Romulus Solves The Franchise’s Acid Xenomorph Blood Problem

Spoilers aren’t in the best interests of the Company, but that’s never stopped us before. Warning: This article discusses major plot details from “Alien: Romulus.”

Ever since the synthetic Ash (played by the late, great Ian Holm) first described the Xenomorph as the “perfect organism” in 1979’s “Alien,” one of cinema’s greatest villains was officially born and carved out a place in history with its acid blood. Over four decades later, however, it almost seems as if forces far beyond our control have combined to try and take any sense of mystique or awe out of these existentially terrifying foes. “Aliens” lived up to its title by turning the lone killing machine from the original into a swarm of “bugs” — an unnerving choice, admittedly, but one that couldn’t help but prove how mortal they were after all. “Alien 3” opted for a more animalistic approach, to mixed results. “Alien Resurrection,” meanwhile, turned this biomechanical beauty into the saddest, most pathetic-looking Xeno/human hybrid you’ve ever seen. Even Ridley Scott’s two prequels (which we here at /Film generally defend) contrived to add an origin story into the mix, stripping away any sense of mystery in the process.

While the other sequels are easy enough to dismiss, the added wrinkle of “Aliens” has been much tougher to reconcile. Although rightfully considered one of the best action flicks of all time, that exact genre sensibility also had one inevitable side effect. By establishing that the dreaded Xenomorph could be killed by simple guns and bullets, much of the tension and stakes inherent in the premise instantly vanished. This complaint has lingered all these years later, but “Alien: Romulus” may have finally found a solution. In one show-stopping action sequence, writer/director Fede Álvarez proves there’s more than one way to weaponize a Xeno.

Look, there’s no getting around it: Guns in movies and shows are just plain cool. Divorced of their real-world implications, guns have been a staple of the action genre since, well, there was an action genre in the first place. The “James Bond” franchise practically turned weaponry into a fetish, the “John Wick” movies perfected the art of the headshot, and even superhero movies like “Deadpool & Wolverine” have put their own ultra-violent, R-rated stamp on it. The genie is well and truly out of the bottle, and at least part of that stems from James Cameron making “Aliens” — “Oorah” Marine Corps grunts and all — as much of an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride as it is. But it’s also worth pointing out that, in a franchise so delicately dependent on maintaining Xenomorphs as an invulnerable killing machine, the very best moments of the acclaimed sequel have also done a not-insignificant amount of damage to the legend of these perfect organisms.

“Alien: Romulus,” thankfully, finds a way to neatly avoid this decades-old franchise issue. After all, it’s no coincidence that Álvarez chose to make his leads a group of very young adults — not a squad of battle-hardened soldiers. Much like the acclaimed video game “Alien: Isolation,” the most formidable weapon that Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her friends have at their disposal is a single stun baton. That remains the case for almost half the film, until the synthetic Andy (David Jonsson) finally acquires firearms (not dissimilar from the models depicted in “Aliens,” ironically enough) and gives them to Rain and Tyler (Archie Renaux).

But there’s a deceptively brilliant caveat attached: They can’t actually shoot any Xenomorphs, or their acid blood will eat away the space station’s hull and cause an explosive decompression.

With one neat twist, “Alien: Romulus” takes the franchise’s most annoying flaw and turns it into a strength. Guns and bullets can absolutely kill a Xenomorph … however, none of these characters can actually make use of them or they’ll simply die in a different horrific way. That obstacle intentionally frustrates audiences (possibly even more than the characters themselves), but Álvarez and frequent co-writer Rodo Sayagues make sure to include a cathartic sense of release. It just so happens to take the form of the movie’s absolute best action set piece.

Later on, when Rain and Andy remain as two of the only survivors left on the space station, the sequel unleashes a moment we’ve never quite seen before in this franchise. After risking her own life to return for her “brother” Andy, the two face the daunting prospect of an entire hallway packed with approaching Xenomorphs. Armed with only her gun, Rain accepts her fate as she realizes there’s no way out … until a stray observation about their doomed circumstances triggers a plan. By shutting off the artificial gravity, this would prevent the acid blood from sinking through the hull into space and allow Rain to shoot as many creatures as her ammunition will allow. Yet even when she narrowly fends them off, her actions have consequences. There’s still all that acid to deal with, bloating around in zero G and threatening anyone (synthetic or otherwise) who gets caught in its path.

Rain gets to play the prototypical badass with a gun, old-school fans get to appreciate this subversion of action-movie conventions, and “Alien: Romulus” gets to have its cake and eat it, too. A perfect organism, indeed.

“Alien: Romulus” is now playing in theaters.