Thanks to Alien: Romulus, there's Never Been a Better Time to be an Alien Fan
If you’re an Alien fan, there hasn’t been a better time to enjoy the universe than now. Also, if you’re anything like me, Alien: Romulus ignited a new fire in you for anything Alien. After seeing the film in 4DX (the seats shoot WATER at you), I got into a real Alien kick. I played Alien Isolation and Dark Descent for the first time. I watched Alien & Aliens with my family. I also re-watched Romulus.
Here’s where we’re at with new Alien content:
- Alien: Earth, the first Alien TV show [verify] will be released next week!
- According to Collider and Fede Alvarez, an Alien: Romulus sequel will start filming later this year.
- According to IGN, a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in development.
In my mind, Romulus was the crux to all of these new developments. But why? Does it merit the love it’s received? And what can we hope for moving forward?
Romulus was a Course Correction for the Alien Universe
When we look at Alien, there are conventions that must be followed.
- The main character must be female.
- There must be a new xenomorph form or species introduced.
- there must be the threat of a synthetic character’s betrayal.
- Shit’s gotta explode.
- The film’s gotta be scary.
Romulus ticks all these boxes with its own wonderful twists. Prior films miss the mark in various ways. And unlike these prior films, the world and atmosphere in Romulus looks like it belongs in the Alien Universe. Everything has an industrial, worn appearance. The characters must interact with the world in tactile ways, and everything responds with “hardwired” sounds and noises. The original Alien stood out for these reasons; unlike other science fiction films where the future delivered a sanitary life of ease, the world became harder, sparser, and more dangerous.
How long has it been since a film in the Alien universe delivered an experience liken to the original? Not since Resurrection. The Alien versus predator films, and the prequels Prometheus and Covenant, provided a much more polished and stereotypically sci-fi universe. Holograms, remote-controlled everything; shiny suits and clean interiors; all that made the Alien universe unique and interesting was set aside. These films also do away with many horror conventions that significantly destroy any sense of dread, terror, and excitement.
How did this happen? For one, these films show the monsters (xenomorph, and otherwise) too much, and in bright light all time. That ain’t scary. This lacking dread is a very shocking phenomenon considering that Prometheus and Covenant were directed by Sir Ridley Scott. On paper, these films delivered an “Alien” experience, but don’t serve the wider universe in meaningful ways. And, as stated, they don’t look like they even exist in the same universe (judging by the technology and set design). I don’t know the “why” behind these decisions, but I know that they didn’t deliver the best possible Alien experience. Whether it’s a lone woman fighting for survival or a team of cocky commandos realizing how deep the shit is they’re sunk in, I expect to escape to a hard-wired, dingy, industrialized sci-fi experience, where the human world is as off-putting as the actual horror elements.
Romulus delivered on all of these elements.
The video games Alien: Isolation and Aliens: Dark Descent were established perfectly in the universe and created fun, terrifying experiences. Though I’ve yet to delve into the full realm of Alien books, I quite enjoyed Alien: Phalanx. And there’s even more out there to enjoy while we, the loyal Xeno-geeks, wait for new entries.
What’s your favorite entry in the Alien universe?
Do you disagree with any of the points I made? Let me know!
