Alien: Romulus is finally out and starting its roll the right way with impressive ratings on opening night. While it serves as a standalone interquel, it is still a part of the massive Alien franchise that fans have loved through the years.
The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu with Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez at the helm.
Fede Álvarez On Making Alien: Romulus, And Ridley Scott’s Involvement
Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus earned $6.5 million in Thursday night previews and will most likely finish its opening weekend with a target of more than $50 million, as per ComicBook. The film is set within the world of Ridley Scott’s Alien movies, and its nostalgic feel aims to bring back fans of the franchise.
Speaking with Hollywood Insider, the director revealed the movie’s secret why it’s so special for the viewers:
It’s really one of the most incredible monsters ever seen on the screen, and there’s aspect of this creature that’s just so terrifying that it’s made of nightmares. It’s just so unique.
He also mentioned that this type of movie was very effective 45 years ago and it is held as an inspiration today. “That was the privilege of making this film that you can watch all these other movies made by all these masters of the genre,” Álvarez stated.
Another thing that he pointed out was how they made the production as realistic as possible so that actors could work their way effectively. “When it comes to horror, which was the whole goal with this movie, to really take it back to the roots of it, just practical is always scarier,” the director explained.
Ridley Scott pioneered the franchise, and he was the director of the critically acclaimed 1979 Alien movie. He also served as the producer of Alien: Romulus. “He was really involved every step of the way,” said the director.
Scott was very supportive of the project from the moment they crafted the story to the first reading of the script, and he would tell Álvarez never to underestimate the audience. “He was the best producer one can ask for,” the latter added.
Alien: Romulus Earns Remarkable Ratings On Rotten Tomatoes
The reviews and ratings for Alien: Romulus are out and they look pretty impressive. So far, it has received an approval rating of 81% for the critics score and 87% for the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Evidently, it is performing better than Scott’s prequels. Prometheus (2012) only received a 73% critics score and 68% audience score, while Alien Covenant (2017) earned 65% critics score and 55% audience score. Both movies were considered big flops in the Alien franchise.
It’s safe to say that Alien: Romulus is paving another way to bring the franchise to the surface again after Scott’s mistakes with the prequels. This is a great way to introduce the Alien saga to new fans and bring back the old ones.
Alien: Romulus is now in theaters as of August 17, 2024.
