AVP was much worse I meant of the main series not the spinoffs. I don’t know, for me the characters acted and sounded less like characters from the Alien universe and more like Skins in space. The acid death scene annoyed me because Bjorn just lay there, he didn’t even try to move and then the fall from the railing felt like i was watching a parody. But i didn’t hate it i just didn’t enjoy it the way I hoped i would. It’s not AVP: R now thats a bad movie

[@culwin]

USCSS Nostalgia

[@biguy617]

I hated this movie. I hate how this movie uses the iconic line from Aliens and the android from the first movie. Making a Mid-quel is a terrible idea.

[@Fiveash-Art]

No one cares. We've seen this opinion copied and pasted all over the internet. There's nothing insightful about yet another person pretending they're smart because they saw the call backs. 😂

[@JoeChillton]

This was cut n dry a thrill ride that never let up the suspense and even if we all know the Xenomorph and it's life cycle and it's design, still one of the freakiest monsters. I loved it, Film Brain.

[@wjzav1971]

My god, I would just love if franchise pictures would stop adding in fan service and callbacks to the older movies. Its so trite and lazy at this point. Create your own damn mythos.

[@magnusdiridian]

get away from the mythos you bitch!!

[@JanetStarChild]

You can keep telling us the names of these 20-something young actors, but they're all unknowns to me, and I don't really care to know.

[@FilmBrain]

They're not unknowns, though. Isabela Merced had the title role in the Dora movie, among others. Cailee Spaney has been in Sofia Coppola and Alex Garland films within a year. Jonsson is known quite a bit in the UK. Several of them are well on their way to being very big names. Also,when talking directly about their performances in a review, you do typically name the actors.

[@JanetStarChild]

@@FilmBrain You are, of course, in the right. My comment was in regard to the roll-call of the major actors in the first few minutes of the review; I felt it slowed down the pacing. Though, I had no problemn with the info dump on each actor when you went into depth on each character later in the review. That all said, pay me no mind; I'm an impatient person with almost zero fucks on young actors, as I haven't really been following Hollywood celebs in the past 20 years or so. ...Sorry, I'm an arse, I know.

[@FilmBrain]

Well, the first part is just my synopsis, so it's only really there to catch everyone up to speed (since I don't assume everyone's seen what I'm covering, just in case). And believe me, having to do a roll call of main cast is one of my least favourite things to do in synopsis.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Re-Spoiler section: 24:31 I do wonder if that was the original plan [with Fassbender returning] given the plot point about the 'evil' robot trying to win over the 'good' one was reminiscent of Covenant [maybe trying to make that less obvious is why they didn't get David Johnsson to play both parts], but as this did feel like it's trying to tie into the original more than feeling like a steal prequel they dropped it [although the prequel series is still canon 16:37 due the McGuffin]. Lance Hendrickson [Bishop from Aliens] is still around but is 84 [and if you've heard the 'William Gibson Alien 3' audio drama certainly sounds like it] and his AVP appearance didn't help that film in the slightest but either would be better than what they ended up doing-just re-cast the role [which the audio plays have done for even Ripley herself]. And I know she's announced her retirement from the part but maybe Sigourney Weaver would have filmed a cameo [maybe via a video message or a new character] if they were desperate for a 'legacy appearance' and paid her enough given she's done it twice [2016+ afterlife] for ghostbusters. 24:14 In Dr Sleep's case they did consider doing deep fakes or de-aging [as they wanted Jack Nicholson involved in some form but he eventually declined] but felt it looked 'too videogame' [although I suspect the budget wouldn't stretch to it anyway] but whatever the reason it was the right call.

[@robotrix]

Since the android is supposed to be damaged part of it could be his voice. And they could de-age Hendrickson like they de-age Tom Cruise

[@jackdewipper187]

This movie is one of the worst scifi movies I have ever seen. Waste of my time and money.

[@LimeWorksProd]

I don’t care what you what you say but this movie rules!

[@Fiveash-Art]

I hope people stop listening so much to the negative reviews. They're full of it.

