*BEWARE SPOILERS* Alien: Romulus

[choombaz]

Is this the worst case ever of a movie cribbing lines from other movies in the franchise? The entire audience was groan laughing every time a line was said.

It was embarrassing.

No amount of decent photography and effects can make up for this absolute mess and I can’t comprehend the high scores this has on imdb, letterboxd and rotten tomatoes. As someone else said, how can we have seen the same film? I guess I must have unrealistic expectations. And I really liked Alvarez’s other flicks too.

 

[YoNoSe]

I liked the actor who played the new robot but when he quoted a certain line towards the end it made me feel like we need to stop doing this forever.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

But they were well made with good ideas. They just shouldn’t be Alien films.

Completely agree. Prometheus should have been its own thing, entirely separate from the Alien movies. That way, the Engineers wouldn't be a disappointing explanation for the Space Jockey and the black goo wouldn't be a disappointing origin for the Xenomorph.
In fact I don't want an explanation for either of those at all.

 

[Mondragon]

I think a small colony -- like an old western town -- that is targeted by three "bad men" (aliens) on an interesting new planet could be good. Small, contained... but maybe each alien has hosted from a different local species. Now you have three NEW Aliens.

So staying on the mining town, this rogue Scooby gang was trying to escape from would have been more interesting?

 

[ScoutingForToys]

This black goo is the laziest plot device in recent memory. Enough with Scott, his goo, and his engineers. The man ruined his prequels and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in the inclusion of the engineer nonsense here. And that's what frustrates me the most: the fact that the odor of his incompetent prequels still lingers... and now that the goo has been involved in three movies, it may well become a permanent part of the franchise. Ugh.

100% this.
Scott's terrible Engineers and black goo has become so ingrained in the franchise you can't discuss Alien for 5 seconds before someone brings up that garbage. The series will never get away from it at this point.

 

[Rotfish]

I will say this movie felt competent at least. The filmmakers definitely aimed lower than Prometheus and even Covenant, but stuck the landing better than those.

I think a small colony -- like an old western town -- that is targeted by three "bad men" (aliens) on an interesting new planet could be good. Small, contained... but maybe each alien has hosted from a different local species. Now you have three NEW Aliens.

Ooh, I'd be down. Maybe some Kenner nods.

 

[jaztermareal]

I haven't watched the new film yet but does it explicitly set in stone the Engineers as Space Jockeys or goo as alien origin??? If not, there is hope as what was on screen in Prometheus contradicts both of those ideas. Both concepts could easily be undone using Prometheus itself so a movie could easily make it all make sense through re-contextualisation. If that were to happen folk wouldn't mind those other movies existing

 

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

Well now... it is established in the first film that the Alien can make eggs. He's turning Dallas and Brett into eggs (admittedly, deleted scene, but it was a pretty well-known edit by Alien fans between 1979-1986). That was the original life cycle... before Cameron got his hands on it.

Most Alien viewings I've seen on TV for years now include the deleted scenes.

While true, this was indeed jettisoned by Scott himself. Added after the fact only because of...well, there was money to be had. Plus, fans of the original (like me!) would eagerly consume anything we hadn't seen before. The presence of the Queen being essential to the mythos began with Cameron, followed through with Alien 3 (Ripley had one in her chest), Resurrection, and even the AVP flicks.

My main gripes are continuity. I had the same gripes with Prometheus and Covenant. As well as the AVP films.

It used to be that established lore and canon in a series were protected by an overseer/editor. Now things are jettisoned willy nilly, simply in favor of more dollars. They give the illusion the films sync by adding things from previous films "Get to the chopper" for Predator, "Get Away from her you B" for Alien, "Come get some" for Evil Dead, the list goes on and on. This is done in lieu of cohesive story telling and editing. This whole film swipes from previous films in the series to make us feel "at home" with this one. Some folks call that fan service. I have no problem with servicing fans, as they are the audience. Yet if there is no meaty plot, all the call backs and fan service cannot save a flick.

Additionally: Like it or not, this series is forever identified with Ellen Ripley. Even all these years later. It's why so many people HATED Alien 3. They were vested in this character.

Can we honestly say we cared much about any of these protagonists in Romulus, save the Synth?

 

[jaztermareal]

While true, this was indeed jettisoned by Scott himself. Added after the fact only because of...well, there was money to be had. Plus, fans of the original (like me!) would eagerly consume anything we hadn't seen before. The presence of the Queen being essential to the mythos began with Cameron, followed through with Alien 3 (Ripley had one in her chest), Resurrection, and even the AVP flicks.

My main gripes are continuity. I had the same gripes with Prometheus and Covenant. As well as the AVP films.

It used to be that established lore and canon in a series were protected by an overseer/editor. Now things are jettisoned willy nilly, simply in favor of more dollars. They give the illusion the films sync by adding things from previous films "Get to the chopper" for Predator, "Get Away from her you B" for Alien, "Come get some" for Evil Dead, the list goes on and on. This is done in lieu of cohesive story telling and editing. This whole film swipes from previous films in the series to make us feel "at home" with this one. Some folks call that fan service. I have no problem with servicing fans, as they are the audience. Yet if there is no meaty plot, all the call backs and fan service cannot save a flick.

Additionally: Like it or not, this series is forever identified with Ellen Ripley. Even all these years later. It's why so many people HATED Alien 3. They were vested in this character.

Can we honestly say we cared much about any of these protagonists in Romulus, save the Synth?

