Since the release of the original Alien film in 1979, the story, visuals, and creatures of this iconic franchise have cemented themselves in pop culture where they have remained. Not everyone needs to have watched Alien to have heard of the disgusting body horror associated with face huggers and, my favourite of my set facts I had in the chamber for guests at the aquarium I used to work in, that part of the Xenomorph’s look was based on the moray eel. Many of these people may not have recognised the name but as soon as I said “the alien from the film Alien” they knew exactly what I was talking about. Though there is much argument on whether or not this is actually where H.R. Giger got the inspiration from, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the xenomorph is one of the most unique and genuinely scary alien designs in science-fiction.
Newest instalment to the Alien franchise is Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez, starring Cailee Spaeny as main character Rain and David Jonsson as Andy, an android reprogrammed by her late father as her foster brother. Accompanying a team consisting of her ex and his family, they head out to an abandoned space station to collect fuel so they can escape the dull and dystopian mines that they grew up in. It is there that they discover that the station is not as empty as it first appears.
Other than our alien antagonist is an android who will be familiar to some fans. Science officer android Rook is voiced by Daniel Betts and his likeness is that of the late Ian Holm who played Ash in the original film. Though Ian Holm passed away in 2020, permission for his likeness was received for this film from his estate and, using both CGI and deepfake technology, was brought to life. The use of deepfake is an increasingly worrying development and with issues surrounding the use of AI in film it would be wise to pay attention to how image and data are allowed to be used by those in art spaces. There was some backlash after Carrie Fisher was deepfaked into Star Wars despite apparent discontent with her prior to her death about the prospect. Though the technology is being used in a less scary way in film then it can be in reality, and they did use it in Alien only for moving the eyes and lips, the implications are concerning. Ethical and moral stances will not be considered in the use of your image and so actors should make additions to contracts on the use of their likeness after death to avoid such occurrences if it is something that may be an issue for them.
Aside from this, the film does excel in the area of special effects. With a return to practical mixed with CGI, the film maintains a current look while being more grounded in reality. The xenomorph suit was entirely prosthetic aside from the tail which was CGI. The filming process itself was unusually chronological so actors had to leave the set after their character died. The emphasis on sets and the mix between animatronics and creature suits was insisted on by Álvarez to create a more immersive production and experience for the cast. Well known effects companies such as Legacy Effects, Studio Gillis, and Wētā Workshop all were onboard for the creation of this film and even a stop motion sequence created by Phil Tippett was included.
Alien: Romulus is rife with hints and clear indicators of where the story is going but as a fan of the films, I found that these were not met with sighs from over predictability, instead they drew out excitement for where I knew the film was going to go. The scares were genuine, and tension was well built. This film is a testament tot the important legacy that the original has left behind. Alien: Romulus doesn’t try to be as impactful or ground-breaking as the 1979 release. Instead, it simply focuses on making an enjoyable film in the world already created. Where many franchise continuations fail in this regard, Alien has held fast within the boundaries of the limiting expectations of the audience.
