Alien: Romulus: Is it possible for a Reboot Revive the Xenomorph's Success?
As Alien: Romulus gets ready to restart the Alien series, the sequel might also correct a prequels element from Ridley Scott that never really worked. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant had great supporting casts and Michael Fassbender as David, but their attempts at ambitious philosophical themes fell short. Due mostly to their talky, pseudo-philosophical scripts, these prequels fell short of capturing the great atmosphere of Scott's original 1979 masterpiece, Alien.
Alien: Romulus: Reversing Horror Roots
Romulus, the Alien of Director Fede Alvarez, seems ready to bring the franchise back to its roots. Filmed between Alien and Aliens, it centers on a group of young space explorers searching the remains of the Romulus space station who come upon more than they expected. The teaser for the movie suggests a graphic fresh interpretation of the most famous death scene in the Alien series, implying a return to the franchise's original simple horror roots.
Romulus, alien: will New Xenomorph Variants succeed where the prequels fell short?
The promise of Alien: Romulus to bring back the basic thrills of Alien and Aliens adds much of appeal. Alvarez's remark in a recent featurette on creating "every creature" with practical FX points to the presence of several creatures in the movie, implying fresh iterations of the venerable Xenomorph design. This reflects Prometheus's and Alien: Covenant's attempts—with mixed results—introducing fresh Xenomorph variants.
Prometheus brought in the thinner, smaller, blue Deacon, a proto-Xenomorph. Alien: Covenant then substituted David's Neomorphs for the Deacon, experiments produced in his aim to perfect the Xenomorph as a biological weapon. Alvarez's emphasis on a return to the horror roots of the franchise suggests that these new monsters won't be eclipsed by intricate lore, even while Alien: Romulus could repeat the prequels' error of failing to give these new variants enough screen time.
Romulus: New Monsters, a Fresh Viewpoint Alien
Alien: Romulus might present a better path than the prequels for fresh Xenomorph variants. The prequels' new monsters seemed like an afterthought given the emphasis the movies placed on dialogue and story. Being a classic creature feature, Romulus promises more screen time for these new species, so possibly increasing their impact. The terrible opening of the Alien Queen in Aliens proved the need of exposing more about the titular threat. Alien kept the Xenomorph enigmatic, but by revealing its origins and similarly terrible mother, Aliens made the monster even more terrifying.
The Alien: Romulus trailer features the heroes entering a lab filled with several face huggers in confinement units. This would suggest Weyland-Yutani's participation in experiments, so supporting the existence of fresh Xenomorph variants with distinctive features and powers. Alien: Romulus is extending on its forebears, exploring the homeworld of the human heroes, so fitting the introduction of new Xenomorph variants.
Romulus is alien; the difficulty in designing unforgettable new monsters
Although the concept of new Xenomorph variants is fascinating, Alien: Romulus has a big problem. Even before Scott's prequels, the Alien franchise has a track record of less than successful Xenomorph variants. Though avoiding the plot-heavy hazards of Scott's films, Alien: Resurrection's Newborn and Alien vs. Predator failed to capture the fear factor. While the Predalien's weight reduced its threat level, the Newborn was deemed dumb and pitiful.
The Alien Queen's terrible presence shows that the task is not impossible even if the franchise struggles to replicate the fear factor of the original Xenomorph since Aliens. Alvarez's experience building unforgettable monsters—as seen by his 2013 Evil Dead reboot's redesigned Deadites—suggests a favorable result. With its unforgettable original alien monster, 2017 shows that a really dangerous and memorable creature can be created without explicitly linking it to the Xenomorph lineage.
Romulus: An Imagined Classic or New Variant Alien
Alvarez's remark on "every creature" has other meanings, thus it is important to admit that. Should Alien Romulus bring back the Alien Queen, "every creature" could refer to the Xenomorph, the face hugers, the chest-burster, and the Alien Queen. This implies the movie is revisiting a classic monster rather than creating fresh ones. The exact nature of the threats is yet unknown since the twists of the movie remain under secret.
Whether Alien: Romulus presents fresh Xenomorph variants or not, its emphasis on the horror aspects of the franchise implies that, should they exist, these monsters have more chances of success than past efforts. The promotional materials for the movie have not revealed its main monsters; they will remain a secret until August. If Alien: Romulus does create fresh Xenomorph variants, its single focus on horror suggests these monsters will probably be more successful than previous attempts. The movie promises a horrific sci-fi horror thrill ride even if its creature design is the same as that of past Alien movies.
