Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Alien: Romulus.
Summer 2024 has been aloaded one for moviegoers, especially in the way of sequels. WhileInside Out 2offered a heartfelt return to the world of Riley’s mind in June,Deadpool & Wolverineexploded onto the screen with an epic team-up like never before the following month. August, however, offered the most terrifying sequel yet withAlien: Romulus. TheFede Àlvarez-directed bridge film serves as a return to form for the long-running franchise, more closely following the formula thatworked so well in earlier entries. But that’s not to say thatAlien: Romulusis just arehash of what came before. The film is bigger, more frightening, andcontains one of the most shocking twist finales in the franchise’s history.
When the characters ofAlien: Romulusboard the ship to retrieve cryostasis chambers, they, of course, unknowingly come face to face witha colony of xenomorphs. One by one, the characters are picked off, except for the picture’s lead, Rain (Cailee Spaeny), Rain’s android brother Andy (David Jonsson), and Kay (Isabela Merced), who is pregnant. Earlier in the film, Kay is forced to take drastic measures to protect her child, which leads to one heck of a finale, that isnot only terrifying but serves as a massive step forward for the franchise.
Alien: Romulus
‘Alien: Romulus’ New Creature is Deeply Rooted in the Series’ Mythology
As a whole,Alien: Romulusis a tribute to the series’ origins while taking a bigger, scarier approach. While aboard the Romulus, Rain, and her friends are up against an infestation of face huggers and xenomorphs. Death lurks at every turn, consuming most of thembefore the film’s finale. But aboard the ship, they come across a black liquid that, while strange to them, is something that devoted Alien fans will recognize.Àlvarez confirmed to Varietythat the liquid has direct connections toPrometheus. “The black goo is the root of the whole thing that was introduced inPrometheus,” the director said. “It’s the root of all life, but also particularly the xenomorphs come out of that thing, which means it has to be inside them.It’s the xenomorphs’ semen, almost.”
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After being tortured excruciatingly by the xenomorphs,Kay injects herself with the liquid in order to protect her child. But, just when it seems Rain, Kay, and David have escaped safely,Kay gives birthto a xenomorph egg, and audiences are introduced to the most malevolent figure seen in the Alien universe thus far: The Offspring. Like the xenomorph, the Offspring grows disturbingly fast and develops into a human/alien hybrid.It’s tall, lanky, andpure horror material. But more than being completely terrifying, it both pays homage to the series’ past mythology.
Àlvarez told Variety: “…we thought, if it affects your DNA, and the Engineers clearly came out of the same root of life, it made complete sense to me that [the Offspring] was going to look like that.”He further explained how it connected to and set the stage forAlien: Resurrection, which occurs laterin the timeline. InResurrection, a cloned Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) births a human/xenomorph hybrid, as well, albeit one that even more closely resembles the xenomorph. The cloning of Ripley and the birth of her hybrid shows how far the dark experimentation has come over the years. In addition to helping bridge the story from the franchise’s beginning through to its finale, it offers new possibilities for the series' future.
The Offspring Introduces New Possibilities for ‘Alien’s Future
WithAlien: Romulusnow a box office darlingand a new spin-off series,Alien: Earth,on the way, it’s safe to say that the fan-favorite franchise will continue to scare moviegoers and viewers for some time. While many Alien films end with afinal girlvs. xenomorph monster battle, Rain’s struggle with the Offspring offers more exciting avenues for the future. As Àlvarez said to Variety of the hybrid:“It’s probably a new species, because that mix never happened before.” Given that the series is now approaching its 45th year,it’s exciting to see the franchise create new scares.Alien’s original director,Ridley Scott, theorized in a sit down withThe Hollywood Reporterthat the xenomorph may be nearing the end of its cinematic life. Of course, too much routine can certainly take the scare factor out of any beast, no matter how original or dynamic it is. Still, the effective introduction of new horrors, such as the Offspring, helps to keep Alien alive, well, and terrifying.
Alien: Romulusmade the bold choice to debut the series’most frightening character yetwith the Offspring. But the character is more than just the latest scare tactic. It helps connect the entire storyline of Alien, fromPrometheustoAlien: Resurrection.The new species helps ensure the future of the franchise and promises that there are more horrors awaiting in the place where no one can hear you scream.
Alien: Romulusis now playing in theaters.
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