MOVIE REVIEW: ALIEN: ROMULUS

 

Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

Director: Fede Álvarez

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

Release Date: August 16, 2024

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for bloody violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus is a bloody love letter to the first two films in the long running series, bringing back the retro futuristic aesthetic, a bevy of Easter eggs and delivering some truly thrilling sequences.  Álvarez's love of the series is readily apparent from the opening sequence with the look and feel immediately echoing Ridley Scott's original with its grimy, lived in version of space travel that was missing from the last two prequels.  It plays like cinematic comfort food for long time fans who have been waiting for something like this since the late 80's as every subsequent sequel has veered further away from the feel of those original films.  Everything has a palpable sense of reality with CGI used sparingly throughout which is a welcome change of pace.  It’s an impressive bit of alchemy which leaves you wondering why other directors hadn't leaned into more in the past.  The story is straight forward even if does leave you asking a ton of questions if you think about it too much.  Logic isn't the biggest concern as it's mostly interested in placing the characters, some far more brain dead than others, into specific situations for the mayhem to begin.  It’s all easier to digest since the cast is totally onboard from the opening scene.  Cailee Spaeny does well in the lead in an understated turn that does well to avoid direct comparison to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley.  Her central relationship with David Jonsson's synthetic Andy is an interesting slant on the usual survivor trope that runs across these films.  Jonsson and Spaeny have a strong chemistry together which gives their characters some emotional weight to their relationship, something sorely missing from the supporting characters who are little more than meat for the grinder.  It’s a testament to Álvarez that it’s not a huge drawback since the construction of the big sequences are so well done that you don’t really care that the majority of characters are one note or make some truly stupid decisions.  Alien: Romulus works best when its creativity is on full display such as a fraught trek through a face hugger infested hallway or an anti gravity Alien battle which brings a renewed sense of energy to the creatures and franchise.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: MADAME WEB

 

Cassandra Webb is a New York City paramedic who starts to show signs of clairvoyance. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she must protect three young women from a mysterious adversary who wants them dead.

Director: S.J. Clarkson

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott

Release Date: February 14, 2024 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language.

Runtime: 1h 54m

Review:

Madame Web arrives onscreen barely registering a pulse thanks to a bland script and a cast that's as disinterested as the audience.  S.J. Clarkson does her best to give this low rent version of Edge of Tomorrow some life early on but using inventive angles and shots during some of the action sequences.  There are small slivers of energy, especially early, but once the film goes into an endless cycle of repetition which kills any sense of momentum or entertainment.  Those hoping for some mindless superhero action will be sorely disappointed since the majority of that occurs in a flash forward which the film never occurs in the actual film, leaving this film as nothing more than set up for a future installment.  Instead, the film follows Dakota Johnson's Cassandra Webb kidnap/rescue the trio of Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced and chaperon them around before abandoning them for an impromptu day trip to Peru.  It’s all rather nonsensical and illogical which might be goofy if any of the cast put any sort of effort into their performances.  Johnson leads the cast with one of the more uninspired performances in a big budget film in recent memory.  Her consistently monotone line delivery makes it feel like we are watching rehearsal footage instead of the final cut.  That energy runs across her supporting cast  who are saddled with the most generic clichés of early 2000's teenage girls.  It’s so painfully bad that you wouldn't be surprised if they randomly started singing Spice Girls song just to drive the point home about the live action Brats dolls assembled.  Tahar Rahim doesn't fair much better as the film's sort of evil Spider-man from the dollar store with his stilted delivery that makes Johnson look inspired in comparison.  Madame Web is a mess of a film that commits a variety of sins which would be forgivable if it wasn't so incredibly boring.

D-