The following contains minor set-up spoilers for Alien: Romulus, opening in theaters on August 16
Summary
Alien: Romulusis clear from the on-set to be a horror movie, but there might be some question to audiences about how scary it really is. Given the ways the horror genre has evolved since the release of Ridley Scott’sAlienforty-five years ago, it’s no surprise to see the way gore, violence, and death are treated differently. However, there have been plenty ofsubsequentAlienfilms over the years, with the series offering many filmmakers a chance to shape the sci-fi/horror in their own fashion
In many ways,Alien: Romulusis a throwback to the originalAlien, a largely self-contained story about a group of young adults who decide to scavenge the wrong derelict space station.The cast ofAlien: Romulushave a rough go of it in the narrative, even compared to otherAlienprotagonists. The film is often brutal and uncompromising, meshing an emotional story between Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and David Jonsson’s Andy with all the scares and violence one expects from theAlienfranchise.
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Alien: Romulus' R-Rating Explained
Alien: RomulusEarns That R-Rating
Alien: Romulushas some of the scariest and most violent imagery in the series, justifying the R-rating. TheAlienfilms have largely been rated-R, giving the filmmakers plenty of freedom to go wild with the horror. This extends to Fede Álvarez, who puts his experience onEvil DeadandDon’t Breatheto good use inAlien: Romulus. The MPAA rated the film R “for bloody violent content and language.” The coarse language isn’t the primary reason the film was given such a hard rating. Instead, it’s the film’s blunt and bloody approach to violence that earned that score.
For long-time fans of the franchise, that’s an exciting prospect. The series has always done a good job of featuring creative and brutal kills, particularly with their signature chestbursters. However,Alien: Romulustakes it a step further, andisn’t a horror movie to recommend to younger audiences. While the sci-fi trappings and focus on unrealistic kills with acidic blood or alien attacks have allowed theAlienmovies to reach a broader audience, it was usually off-screen. By contrast,Alien: Romulusis indeed very “bloody violent.”
Alien: Romulus Is As Scary As Other Alien Movies
AlienMovies Can Be Scary In Different Ways, AndAlien: RomulusReflects That
Alien: Romulusis a very scary movie, and reflects many previous approaches to the franchise. One of the most effective elements of theAlienseries has always been the way the fairly straightforward premise could be reimagined, allowingAlienfilms to play with different horror tropes. There’s the tension of a predator moving through the shadows, the gory ways Xenomorphs dispatch victims, the body-horror of their transformations, and the overwhelming threat they pose in action settings.Alien: Romulusplays with all these and more, incorporating plenty of overwhelming swarms, unexpected turns, and the best jump-scare in the entire series.
The third act ofAlien: Romulusin particular has a sequence that isamong the most frightening concepts in the entire series.Alien: Romulusis not a movie that holds back, and that’s one of the most best elements of it. For fans of horror films,Alien: Romulusis a great time. For audiences who are a little more wary about diving into scary situations, they may want to sitAlien: Romulusout — although that does mean missing out on some otherwise stunning visuals, solid character work, and cool action.
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Alien: Romulus Is More Violent Than Other Alien Movies
Alien: RomulusDoesn’t Hold Back On The Kills
Alien: Romulusis arguably the most violent film in the series. Technically, the movie’s tight cast has a relatively small on-screen kill-count, especially compared to the dozens of minor characters killed in films likeAliensandAlien 3. However, this greater focus on a handful of characters makes each death hit even harder. It’s also something the filmmakers seemingly recognized, as each character who dies is brought down through a different means. All of them are horrifying and grisly, with plenty of blood and gore spread out across the space ships by the end of the film.
Many previous entries in the series kept the actual violence largely off-screen, using creative editing to ratchet up the tension while avoiding direct fights between people in the Xenomorph. By contrast,Alien: Romulusis overt with its approach to gore, with each major death happening clearly and on-screen. It doesn’t feel gratuitous and fits the tone, but it is worth noting thatAlien: Romulusmight be the most violent entry in the main-lineAlienseries and totally justifies the R-rating it was given by the MPAA.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
