Summary
I really enjoyedAlien: Romulus, andI’m most excited by the possibility that the narrative Ridley Scott established with his prequels can finally be finished. While I can see the arguments thatPrometheusandAlien: Covenantmaybe aren’t thebestAlienmoviesdue to their conflicting styles and tones, I wholeheartedly believe they’re both inches away from being phenomenal sci-fi movies. Both prequels introduce such fascinating ideas to the franchise, but I feel like they’re dragged down by elements of their movies thatAlien: Romulustruly learns from.
There are tons ofreferences to the franchise inAlien: Romulus, and the movie surprisingly doesn’t shy away from embracing elements of the prequels. I felt like it drew from the best qualities of both the 2010s movies and the originals, allowing for fascinating world-building concepts to blend with compelling character dynamics and engaging horror action. With that in mind,my hope is renewed for futureAlienfilms, and I’m encouraged by the idea that the franchise can continue to useRomulusas the blueprintfor making a modern sci-fi/horror hit.
Alien: Romulus' Connections To David’s Alien Prequels Are Massive
Alien: Romulus Perfectly Ties The Prequels To The Original
While many of the characters in Ridley Scott’sPrometheusandAlien: Covenantdidn’t work for me, I consider Michael Fassbender’s David one of the franchise’s best. He’s someone I’d love to see more of, along with Peter Weyland and the lore behind the Weyland-Yutani corporation.WhileAlien: Romulusdoesn’t make the prequel lore its main focus, it importantly uses elements from those films, like theblack goo fromPrometheus. That same substance is drawn from the Xenomorph by scientists on the Renaissance ship, leading to one of the new movie’s major twists.
Peter Weyland’s hope inPrometheuswas to find a way to use the Engineers to extend human life. After his death, David carried on some form of this mission inAlien: Covenant, performing his own experiments with the goo.On the Renaissance ship, scientists managed to use the goo for the substance they believed could be used to extend human life, which Kay ended up using in theAlien: Romulusending. The goo has an unexpected effect, creating a brand new Xenomorph-Engineer-human hybrid that’s absolutely frightening.
8 Biggest Alien Lore Reveals In Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus draws a ton from its predecessors, but it also builds upon the Alien franchise lore with plenty of exciting new reveals.
Alien: Romulus Confirms Ridley Scott’s Prequels Are Still Important To The Franchise
Alien Lore From The Prequels Increases The Stakes Of Future Movies
The involvement of the black goo and the Engineers inAlien: Romuluswas fantastic, mostly because it showed that those movies, which I love, are still crucial to the larger saga. Given the already existing confusion with theAlienfranchise timeline, future movies could’ve tried to ignore the lore Scott established, moving in a new direction.I think it would’ve been a drastic mistake to ignore the immensely positive additions those movies madeto the franchise’s mythology, and I’m thrilled that future installments will (hopefully) continue to expand on those ideas.
As a movie and media fan, I generally prefer science fiction over horror, so I may be in the minority when I say I find those aspects of theAlienfranchise more engaging than the horror/thriller sequences. To each their own, of course, but I believe these movies could reach their full potential by finding a strong balance between the two, and that’s why I foundAlien: Romulusso enjoyable. I love the existential concepts Ridley brought to the table withPrometheus, and I even foundAlien: Covenantto be an engaging continuation of them.
Alien: Romulus' Success Could Help Ridley Scott Make His Final David Prequel
If Alien: Romulus Makes Waves At The Box Office, It Could Result In More Franchise Freedom
At one point,Ridley Scott was encouraged by the idea of making more follow-ups toAlien: Covenant, even planning for several more sequelsto expand on his lore and ideas. In 2019,Varietyeven reported that a sequel toCovenantwas being written, and as much as I enjoyedRomulus, I’m disappointed this never came to fruition. IfRomuluscontinues to succeed at the box office, my hope is that Ridley will have more trust and power going forward to develop the franchise as he wants, even if his movies run simultaneously to more from Fede Álvarez.
There’s a clear desire forAlienmovies that embody the spirit of the original 1979 classic, thoroughly mixing horror and sci-fi, which didn’t seem like what Scott was interested in developing years ago. With the success and appeal ofRomulus, there might be a world where both sagas can continue, building off of each other in a way theAlienfranchise has never seen before. Especially now that, afterRomulus,opinions onPrometheusandCovenantseem to be growing slightly more lenient.
Alien: Romulus Box Office Passes Major Global Milestone In Opening Weekend
The new science fiction horror sequel Alien: Romulus blasts pasts a major global box office milestone during its opening weekend in theaters.
I’m sure there will always be those who simply have no interest in thePrometheusaspect of the franchise, but I can’t help feeling like part of the initial reception for the movie was due to audience expectations. The 2012 sci-fi movie took such a different shape thanAlienfans had been used to, and it’s fair that initial reactions could’ve been averse, especially after over a decade of waiting. After some time, the movie has grown on viewers, andScott could draw from what madeRomulussuccessful to improve his potential future movies.
An Alien: Romulus Sequel Might Be Where Ridley Scott’s David Prequel Story Concludes
Alien: Romulus Could Take Over Where Alien: Covenant Left Off
As much as I’d love to see Ridley Scott return to his passion project with more prequels, the director has a lot on his plate. He’s working onGladiator II, which will be released later this year, and is also producing theAlien: EarthTV series. Who knows what the future holds for the 86-year-old filmmaker, buthe may just be interested in leaving the franchise in the hands of someone like Álvarez, who obviously has new ideas for the saga.Alien: Romuluswasn’t initially meant to have sequels, but the film’s open ending leaves plenty of room for possibilities.
We’d be seeing David again after decades, and it would be interesting to see his duality with Andy.
At the end ofAlien: Romulus, Rain set a course for a potential new system to live on, promising Andy she would rebuild him. There’s an infinite number of directions the story could take from there, withRomulustaking place roughly 40 years after the events ofCovenant. We’d be seeing David again after decades, and it would be interesting to see his duality with Andy. There’s plenty of story forAlien: Romulussequels to tell, and I’d love to see Cailee Spaeny continue to return as the face of the franchise.
Sources:Variety
Alien: Romulus
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.
