The Stream: A little slow to get started, but…

The Big Screen: … once it begins, the thrills are non-stop.

The Final Bill: This movie delivers jaw-dropping scares and edge of your seat thrills.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Fede Alvarez
Writers: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues; based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett
Stars: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced,
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller
Rating: R for bloody violent content and language
Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes
Production Companies: 20th Century Studios, Scott Free Productions, Brandywine Productions, Twentieth Century-Fox Productions
Platform: In theaters on August 16, 2024
Notable Trailers: Smile 2, Kraven the Hunter, Speak No Evil, Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown, Captain America: Brave New World, Joker: Folie a Deux

What’s up, Streamers!?! After a slow start to the summer box office, it has really taken off in the last few weeks. As the summer winds down, here’s another entry to a long-standing franchise that might pique your interest. Alien: Romulus, which releases this weekend, is the seventh film in the revered, Sci-Fi/Horror Alien universe. Directed by Fede Alvarez, this movie follows a group of young space colonists who leave their mining colony for a supposed abandoned spacecraft to scavenge for cryonic stasis chambers to use to escape to a remote planet with better living conditions. Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her “brother”, a synthetic human, Andy (David Jonsson) are among the scavengers. They have a close, symbiotic relationship that will be tested as they encounter danger in the dark of the derelict spacecraft. Creepy, crawly and belly-bursting hijinks ensue.

I am not an Alien aficionado. Actually, Romulus is my first foray into the franchise, and what a wild ride it was! I’ve seen the clips of belly-busting aliens from the earlier movies, but I was not expecting the suspense and thrills of this installment. Every movie must do a little bit of world building in order to introduce the audience to new characters and set up the stakes of the plot. This movie does that pretty quickly, but I’d say the first 20 or so minutes is kind of slow as it establishes the relationships of the characters and sets the plot in motion. Once it gets going, this movie pours on the suspense and thrills in spades. Yes, there are scares, but it’s not “scary.” You will definitely want to yell at the screen, “Don’t go in there” and “Just leave them.” The movie does a great job sucking the audience in and ratcheting up the tension with each new development.

The visual effects are great. It’s really cool to see the aliens lurking in the shadows and just creepy enough to keep you guessing what’s going to happen next. The editing keeps the movie moving at such a fast clip. There’s hardly any downtime after that first 20 or so minutes. It feels relentless but not too taxing. All of the elements of good horror/thriller filmmaking come together to create a really fun and thrilling time at the movies.

Ultimately, Alien: Romulus delivers on the promise of a monster movie with thrills, suspense and scares. Although the movie starts a little slow, once it gets going you will be on the edge of your seat. The effects are good, the story about the human characters is engrossing enough, and the aliens are menacing without being too frightening, which makes the whole experience fun. Grab a big box of popcorn and get to the theaters.