Fede Álvarez’s hotly anticipated Alien: Romulus was finally revealed to the public Monday night after the 20th Century Studios film held its world premiere in Los Angeles, and the first reactions have already hit social media.
The eighth installment in the long-running Alien franchise is set between the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens. Romulus follows young colonists who come across a derelict space station and encounter the horror of the alien creature that is the enduring star of the franchise. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced and Spike Fearn.
The film is produced by Scott, Michael Pruss and Walter Hill.
Romulus was originally slated to be a Hulu release à la Dan Trachtenberg’s critically acclaimed Predator prequel, Prey (2022), but the studio wisely shifted to theatrical at the start of principal photography. “Right when we started shooting it, the studio was like, ‘Fuck it, we’re going into theaters with this,’” Álvarez told The Hollywood Reporter in an in-depth interview in March.
Romulus releases wide in theaters on Aug. 16.
Although full reviews for Romulus drop on Wednesday, read on for a sampling of the first reactions to the film after Monday night’s premiere.
ALIEN: ROMULUS: Has all the great hallmarks of what you would expect in an Alien flick but never feels like it’s pandering to nostalgia or fan service…and even goes into a crazy new direction. Fede Alvarez & the cast just gave birth to summer’s best movie.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) August 13, 2024
Alien: Romulus is absolutely gorgeous and somehow honors every single movie that came before. Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are great leads, and the alien effects are so satisfying. The finale will be divisive, but I loved it. Big fan of this one.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) August 13, 2024
Alien: Romulus is shockingly good.
This movie is so inventive with horror, thrills, and visuals while never crossing into gratuitous blood or gore. It emulates the original Alien movies so well.
I had to pick my jaw up off the floor in the third act. That was insane. Wow. pic.twitter.com/0XVQsx2tkQ
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) August 13, 2024
ALIEN: ROMULUS leans heavily into its horror origins to craft a relentless, visceral thrill ride that starts off slowly and increases in intensity until you’re left gasping for breath by the end. Devoid of any thematic depth, it incorporates so many winks, nods, and moments of… pic.twitter.com/QSKZdj6cwm
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is the first time I have been terrified during one of the Alien movies. Cailee Spaeny’s Rain is a perfect character to follow on this journey and through Fede Álvarez’s twists and turns, you never really know where Romulus is headed. The 3rd act is truly WILD. I dig… pic.twitter.com/vEaiz5966B
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) August 13, 2024
Alien: Romulus takes a bit to get going but turns to true horror in the third act, and has some similarities with previous Fede Alvarez films. Some decent surprises and callbacks, to be sure. The facehuggers gave me the creeps, but that’s me having a spider thing.#AlienRomulus pic.twitter.com/FHDWK8002y
— Joey Magidson (@JoeyMagidson) August 13, 2024
ALIEN: ROMULUS is mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills, but in a franchise famous for its psychosexual weirdness, it’s the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been. I did not love it pic.twitter.com/n3RtpYvXgJ
— an especially dangerous dug called Brendan (@metaplexmovies) August 13, 2024
There’s a lot about ALIEN: ROMULUS I like — some truly creative moments in the first two acts that I REALLY dug.
However, the finale takes a BIG swing that just didn’t work for me and left me feeling underwhelmed.
A creative but flawed ALIEN film, however:
PROMETHEUS > ROMULUS pic.twitter.com/tFx8cAe88E
— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) August 13, 2024
ALIEN: ROMULUS is the best Alien movie since Aliens.
The perfect bridge between the sci-fi horror of Scott’s original with the thrilling action of Cameron’s sequel.
It gets more thrilling with every scene, culminating in a mind-blowing final act that proves Fede Álvarez never… pic.twitter.com/coJcpafZsT
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) August 13, 2024
ALIEN: ROMULUS is thrilling, terrifying, stunning, and unforgettable.
Fede Alvarez is one of my favorite directors and he did not disappoint.
It’s so gross. And SO GOOD.
— Anna Klassen (@AnnaJKlassen) August 13, 2024
Alien Romulus is a curious one. Effective scares, but every set piece feels like a video game level, theme park ride intro, or horror nights maze. Character work didn’t hit me at all either, and I’m an easy mark.
It’s not for me. pic.twitter.com/kRayfGuoR4
— Amelia Emberwing 🔪💋 (@ThatWitchMia) August 13, 2024
Fede Alvarez’s #AlienRomulus is gnarly, gripping & gorgeously bleak (everything from the story to Olivares’ cinematography to Wallfisch’s score). Innovatively delivering smart, savvy stuff, subtly playing the greatest hits. Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson dominate. This rules! pic.twitter.com/kEuDZku2Oz
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is a bonkers roller coaster ride through the previous six Alien movies, using bits of all them, to tell a focused, mostly standalone story filled with glorious gore & scares. It gets better as it goes along, ending with a phenomenal big swing of a third act. pic.twitter.com/mY8Hkbe0gD
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus had me on the edge of my seat with suspense. Fede Alvarez understood the assignment and passed with flying colors. As a fan, I loved the new elements and twists that were introduced. This has breathed new life into the Alien franchise and could be one of the best. pic.twitter.com/ZAt81ddIJa
— Emmanuel (E-Man) Noisette (@EmansReviews) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is Don’t Breathe in space. A nasty amalgamation of Scott’s prequels & the first two. Fights like hell to find an identity of its own. Sometimes it does (& it’s sick & twisted), others it doesn’t, but Fede’s tactile sets gives us the grittiest, filthiest entry yet! pic.twitter.com/1NddrwWVtA
— Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus IS F%&KIN PHENOMENAL!!
Fede Alvarez cleverly crafted a story weaving in the best elements from ALL the past movies. Perfect balance of Horror & Action. Breathtaking visuals! Spaeny & Jonsson are the MVPs. AND MY GOD THAT 3RD ACT🔥Favorite movie of the year so far!! pic.twitter.com/MrwDoVOblS— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is the sci-fi horror masterpiece we’ve been waiting for! @fedalvar has taken the franchise back to its roots in the most terrifying way possible. Every moment is edge-of-your-seat tension and is everything you’d want from an Alien movie and more. Best Alien film in… pic.twitter.com/Lxv3rynRu1
— Sean Tajipour (@Seantaj) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus is a solid action-packed franchise installment. Fede Álvarez nails the atmosphere. Some poor jump scares, unearned series callbacks, & an iffy final act, but there’s a lot to enjoy here otherwise with its thrilling set pieces. David Jonsson is an absolute standout. pic.twitter.com/s6RR0lxb96
— Jeff Nelson (@SirJeffNelson) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus takes off as one of the best installments of this franchise.
A tense, terrifying and chaotic story built with extremely well executed technical pieces that made this experience even more unique.
The cast is excellent, sounds are insane, a must see in theaters. pic.twitter.com/OAd26aavSK
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) August 13, 2024
#AlienRomulus doesn’t revolutionize the formula, but it has two vital secret weapons in Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson. Director Fede Álvarez returns the franchise to its horror roots, delivering one of the most spine-chilling final acts in any Alien movie. pic.twitter.com/IfEH2qfpl7
— Nicholas Spake (@NSpake) August 13, 2024
For me, #AlienRomulus plays like a Greatest Hits of the franchise; there’s not much new here (except [REDACTED], & I love it!!), but what’s here is done exceptionally well. Great squicky creature work, gorgeous sound + cinematography, Spaeny + Jonsson are rock solid. I’m jazzed! pic.twitter.com/HH70K47Tsh
— Bill Bria (@billbria) August 13, 2024
