The hype surrounding Alien: Romulus has grown exponentially after the first batch of reviews from critics.
Alien: Romulus is the latest entry to the Alien franchise and is set between 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens.
The horror/sci-fi movie revolves around a ragtag group of space colonists encountering the Xenomorphs while trying to steal expensive tech in the Romulus space station.
Marketing has ramped up for Alien: Romulus and a recent update from Collider's Steven Weintraub indicated he had heard "very good things" about the film ahead of its release.
First Reactions for Alien: Romulus Shared Online
Following an early screening of Alien: Romulus, critics shared their first reviews and reactions to the latest entry of the Alien franchise.
Variety's Jazz Tangcay offered high praise for Alien: Romulus and its director Fede Álvarez, calling it "one of the better films in the franchise:"
"'Alien Romulus' The bitch is back. Was skeptical going in, but this is easily one of the better films in the franchise. Fede Álvarez doesn't disappoint. Awesome sound design and world-building. The practical effects are so good that the film gave me nightmares."
Megan Cruz, the host of The Broad Perspective Pod, had a brief yet impactful review of the movie, giving props to its director Fede Álvarez by pointing out that he "remains undefeated:"
"I’ve seen 'Alien: Romulus.' Fede Alvarez remains undefeated. Get ready."
TikTok content creator Tropical Joe did not waste time in enumerating his thoughts about Alien: Romulus, teasing its "crazy ending" and noting that it has "great homages to the original while adding new elements to the franchise:"
"first thoughts on 'Alien: Romulus:'
• Fede brought us back to the horror roots without compromising on the action
• Great homages to the original while adding new elements to the franchise
• CRAZY ENDING
• definitely watch the OG and 'ALIENS' beforehand
4/5 for me"
Big Screen Berkan said that the film has "the most insane final act" that he'd ever seen:
"'Alien: Romulus' is one of the movies of the year omg... The most insane final act of a film I think I've ever seen."
Shelby Hallow hyped up Alien: Romulus by teasing that viewers are "not ready" for the surprises that the movie has in the cards:
"Y'all aren’t ready for 'Alien: Romulus.' You’re just not ready."
Reel Rejects' Greg Alba shared his own video review of the movie, going so far as to call it "the best Alien movie since Aliens" while praising the 4DX experience at the theater:
"Guys, I just saw 'Alien: Romulus' in 4DX. 4DX sometimes, for me, can be a little bit hit or miss, but I actually thought that it was enhanced during this film. I’m a big fan of the 'Alien' franchise, and I feel like a lot of people are gonna be saying this…it’s definitely the best 'Alien' movie since 'Aliens.'"
He celebrated how the movie did "some really different things," giving credit to director Fedé Alvarez and urging fans to get the full theatrical experience with this film:
"Folks, we have scored big this time. In the first half of the film, I was like 'This is just a really great play on the 'Alien' movies.' And then the last half, I was like 'They’re doing some really different things here.' It is, like, just an intense, fun thrill ride. I loved it. You gotta watch this is the theaters, man, because you wanna get immersed in that. It was great, Fedé Alvarez knocked it out of the park, and the acting was great, too."
Will Alien: Romulus' Success Lead to Other Alien Movies?
The early strong critic reviews and reactions for Alien: Romulus are a good indication that it will further build more anticipation for the film ahead of its release.
Also exciting is that the film pays homage to the original films and it will be interesting to find out how it connects to the grand scheme of things in the Alien franchise.
Aside from its connective tissues to the Alien movies, Alien: Romulus also boasts a star-studded cast led by rising stars Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Priscilla) and Isabel Merced (Madame Web, HBO's The Last of Us) who could be enough to entice audiences to see it in theaters.
Speaking with IGN in March 2024, director Fede Alvarez clarified that newbies to the Alien franchise will understand the movie despite not seeing the originals, teasing that new and old fans alike will "have a blast"
"The way this movie works is if you haven't seen any of them, you'll have a blast. And if you haven’t seen any of them, I'm actually jealous of you because you go, ‘Wow. Wow.’ Man, you're in for a ride. Because a lot of ideas that will feel like we just created them on here, they were created by masters of this genre in the past, and I'm lucky enough to be able to do it again."
It remains to be seen if Alien: Romulus will act as a launchpad for more movies in the franchise, considering that there is a 57-year gap between Alien and Aliens.
Within that timeframe, there could be more stories to tell that could further expand the lore surrounding the Xenomorphs.
Alien: Romulus is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, August 16.
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