ALIEN ROMULUS

A group of Gen Z friends decide to leave their home planet, weary from relentless toiling in the mines. They escape to a derelict space station, seeking cryogenic pods to use during a voyage to a new world … but they encounter something far more sinister – aliens. It’s hard not to compare the original ‘Alien’ films to this one and this instalment lacks the elements that make those movies so iconic. Maybe it was the Sigourney Weaver factor? Despite having an ‘R’ rating, it fails to deliver sufficient gore, horror, or scares to warrant such a high classification. The alien interactions felt predictable, possibly due my familiarity with the earlier films and with six main characters you know some of them are going to be expendable. SPOILER ALERT! The two ‘synthetics’ (robots) were irritating (one weirdly reminded me of JarJar Binks and the other was a resurrected character, CGI’d into existence using the likeness of an actor who has passed away) and there were a few disconnects in the story line. On a positive note, the sets were realistic and detailed, and the lead actress Cailee Spaeny (who I panned in my review of ‘Civil War’) did a reasonable job. It didn’t (face) suck but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be. There will blatantly be a sequel. Also where do aliens get grillz from?