[Under 21] Even With A New Cast, "Alien: Romulus" Thrives On Stunning CGI And Puppetry

 In 2024, Artificial Intelligence is advancing. It’s definitely a bigger part of our lives than in 1979, when the groundbreaking film “Alien” came out. In “Alien,” the crew wasn’t even aware of an android on the ship late in the story.

In the recently released seventh film of the franchise, “Alien: Romulus,” the crew members are all aware of an android named Andy. Most enjoy his sweet and childlike personality. But Andy performs an evil directive that goes against the crew. 

Watching the film only days after its Aug. 16 release with little to no knowledge of the series and universe, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Still, the trailer promised this was going to be thrilling. 

“Alien: Romulus” is set in 2142 — 20 years after the first “Alien” and 37 years before its sequel, “Aliens.” The new film features nearly an all-new cast with lead Cailee Spaney as Rain, and David Jonsson as Andy, who’s like an adoptive brother. From their home in a sunless mining colony, they escape with four other indentured slaves in hopes of making it to Yvaga. Andy, the aforementioned android, has a main directive to protect Rain but that directive is constantly challenged. 

Throughout “Alien: Romulus,” the crew starts to realize Andy is acting differently when his module is switched. He becomes more relentless with his decisions and choices. This affects the whole crew, But Andy still has slips of sympathy that shine through. 

It’s this tension in “Alien: Romulus” that is reminiscent of ideas and a character from the original film without sacrificing this film’s identity.

Some of the movie’s most thrilling moments come from director Fede Ȧlvarez’s use of puppetry. That puppetry creates Romulus as the extraterrestrial species called an xenomorph. This echoes the designs from the original “Alien.” Other additions to the franchise used more CGI. But Ȧlvarez’s extended incorporation of puppetry combined with animatronics and practical effects reel you into the horror of it all.

Settling into the movie was difficult mainly because of the boring and flat dialogue. Andy made a few funny jokes, but it didn’t elevate the writing enough for you to fall into the Romulus universe. That came with the special effects. As the film progressed and conflicts arose between the crew, actors were able to better carry the writing. 

At the heart of the film are Spaney’s and Jonssons’s performances. They effectively express small and significant changes within their characters. Multiple times Jonsson would slightly twitch, or glitch his expressions to show the changes within Andy. Spaney met the challenge of performing a wide range of palpable emotions. She constantly moved between states of grief, anger, fear, bravery, and more.