Alien: Romulus

Off-Topic Movies, TV and Entertainment
21

Finally watched this.

Inoffensive, competent action film, but unremarkable and doesn’t do anything new for the universe/story nor does it try to.

They played it safe in every aspect, and cashed in on the nostalgia train at every opportunity.

Overall, 6/10.

I felt the first 30 minutes, showing the lives of everyday people under the rule of the company, was interesting.

I liked Andy the most, and the actor did a great job playing his various personalities. The other characters were incredibly forgettable, and while Rain wasn’t offensive, she just didn’t do anything endearing. Every other actor was competent, they just were unremarkable.

I liked the zero g acid blood scene. It was the most interesting scene after the first 30 minutes of the film.

The auto-aim pulse rifle was neat, but again having someone show the girl how to shoot felt a little too “Remember when Hicks showed Ripley how to use the rifle? Yeah we do too!”

I felt that the portrayal of Rook was a little creepy, as I usually do about CGI depictions of dead actors. It was unnecessary for him to look like Ash, other than a cheap nostalgia trip.

I felt the usage of old school computer tech, including a 3.5" floppy drive, to be a cheap design choice. It screams, “remember Alien/s? This is how computers looked in the 1980s so you need to remember it, because we do!” It did make the movie feel more like old school alien/s, but it really doesn’t make much sense. This is an advanced human civilization and even our current tech far surpasses what is on screen. It’s purely for nostalgia and it is very transparent.

I felt the movie didn’t really do anything new; it’s sort of the same story as Alien except a new cast of characters are going through the same events but just with different motivations.

In fact, I wish the movie focused more on their motivations than the aliens. I felt Rains back story, losing her family, her dad finding and repairing a company android, etc., to be far more interesting and that in of itself could have made for a far more interesting plot. Hell they could even have made it a romance and it would have been pretty cool.

Overall I think Prometheus and it’s sequel, while having some obvious plot holes and weaknesses, were more ambitious and at least tried to do something different and expand upon the universe of the franchise. Plus, Fassbender and Rapace are really huge and on their own make the film. I do appreciate the usage of lesser known actors for this film, though.

Romulus felt too often like a nostalgia trip, especially with Andy’s use of Ripley’s famous line.

While I appreciate that the movie did link up with Prometheus, it just didn’t advance any story. It’s the same story as Alien with a sprinkling of Aliens.

I actually would have been happier if we got to spend more time on the colony exploring what life is like for people and perhaps a story revolving around people fighting against the company.

I realize the concept of alien in general is that of humanity’s hubris, but the alien itself seems to be pretty boring and the stories revolving around how humans deal with it is much more interesting.

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22

I haven’t watched it, but I heard there was alot of memberberries from the previous films.

23

Go in with low expectations and you’ll come out satisfied

24

Sad that this is how you have to approach most entertainment these days.

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25

Sometimes you get a few good ones. Example I felt Dune was really good. It’s a retelling for sure but it improved upon previous iterations in every way

26

Good review, but many people like the older looking technology compared to Alien Prometheus and Covenant newer designs. Nostalgic designs work better for the continuity. These movies are supposed to occur in roughly the same time period in the movie universe. So, when the technology looks way more advanced in Prometheus and Covenant, it doesn’t seem to fit.

It’s part of the reason why Star Wars Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith are less liked than some of the newer Star Wars movies and shows. Much of the technology in The Force Awakens, Rogue One, Andor, Mandalorian, etc is made to look how it did in the first 3 movies.

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27

I’m a huge star Trek fan, and you sometimes have to accept that depiction of technology is less in story lore and more a result of technology IRL at the time of production.

Alien was from 1979. Prometheus was 2012. It’s just the difference in the ability to depict technology by the producers of the show to make it appear believable. In 1979, they didn’t choose to have the tech appear low tech, it was modern tech at the time.

If strange new worlds used the knobs and dials from original star trek it would have been more “correct” but let’s be honest, it’s ridiculous.

I view the archaic tech in old sci-fi as a part of movie production, not the content.

A 3.5" floppy drive has no place in interstellar travel. It has no place in 2024. Hell, 2004.

It’s a design choice that seems too deliberately nostalgic.

