Entertainment Swindon

This weeks eagerly awaited Alien Romulus, the latest in the Alien franchise is set in 2142, taking place between Alien and Aliens.

The movie directed by Fede Alvarez & produced Ridley Scott is set for release on 16th August 2024, although set between the first two movies, is a stand alone movie in its own right. The movie starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Archie Renaux follows a group of young colonisers on the space station ‘Renaissance’ who find themselves confronted by the most terrifying creature in the universe! The Xenomorph.

Taking place just 20years after the original movie starring Sigourney Weaver, the crew in Romulus land on the abandoned space station Renaissance in the hope of stripping it for parts. However its not long before they realise the space station holds a dark secret! Romulus is filmed in the same suspenseful atmosphere as the 1979 movie Alien, this is a Horror movie set in space! Not a Sci-Fi like the rest of the franchise would end up going. Using the suspenseful atmosphere used in the original and filming the whole movie in chronolgical order, you are left not knowing who will die next, you’ve no idea who is going to live. Being filmed this way left the cast not knowing either, leaving them with emotional goodbyes on set one by one as the next cast member is killed off.

According to Rodo Sayagues, one of Alvarez’s collaborators, Romulus does not connect to any of the films in the franchise leaving the film accessible to anyone wanting to watch without having ever watched the rest of the franchise. However, Sayagues went on to say connections to the other movies are not ignored, specifically Alien and Alien Covenant.

Having said all that, its still worth, if you’ve never watched the original movies, to get on Disney+ and get binging, especially Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), especially Alien with it being the closest movie to Romulus. The technology is very similar being that it is only set 20years after the original movie, the first hour of the movie really plays homage to ‘Alien’ with not only the suspenseful horror, the dark shadowed corridors, the fear around every corner whilst the second hour has the feel of ‘Aliens’ with its faster tempo.

Romulus was the idea pitched by Alvarez to Ridley Scott sometime in 2020 and in 2021, Scott approached Alvarez to see if he was still wanting to make the movie he had pitch the previous year. Once Alvarez was attached to the project in 2022, the first thing he set about doing was a-signing it to its timeline, deciding to place the movie between the first two.

For the best seats in the house to watch Alien Romulus, check out Vue Cinema, Greenbridge and watch in IMAX! Click HERE to book.