Scott removed the egg morphing scene for pacing reasons not because he didn't like the idea.

 

[jye4ever]

Opening night Aliens and it immediately didn’t feel at all like Alien it was a completely different experience a whole new movie….that’s how you do it!!

Both smart masterpieces in their own way.

Alien trailer both scared and intrigued me as a kid!

I also still vividly remember finding my dad’s stash of Hustler, wait what are we talking about again lol

Oh that’s right black goo…..

sigh

 

[Rotfish]

I haven't watched the new film yet but does it explicitly set in stone the Engineers as Space Jockeys or goo as alien origin???

Spoiler:

Technically, no. The goo is extracted from the remains of the Big Chap and is more valuable to the Company than the actual Alien. And we don't see any Engineers, just a weird human/xenomorph hybrid at the end with the face of an Engineer for some reason.

 

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

Scott removed the egg morphing scene for pacing reasons not because he didn't like the idea.

True, but once removed, and canon established around a new Mythos....and followed for decades of sequel entries....therein lies the problem.

It's the same thing they've done with Halloween. "Let's jettison this, so we can go back and do this." Hollywood writes itself into corners, and then has to try and find a way to write itself out of them.

It doesn't work for me.

On another note: I assume everyone here knows that the plot for the first Alien is very neatly lifted from the 1950's B movie "It, The Terror from Beyond Space"? I recently contributed to the extras on the Kino Lorber blu ray release of the film. If you haven't seen the movie, and can handle black and white films and their "time capsule" era presentation, it's worth a view. If for no other reason than to see the great, great grandpappy of Alien 1979.

 

[Rotfish]

---

Like it or not, this series is forever identified with Ellen Ripley. Even all these years later. It's why so many people HATED Alien 3. They were vested in this character.

I love her character in the third one. It's not a rosy ending at all, but it's believable given how oppressive her world is. And Weaver plays it wonderfully.

However angry folks were that Alien 3 invalidated Aliens, that's how disappointed I was that Resurrection invalidated Alien 3.

 

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

---

I love her character in the third one. It's not a rosy ending at all, but it's believable given how oppressive her world is. And Weaver plays it wonderfully.

However angry folks were that Alien 3 invalidated Aliens, that's how disappointed I was that Resurrection invalidated Alien 3.

Alien 3 is actually a fairly decent "monster" movie. Waever and Dutton carried the flick. It's dirty and raw and angry. Felt terrible for Ripley in it.

 

[jaztermareal]

Spoiler:

Technically, no. The goo is extracted from the remains of the Big Chap and is more valuable to the Company than the actual Alien. And we don't see any Engineers, just a weird human/xenomorph hybrid at the end with the face of an Engineer for some reason.

Ok,

Spoiler:

so given everything seen on screen for all we know the Xeno is the source of the goo (at least one kind of it) rather than a product of it while the face looking like Engineer just means human since the Engineers are human as per Prometheus, so that isn't very strange. It could suggest that the Engineers had used Xeno goo to adapt/improve themselves hence why they appear slightly different.


The franchise can still be saved, the origin of the Alien can still be established as unknown and the Space Jockeys properly introduced as actual aliens. Just need someone to write it properly then film it. A single movie could repair the damage and tie it all together neatly. People actually end up appreciating these newer movies more if so.

Question is, will anyone actually do it or not.

 

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

Another little quibble: In the new film, it is established that Facehuggers are drawn to heat signatures to "see" their prey/potential host.

In the 1979 film, when Kane stumbles into the egg field, he states "It's like the GD Tropics in here." Implying intense heat incubating the eggs. If they are drawn to heat signatures, yet in an incubator, how did they know Kane was even in there?

 

[JAWS]

Completely agree. Prometheus should have been its own thing, entirely separate from the Alien movies. That way, the Engineers wouldn't be a disappointing explanation for the Space Jockey and the black goo wouldn't be a disappointing origin for the Xenomorph.
In fact I don't want an explanation for either of those at all.

100% agree with everything you said.

 

[JAWS]

Ok,

Spoiler:

so given everything seen on screen for all we know the Xeno is the source of the goo (at least one kind of it) rather than a product of it while the face looking like Engineer just means human since the Engineers are human as per Prometheus, so that isn't very strange. It could suggest that the Engineers had used Xeno goo to adapt/improve themselves hence why they appear slightly different.


The franchise can still be saved, the origin of the Alien can still be established as unknown and the Space Jockeys properly introduced as actual aliens. Just need someone to write it properly then film it. A single movie could repair the damage and tie it all together neatly. People actually end up appreciating these newer movies more if so.

Question is, will anyone actually do it or not.

It seems to me that the Alien came before the goo. Since the Engineers had that temple that had an Alien wall statue in there.

 

[Mondragon]

I will say this movie felt competent at least. The filmmakers definitely aimed lower than Prometheus and even Covenant, but stuck the landing better than those.


Ooh, I'd be down. Maybe some Kenner nods.

Yes what this franchise needs is Kenner's Rhinosomorph, Killer Crablien, and Gross-Hopper alien, come to life!

Though, couldn't have been any worse than the giant Xenobabymorph nightmare-fuel we got in this film

 

[Rotfish]

Bananas as these are, they're so flippin' cool and I'm actually surprised that we haven't seen anything like this in an Alien movie yet.

We get the Dog in the third one and that's it for animal-born xenos, but Ridley Scott's black goo gets featured in three films?