[@Dim4323]

Alien 3 inferior Aliens is superior

[@ChristopherDraws]

Spoiler-related.... Re. the issue of digitally reanimating deceased actors, another aspect of this which I find disrespectful is that it treats the actor as a visual prop: part of what might appeal to us about an actor could be their appearance, but more often it is how they perform and embody a character. Reducing the actor to a visual skin that can be worn after their death is shameful and disrespects both the deceased actor, as well as (in this case) the living actor who is actually giving the performance.

[@robotrix]

Curious what you think of Rachel in Blade Runner 2049 (actor's own voice with a recreated image for short scene) and Dr. Loomis in Halloween Kills (actor made up to look like deceased actor for short scene)?

[@ChristopherDraws]

​@@robotrix I think Bladerunner 2049 is different because Sean Young could give or refuse her consent (although I didn't know much detail about the production, and I had assumed it was a different person who looked similar). I've not seen Halloween Kills, but if the actor was deceased and couldn't give consent, recreating them for a scene seems wrong to me. I realise it could be argued how is it different to a deceased actor's estate licensing their image to be printed on t-shirts, but I think the difference is that a moving, acted performance is more easily misunderstood to "be" that actor's own performance from their lifetime. I'd prefer to live in a world where we can believe that we are seeing the actor's own performance, than have to second guess whether or not it was an artificial recreation.

[@ayeshazhukov]

I'm really not bothered about deceased actors being ressurected for films. We're watching dead actors all the time. Once someone pegs it we don't burn all their movies and never watch them again. Plotwise the appearance of the Ash android was justified, and as for its realisation, some of it was a bit poor, but then there is at least one rubbish shot of Ash's rubber head in the original film, and people never mention that. As for recasts, people hate them, and that's one of the many reasons why Terminator: Genysis was such a money pit.

[@andrewklang809]

All we can ask of franchise sequels these days is: 1. Don't insult the audience with cheap fanservice or lazy references. 2. Deliver something new, not just a regurgitation of something that once was original. And we're usually happy enough to get one of the two, because it's so rare (Fury Road, Last Jedi) that we get both.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Of course 'Last Jedi' was notoriously divisive that some people are still moaning to this day about it. I'd argue if it's done well like Top Gun Maverick [who's plot is a stealth remake of the original and is full of fan service and call backs] or Creed it can work but it often doesn't although as last jedi and some of the recent Bond films shows some fans seem to dislike it when they try something different which doesn't help [for example I saw a comment on a video saying 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' wasn't a real die hard film' because they didn't follow the tropes of 1+2].

[@andrewklang809]

@@jamesatkinsonja Sure, though I'm of the opinion it's the best of the recent films, and second best of all recent Star Wars behind only Andor (though Mando S1 was also better, that show fell off). However, one thing you can give Rian Johnson for is that he didn't pander, he didn't hide behind fansevice, he didn't just remake an earlier film, he challenged the audience. Even if you didn't like the result, he did not play it safe. He stepped up to the plate and swung for the fences. Force Awakens and Rise of Skywalker played it safe and pandered.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@andrewklang809 I take the point-it's why I'll take Rouge One over something like 'Solo a Star Wars Story' [which was thoroughly predictable and unnecessary] but I can see why people take the safe option given how vocal the negative side was [which Rise of Skywalker certainly felt pandering towards] even now when it's time to move on. Even before that Its' why 'Force awakens' was so heavily reminiscent of 'A New Hope' because the prequels had a vocal dislike. Shame but I agree-I'll always appreciate a big swing and some ambition.

[@DinoDave150]

