Alien: Romulus' Premise Is Perfectly Combining The Only 2 Truly Good Movies In The Franchise

Summary Alien: Romulus is a fresh start for the Alien series, drawing inspiration from Alien and Aliens for a new narrative and atmosphere.

The movie will feature terrifying facehuggers, a new crew, and a return to the aesthetic of earlier Alien entries, promising a blend of horror and action.

By combining elements of Alien's tension and Aliens' action, Romulus has the potential to crack the code that has eluded the series for years.

Although the exact details of Alien: Romulus' plot are yet to be confirmed, the movie's premise is already bringing together the only two truly great movies in the Alien series. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the upcoming sci-fi horror is billed as a standalone entry into the Alien canon – moving away from the direction set by Ridley Scott's divisive prequels. While this move in and of itself doesn't confirm anything about Alien: Romulus' story, other details indicate that Álvarez is taking inspiration from some Alien movies more than others.

Set for release in August 2024, Alien: Romulus represents a fresh start for the flagging Alien series. Instead of continuing the prequel story established by Prometheus and Covenant, the movie is an original entry set between Alien and Aliens in the overall timeline. Although the film's teaser trailer provides only terrifying snapshots of the horror to come, it's clear that the film will feature multiple facehuggers, a new crew of victims, and a return to the distinctive aesthetic that defined earlier entries. From these details alone, it's plain to see that two specific Alien movies will be the primary influence on Alien: Romulus' narrative and atmosphere.

Related Alien Movies In Order (Release & Chronological) From Ridley Scott's Alien to the sci-fi franchise's prequel series beginning with Prometheus, here's how to watch the Alien movies in order.

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Instead of looking to one particular Alien movie for inspiration, Alien: Romulus' teaser trailer has made it clear that Álvarez's movie is heavily influenced both by Ridley Scott's 1979 original and James Cameron's 1986 follow-up Aliens. While hallmarks of Scott's film can be seen from the outset, with the polished interiors of Prometheus replaced by dingy, industrial corridors, there are also clear connections to Cameron's celebrated sequel. Moments like the trailer's facehugger chase are reminiscent of Aliens' medbay sequence, highlighting how both films have left their mark on Álvarez's approach to the story.

Given the longevity of the Alien franchise, Álvarez was not short of ideas to draw on for inspiration. While it is perhaps unsurprising that his primary influences are the two strongest films in the Alien series, it is nonetheless telling that he has clearly prioritized a combination of Alien and Aliens, rather than leaning more heavily on one over the other. Although the trailer's claustrophobic corridors are clearly based on Alien, the shot of Cailee Spaeny's character armed with a pulse rifle suggests that the story's action may be very different. This has major implications for the kind of story Alien: Romulus will be.

What The Alien And Aliens References Mean For Alien: Romulus

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Despite both being hugely respected movies in their own right, Alien and Aliens are very different projects. Where Scott's film leans more explicitly on horror traditions, centered around a singular monster picking off a small crew one by one, Cameron's film introduces explosive action – with an entire squad of colonial marines taking on hordes of xenomorphs. Although each approach is scary and effective, the movies represent two distinct ends of the Alien movie spectrum.

Related Where Ripley Is During Alien: Romulus Alien: Romulus focuses on a new group of characters, leaving questions about where Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley is during the movie.

The fact that Álvarez seems to be combining such different Alien movies for Romulus reveals that, for all the visceral horror suggested by the trailer, the movie will also include some bigger action set pieces. If done right, the consequence will be that audiences get to experience Alien's claustrophobia, punctuated by more impressive action than was seen in Scott's original. This may prove a difficult balancing act, since the original Alien in particular relied on unrelenting tension for success. Nevertheless, the fact that Álvarez is looking to blend the best elements of the two preeminent Alien movies gives Romulus the best chance of success.

The Alien Franchise Has Failed To Live Up To Alien & Aliens' Legacy

While Alien and Aliens represent two of the strongest opening installments in any sci-fi franchise, the rest of the Alien movies have failed to hit the same heights. From the nadir of the Alien Vs. Predator spin-offs, to interesting-but-flawed sequels like Alien 3 and Resurrection, the movies have consistently underwhelmed critics and audiences. As a result, Alien has become an increasingly frustrating series – failing to use one of the all-time great movie monsters as well as it deserves.

Although there are numerous reasons behind later Alien movies' failures, one possible explanation is that they failed to take a broad spectrum of lessons from the franchise's best two movies. The AVP movies, for instance, were clearly influenced by Aliens' action, at the expense of Alien's tension. Alien 3, by contrast, completely removed the weaponry of Aliens to try and return to Alien's stripped-down aesthetic, yet without the characters and claustrophobia that made Scott's movie so great. In taking inspiration from a combination of Alien films, instead of just one, Alien: Romulus may crack the code that has eluded the series for 38 years.