New Alien movie gives space monsters of old some fresh faces to terrify

Alien: Romulus: A return to the era of the early Alien films. Photo / supplied

It’s always exciting when there’s a new addition to this beloved sci-fi horror franchise, and though none of the sequels has had the impact of Ridley Scott’s pre-eminent Alien movie or James Cameron’s impressive 1986 Aliens sequel, each has offered something new.

Alien: Romulus is the first to feel purpose-built for a new youth audience.

Cailee Spaeny, star of Priscilla and Civil War, heads a cast of less-famous youngsters who escape the perpetual night time of an oppressive Weyland-Yutani mining colony to steal equipment from an abandoned space station named Romulus.

As in all the Alien movies, this multi-ethnic crew of monster food promptly encounters technical troubles and then the much larger perils presented by the murderous beasts whose stasis they disturb.

Uruguayan film-maker Fede Álvarez made his name with the indie horror Don’t Breathe and a reboot of The Evil Dead before being handed the reins to another franchise: The Girl in the Spider’s Web, which effectively transformed The Crown’s posh Claire Foy into the vengeful Lisbeth Salander.

Here, Álvarez gives us a fresh take as English- and American-accented young people float through zero gravity in Reebok sneakers and hoodies, and there’s an innovative moment where one lad smokes a cigarette at extreme speed, aided by the physics of rocket propulsion.

Spaeny’s performance is solid as space colonist Rain Carradine, and the other kids are all right. The best new face is British actor David Jonsson (Industry), who delivers a multi-layered performance as Andy, the trusty, pun-spouting Synthetic. “I prefer the term Artificial Person,” is his amiable correction.

Luckily, while serving as a cool introduction to the world in which HR Giger’s parasitic Xenomorphs are battled by strong female characters, Romulus also contains enough Easter eggs and nods to its forebears to keep older aficionados engaged. There’s the comforting/unnerving return of an old character, and a fantastic orchestral soundtrack that evokes the early Alien films.

Some of the aliens’ victims can look a little bit Madame Tussauds, and the paucity of character depth renders the relationships a bit hollow but Álvarez delivers an audacious final act as he welcomes a new generation into the old-school Alien world.

Rating out of five: ★★★½

Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez, is in cinemas now.