I was seven when my dad introduced me to the film aliens. I knew nothing about the movie or the story and I was completely unprepared for what I was going to see. Two action fulled, horror tinged hours later I emerged from what was the most mind blowing cinematic experience of my life. I became from that day forward a devout devotee of the Alien film franchise and while I enjoyed and admired the other films, nothing came close to the edge of your seat thrill ride that was aliens. Now we have alien Romulus from Fede Alvarez, the film maker behind the enjoyable and gory Evil dead remake and slasher films Don’t breath. He promised to create a film that would enthrall modern audiaces the same way James Cameron and Ridley Scott did with the first two films. So did he succeed?

Alien: Romulus, the latest addition to the iconic Alien franchise, marks the seventh installment in the series and takes a bold approach as a standalone interquel, slotting itself between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues, the film delves back into the haunting, claustrophobic horror that made the original films legendary, while also carving out its own identity within the franchise.

The film’s premise is refreshingly simple yet effective: a group of young space colonists stumbles upon a derelict space station, only to confront the most terrifying life form in the universe—the Xenomorph. This setup immediately recalls the tension and dread of Ridley Scott’s original Alien, with the vastness of space serving as the ultimate isolation chamber. The film’s tone is steeped in suspense, with Álvarez building tension as the colonists explore the eerie corridors of the abandoned station. The horror is both psychological and visceral, staying true to the franchise’s roots while offering a fresh perspective for newcomers to the series

Alien: Romulus sets out to do for the Alien franchise what The Force Awakens did for Star Wars: reignite the series by tapping into the nostalgia of the original films while introducing the terrifying universe to a new generation of viewers. All the familiar elements are here—eerie lighting, creepy spaceships, chestbursters, facehuggers, hissing xenomorphs, and some additional freaky lab experiments gone wrong for good measure. Initially planned as a streaming release for Disney+ and Hulu, the film was upgraded to a full cinematic release after the studio saw an early cut and recognized its potential to captivate audiences on the big screen.

Your enjoyment of Romulus will likely depend on your familiarity with the previous Alien films. The movie meticulously recreates the look and feel of the first two entries, with its events set between them, making it a standalone story akin to Rogue One in the Star Wars saga. It dovetails neatly into the established lore, while also drawing on concepts from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Covenant to conjure new nightmares in the space laboratory.

The young cast delivers solid performances, with the two leads providing characters you can root for. However, none of the new characters manage to reach the iconic status of those from the original films. Longtime fans of the series may experience a strong sense of déjà vu as the film echoes scenes and themes from earlier installments. While director Fede Álvarez intended to blend elements of the first two films, the result feels more like a soft reboot of the fourth installment, especially with a bizarre third act that heavily draws inspiration from that movie’s own strange ending.

Some older fans might be disappointed by the film’s tendency to play it safe, much like a band sticking to its greatest hits instead of experimenting with new material. However, in its effort to ensure the continuation of the franchise, Romulus succeeds in recapturing the essence of what made the series great, distilling it into a crowd-pleaser that entertains modern audiences and brings fresh blood to the fanbase.

Personally, I preferred Scott’s attempt to expand the universe, moving beyond the titular xenomorph to explore the galaxy and uncover other cosmic horrors. Romulus is undeniably a fun monster movie that does the “haunted house in space” routine well, delivering a solid entry that replays all the greatest hits. But what I’ve always wanted from the series is a deeper exploration of the nightmarish world that H.R. Giger, Dan O’Bannon, and Ronald Shusett envisioned in the first film—a world where biology and technology fuse together in disturbing ways, and where humanity’s scientific endeavors lead us down a similar, perilous path.

I also wanted the aliens to be a genuine threat, much like they were in the video game Alien: Isolation, which, set in the same time period, managed to instill dread every time the monsters appeared. As for where Romulus ranks among my favorite Alien movies, it’s hard to say. I enjoy all the films in some way, even the divisive Alien 3. But after the first two masterpieces, the rest of the series is fairly even in quality, sharing a similar mix of strengths and flaws. Romulus doesn’t deliver a jaw-dropping set piece like the Queen reveal or the loader fight in Aliens, but it reintroduces the black goo from the prequels and hints at some intriguing mutations of life forms from Earth, opening up possibilities for future installments.

Personally, I’m still holding out hope for Aliens vs. Predator 3. Come on, Disney—you’ve got the power. And for goodness’ sake, bring back the marines next time. That’s what the old-school fans really want..