You would have thought that The Flash (2023) would have been the straw that broke the camel's back when it comes to resurrecting dead actors for cheap fanservice. But no. We are STILL doing this even after the fact that every time they do, they always, ALWAYS get backlash because of it. Also, does anyone else find that Ridley Scott has an almost spiteful unwarranted feeling of ownership of this franchise? I say this in response to all the Prometheus and Covenant revisionism that I've been seeing recently and people wanting him to finish his trilogy. It's like, guys, those movies sucked too. In fact, Covenant's last 40 minutes were also an "Alien Greatest Hits" montage, JUST like Romulus. Not to mention Scott vetoed Neil Blomkamp's Alien 5.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Fox put Scott in charge of the franchise after it had reached the depth of AVPR and probably has control contractually [although that didn't stop his prequel series being ended early]. The prequels were decently received critically and do have there fans [I don't like Alien 3 or the Star Wars prequels very much but I respect they have a following now a days] which is personal taste. As for Blomkamp's film, I do wonder if it was better not being made so it can be 'the greatest alien film that never was' as the results might have been disappointing given Blomkamp's recent track record with films like Demonic [Scott was announced as producing the project when it was first announced but Blomkamp suspects Chappie being poor received meant Scott+ Fox lost faith]. That Blomkamp's Robocop also never got made does make me suspect he's not suited to franchises or his hype can't be backed up with results.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

Personally I think that this decision was made around when the backlash hadn’t quite solidified, I mean obviously post Rogue One it should have but it’s solidified for definite both with The Flash and this film. I personally think they just thought that it wouldn’t matter much. But ultimately, it’s now a trend that audiences dislike, no matter the quality of the film or how well it does. People don’t like it, so it’s time to find different methods. RS I don’t think vetoed Alien 5, but I agree he’s recently had kind of a paw on this franchise even when he’s not directing (he produced and endorsed this) and it’s one that people have recently been extremely passionately praising towards. His prequels find an extreme amount of love recently and people are bashing this film to prop them up too. You’re right that Covenant still had plenty of “nostalgia” too and I think if the David stuff wasn’t in the film, it wouldn’t have a fan following at all.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168 In fairness all the Alien films do have a following [maybe except AVPR]. I remember when 3 was really despised but it has a strong following now for example and I've seen people stick up for AVP which does surprise me a bit.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

@@jamesatkinsonja AvP R is the only one with practically no defenders and for good reason.

[@robotrix]

Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the Xenomorph that burst out of the Space Jockey after it finished making eggs of the crew (presumably) in the first movie? Dallas, Lambert and Kane weren't exactly quiet and it didn't attack them. So was it dead? In hibernation? Out running around LV-426? Was I the only one going "OK, this is a parasite. They're low in the food chain. Wonder what the higher end of THAT looks like?" and was looking forward to seeing that movie? But now David created them to kill off humans because he hated Weyland who he somehow couldn't just kill at any point because reasons

[@jamesatkinsonja]

The opening of Covenant shows why David wouldn't kill Weyland because as he observes '[Wayland] will die I will not'. He knows Wayland would have him destroyed if he tried anything so he serves him because he's biding his time until he's gone. He also is generally treated as inferior by humans [Shaw] showed me kindness' not shown by Weyland or any human] as displayed by Holoway which is why he asks Walter if he wants to 'serve in heaven-or reign in hell'.

[@mikekz4489]

It seems like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant created conditions of a metaphorical famine and so whatever Romulus has in it will be more than welcomed.

[@luckykat08]

I'm not conflicted. Except for the excellent production values the film was bad -- bottom of the barrel script.

[@robotrix]

BTW - (spoiler) Can we talk about how the Xenomorphs apparently have a natural TARDIS technology built in at birth as there's a pod that looks to be about 8 - 10 inches deep on a wall that an entire adult Xenomorph just unfolds itself out of..... And then EnginMorph (?) goes from baby to giant in at most 15 minutes? In fact, the speed at which the implants from face huggers emerge leave their hosts ever since Alien vs Predator make the ones Kane and Ripley had look like lazy slackers.

[@Haplo699g]

We know Holm's family agreed and if they got a bit of cash out of it, I'm fine with that.

[@Fiveash-Art]

The moral panic over this stuff feels extremely contrived ... The man is dead, he doesn't care. Everyone has to be offended and raise a fuss about something I guess. What a bunch of pearl clutchers yeah?

[@robotrix]

Serious question......(spoiler) They took the little discus out of Rook to put into Andy and it made Andy a smarter "company man". And yet it didn't change Rook in the slightest. Still for the company. No less smart. Nothing. Anyone think of a reason for that other than "He's the bad guy"?

[@FilmBrain]

I thought of it as a "software update", and those traits are programmed into Rook by default, but are not native to Andy as an earlier version.

