We only have to wait seven more days until the eagerly awaited sequel “Alien: Romulus” by director Fede Alvarez makes us scream again in space.
The film introduces us to the abandoned space slaughterhouse that is home to alien biomechanical beasts known as Xenomorphs. With only a week to wait, two new previews whet our appetite for this seventh installment in the famous sci-fi horror series.
The first, recently released teaser, titled “10 Days,” assaults your senses with a haunting audio cue mimicked from Ridley Scott’s original Alien, then offers some disturbing images of the adult warrior Xenomorphs in all their special effects glory from J. Alan Scott and his award-winning Legacy Effects team, plenty of corridor running, screaming, sweating, facehugger breaches, chestburster ejections, and a general sense of terrifying chaos. “Once they grab hold, they never let go.”
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Of particular note are Mexican cinematographer Galo Olivares’ atmospheric images, which recall the brilliant work of previous “Alien” cinematographer Derek Vanlint and “Aliens” cinematographer Adrian Biddle. And that’s entirely appropriate, as this film serves as a link between the timelines of these two classics. Anyone who has seen Olivares’ impressive camera wizardry in the 2020 dark fantasy “Gretel & Hansel” already knows about this talented filmmaker’s remarkable eye.
In case you have just arrived on Earth or have deliberately shut yourself off from all relevant forms of pop culture media, here is the official synopsis of “Romulus”:
“‘Alien: Romulus’ takes the phenomenally successful ‘Alien’ series back to its roots: While scouring the depths of an abandoned space station, a group of young space colonists encounter the most terrifying life form in the universe.
“The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”) and Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2″), based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.”
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The second video is a short clip of Isabela Merced’s character Kay in a wet, murky hallway, reminiscent of the scene where Newt is abducted by an underwater creature in Aliens. In this rain-soaked sequence, Kay is tormented by a stomping Xenomorph that pursues her from above. The gasping breaths and grunts heard in this intense scenario will soon be heard in multiplexes around the world!
“Alien: Romulus” will be released in theaters and IMAX theaters on August 16, 2024.