A good example of having tech appear older for lore reasons but still believable would be Battlestar Galactica 2004+

28

Dune was pretty good. I enjoyed the first part more than the second. The two big surprises for this year have been Deadpool and Wolverine and the Penguin. Went into both with very low expectations and was blown away both times by how genuinely good they were. The Penguin more so than DP. Was -not- expecting Colin Farrell in a rubber mask and fat suit to be amazing, but I sometimes forget that Oz isn’t a real person (both acting and makeup are superb!)!

29

I hate theaters these days and wait for streaming, so we’ll see about those films when they hit my living room.

I really, really liked The Batman though. I think Pattinson is a great actor and he got typecast badly from Twilight.

30

The Penguin is actually a series streaming on HBO Max. It’s on its 5th episode, which I will be catching tonight. 1 to 4 thus far have been so so very good though. So I am really looking forward to tv time this evening.

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31

The technology difference in Star Trek Strange New Worlds is somewhat distracting to me also. However, I liked the overall style and behavior of the Starfleet and Federation characters themselves are consistent.

32

eh, agree to disagree i guess.

if the show took place in 1979 I would agree, but it doesn’t

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33

Finally watched this last night. I think it was slightly ruined because I had high expectations but overall it was an enjoyable watch, though I doubt I’ll be buying it to watch later.

I really wish someone would tell directors and producers in Hollywood though to stop trying to recreate the same movie scenes and lines as “nods to the original”. Even when it’s the same actor like in Pirates of the Caribbean and the “Why’s the rum gone?!” type lines. Just stand out on your own and make something new memorable instead of trying to live on past merits.

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34

Playing it safe. Its why although Prometheus has its issues, it gets my respect. Unlike Romulus, which is just Alien with a fresh coat of paint, it tries to do something new.

35

I don’t know why because it’s so bad.

All the problems that they dealt with was from doing something really stupid. Taking their helmets off on an alien planet? Petting an alien tape worm? Then there’s the captain that suddenly becomes omnipotent without ever leaving the ship then kills himself and his crew because some lady stranger he’s probably said five words to tells him to do it.

I think Michael Fassbender did an amazing job as an evil android and if the movie just focused on him sabotaging the crew that could have been really good.

Just like Alien 3. They were so close but they tripped coming out of the gate.

36

I like the overall concept, origin story, and Fassbender’s performance.

As I said, it has its problems, and you can overlook a lot of it if you take it in as a story they’re trying to tell. They took a risk trying to explore the origin lore of Alien, of the company, and humanity.

Romulus has no story beyond the first 30 minutes. It’s just mindless action thereafter.

37

I watch it sometimes too. I guess I can’t wrap my head around respecting the movie.

I love the visuals and some of the performances so I’ll watch that one and the sequel on occasions. Not as much as Alien and Aliens though. I can watch both hundred times and I don’t get tired of them.

I have to watch the original version of Aliens though because the extended cut makes some of the movie bad.

38

Covenant wasn’t nearly as interesting as Prometheus. They really screwed up when they killed off Shaw. It was much like how we spent so much effort saving Newt only for her to be just explained as dead in Alien 3’s opening.

Also, Fassbender’s American accent is uncomfortable

39

Money people. They ruin every thing. It’s the reason Alien 3 was ruined. They didn’t want to do an Alien movie without Sigourney Weaver.

The actress that played Shaw, forgot her name, was set to come back and be in Covenant.

LOL I liked it. It’s funny.

40

I think one of the overarching themes of Alien in general, and specifically Prometheus, is the concept of hubris.

Wayland thought he could live forever. The scientists thought they could learn everything. The Jockeys thought they could control the very essence of life itself. They were all wrong. Wayland did not live forever. The scientists could not learn everything. The jockeys were undone by themselves.

In a way, the fact the characters kept taking their helmets off plays into this concept.

Romulus plays tribute to this as well, with Rook explaining the experiment to perfect mankind’s hardiness to space as “Prometheus’ Fire” which is about how fire was stolen from the gods and given to humans, in real world lore.

So the taking off of helmets, the general carelessness the scientists have on the planet, it’s all kind of explained by the central theme of Aliens universe.