Romulus First Reactions Call It A Greatest Hits Entry In The Series

First reactions to Fede Álvarez’s long-awaited space horror flick “Alien: Romulus” are here, and according to several critics, it’s a movie that plays like a “greatest hits” take on the series that first began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien.” Whether or not that’s a good thing is up for debate, but early reactions so far appear more mixed than expected — especially after 20th Century Studios dropped such a deliciously nasty trailer for the film earlier this year, setting horror fans abuzz and solidifying the movie as one of the year’s most anticipated.

The hype paid off for some critics, including /Film’s BJ Colangelo, who notes on X that the film is in her personal top 3 “Alien” film ranking. She calls the new movie “a return to form for the franchise in the sense that it is an unapologetic legacy sequel — but also is filled with thrilling, disgusting, and scary as hell moments.” Our own Bill Bria agrees, admitting in his initial reaction on X that the film “plays like a Greatest Hits of the franchise,” while also praising its sound, cinematography, cast, and “great squicky creature work.” Meanwhile, /Film’s Chris Evangelista feels like this is the “least interesting movie in the series. It has nothing on its mind other than playing the hits.”

Some other critics appear to be less enthused about the film’s callbacks to prior franchise installments, though praise for certain aspects — including the scares and star Cailee Spaeny’s performance — seem to hold strong across nearly every social media reaction we’ve come across. Critic Matt Donato is one of several early reviewers who calls the movie “fine,” writing on X that it never reaches the level of Álvarez’s bonkers “Evil Dead” revamp from 2013. While he calls the tie-ins to past installments of the series “a bit rigid,” others are more overtly put off by the references. Next Best Picture’s Brendan Hodges writes on X that the film is “mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills.” He concludes that in a franchise that’s known for the weird, it’s “the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been.”

Matt Neglia, also of Next Best Picture, seems to partially agree: on X, he also called the movie a “greatest hits entry,” and while he praises its escalating, “visceral” thrills, he says the movie is “definitely the most straightforward of the franchise.” Despite these less-than-glowing quick takes, most of the first reactions we’ve come across have been decidedly mixed, still praising the cast and other elements of the film. Neglia says that “the grounded performances from Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson provide just enough emotional weight to keep audiences invested during the slaughter,” while critic Isaac Feldberg, who did not like the movie, points out on X that “Spaeny sells her Ripley stand-in, [I] but would take more of Sir Ridley’s messy grappling with godhood over his cover band any day.”

While “Alien: Romulus” may not be as deep or original as its predecessors, word on the street is that it does eventually get weird, with a divisive third act that everyone’s already talking about. Inverse editor Hoai-Tran Bui notes the film’s “greatest hits” quality and good jump scares in her initial X reaction, but ultimately says she likes the movie, citing its “delightfully disgusting third act twist.” Writer Mike Ryan is cool on the first two-thirds of the film, but says in a post on X that he “enjoyed the more gnarly, disturbing, much more unique third act and wish the whole movie had been like that.” Critic Eric Vespe, in a wholly positive take on the movie (via X), notes that “the finale will be divisive, but I loved it.” He also reframes the franchise tie-ins as a good thing, writing that the movie “is absolutely gorgeous and somehow honors every single movie that came before.”

Writer Rachel Leishman is in the same boat, admitting in her own X post that this movie marks the first time an “Alien” film has truly “terrified” her, and praising the film’s “twists and turns.” As she puts it, “you never really know where Romulus is headed. The 3rd act is truly WILD.” Still, there’s clearly a discourse looming on the horizon, as writer William Bibbiani singles out one choice the movie makes, explaining via X that one decision “sucks so much” that it calls to mind a famous 2016 moment when director Hayao Miyazaki told a creator, “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.” He’s not the only critic who hints at a polarizing single storytelling choice the movie makes, either.

All in all, “Alien: Romulus” sounds like a thrill ride, but not the guaranteed cinematic slam dunk that fans were beginning to expect. Yet (like every movie) it’s clearly a subjective moviegoing experience, too, as even the movie’s set and creature designs are inspiring mixed responses. IGN’s Amelia Emberwing writes on X that the movie’s set pieces call to mind “a video game level, theme park ride intro, or horror nights maze,” while Vespe says that “the alien effects are so satisfying.” The only consistencies across nearly all of the reviews we’ve seen seem to be that Spaeny is good and parts of the movie are scary, with several first reactions also criticizing the movie’s “greatest hits” tendencies.

Is “Alien: Romulus” worth the watch? Only you can decide for yourself when the movie hits theaters this Friday, August 16, 2024.