[@robotrix]

@@FilmBrain But if they're in Rook by default why would that info be kept on his disk. It's redundant. Plus if it's and update to Andy it should remain in him. Might be before your time but I've never had a physical update disk for a program that had to remain in the computer. It loaded the new information into the existing file and you were done. I guess they aren't worried about anyone my age who has had experience with this. Can I say thought that I love that the actor who played Andy is the first time I've seen a character keep the same expression throughout the movie - "sad confusion" - and it works perfectly.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Well I thought Alien: Romulus was boring crap. But now you've told me the protagonist wears the same Reeboks as Ripley, I now realise this is the most important cultural artifact in the history of humanity.

[@Sci-Fi_Quizshow]

Hi, I just do not get why viewers / followers do not recognize the amount of bull*&^% that keeps being shoved down the throats disguised as 'creative' but within canon supposedly offshoots. yeah, right! Black goo is just a metaphor for plot hole filler. After Alien 3 the franchise got fouled beyond recognition. Why? Moronic scripts and writers who were not really seasoned Sci-Fi masters of their craft, and worse still, allowed the dircetor / producer to meddle with the story arc. A Sci-Fi story movie really needs to qualify on both components: Science and Fiction in appropriate, coherenet, proportions otherwise we get a stinking pile of hot manure like Promethus and Covenant!

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Plenty of people read 'expanded universe' novels which often are just extensions of the existing stories with fan service/returning characters but if people like it, good for them I say.

[@sebsignat8286]

Alien: Romulus is quite in your face with the penis and vagina symbolism. It kinda distracted and took me out

[@Fiveash-Art]

Well then you probably wouldn't enjoy the art of the creator H.R. Giger because his paintings are full of that sort of imagery. If it 'took you out', you don't understand The Alien to begin with. It's not your bag.

[@sebsignat8286]

@@Fiveash-Art it's all about the rape and assault

[@Fiveash-Art]

@@sebsignat8286 Sure, it's always been in the subtext of these movies. They're horror movies. 😂

[@sebsignat8286]

@@Fiveash-Art it was more in your face in Romulus than the others. It's been a while since I last saw any of the alien movies so unless it's in your face in those than I did miss the point

[@Fiveash-Art]

@@sebsignat8286 Not really. The movies have always had that sort of imagery baked in. The first attack in the first Alien movie is a facehugger basically raping one of the characters. Go look at Giger's paintings. You're not supposed to be rooting for the Alien. Essentially it's anti-rape. Sure it's a bit exploitation, but it's a horror movie. Don't watch horror movies if you're offended by such things. Just my view.

[@jamesday1295]

The worst movie i enjoyed watching I hate it. Well made, terribly plotted, silly tone for a Ripley timeline film (A.resurrection is Ripley8 god damn it) Competant cast but just missing that A+ actor nuance, and dialogue. Be afraid, be very afraid... For a complete retcon of the Alien Queen. Not having proper alignment with Aliens as your priority, when writing Alien 1.5 feels like prometheus / covenant vibes again, bit sly if so R.S.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

The Queen was a Cameron creation so it might well not be part of Ridley Scott's canon [although you get David calling Daniels 'his Queen' in the Covenant tie in video so they did leave a door open for it]-There is the 'egg morphing' scene in the extended version of Alien which shows how the Eggs are produced without a Queen.

[@LemonsAndSalt69]

Looking back on Alien and Aliens, just reiterates the fact that Romulus is terrible. Not a single idea.

[@marbl3d45]

@@LemonsAndSalt69 Bruh

[@magnusdiridian]

get away from the single ideas you bitch!!

[@JeffreyPiatt]

It's a imterquel set between Alien and Aliens,

[@Haplo699g]

@JeffreyPiatt Oh, look, the Internet has made up another unnecessary word.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@Haplo699g Interquel has been around for ages especially with expanded universe stuff. I remember people calling 'Home Alone 4' an interquel because Kevin in it is younger than Home Alone 2-even though it's clearly a reboot [to the extent two of his siblings don't exist anymore!}.

[@Haplo699g]

@@jamesatkinsonja It did Joanna Going in it though, so I don't care what you call it. LOL