Alien Romulus - Game Over, Man! Game Over!

Summary

The video script critiques the 'Alien' franchise, highlighting its decline from a classic horror to a series marred by poor sequels and misguided prequels. 'Alien: Romulus' is examined for its attempt to return to the series' roots with practical effects and a smaller budget, but is criticized for its predictable horror clichés, convoluted plot, and excessive action that undermines the tension and logic of the original concept. Despite good cinematography and production values, the script's flaws, especially in the third act, leave the film falling short of its potential.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The 'Alien' franchise has had a mixed track record, starting strong with the first movie but declining in quality with subsequent installments.
• 👽 'Alien: Romulus' was marketed as a return to the franchise's roots with a smaller budget and practical effects, aiming for a retro-futuristic feel.
• 🚀 The film's plot revolves around the recovery of a Xenomorph and a race against time to escape a decaying space station.
• 🤖 The character Andy, a decommissioned Android, plays a significant role as an adopted family member and a crucial element in the story's tech interface.
• 🌌 The setting is a dark mining planet with a harsh environment, reflecting the bleak conditions of deep space colonization.
• 🔥 The film's third act is criticized for its excessive action and loss of logical coherence, deviating from the established tension and plot.
• 👾 The script is accused of reusing elements from previous 'Alien' films and other movies, leading to a sense of unoriginality.
• 🎭 Despite a modest budget, the film boasts high-quality production values, including cinematography, design, and practical effects.
• 👍 The performances are generally well-received, with David Johnson's portrayal of Andy being particularly praised for its depth.
• 🚫 The script's third act is a point of contention, with many feeling it undermines the film's earlier build-up with excessive and illogical action.

Q & A

What is the general sentiment towards the 'Alien' franchise over the years as described in the script?

The script suggests that the 'Alien' franchise started strong with the first movie being one of the greatest horror films, followed by a good sequel. However, it declined with subsequent installments, including a grim third movie and a tacky fourth one. Attempts to cross over with 'The Predator' franchise and prequels were seen as overhyped and failed to meet expectations.

What was the initial promise of 'Alien: Romulus' according to the script?

The script indicates that 'Alien: Romulus' promised a return to the basics of the franchise with a smaller budget, practical effects, and a retro-futuristic production design reminiscent of the earlier movies, moving away from the high-minded philosophy of the 'Prometheus' movies.

How does the script describe the structure of 'Alien: Romulus'?

The script describes 'Alien: Romulus' as having a two-part structure. The first part is a well-paced sci-fi thriller with a simple premise, while the second part suffers from predictable horror tropes, dumb character decisions, and a loss of logical coherence, devolving into mindless action and body horror.

What are some of the specific criticisms of 'Alien: Romulus' mentioned in the script?

The script criticizes 'Alien: Romulus' for predictable horror tropes, character decisions that defy logic, protracted chase scenes, and a third act that is filled with ridiculous and exhausting plot elements that detract from the tension and world-building established earlier in the film.

What aspects of 'Alien: Romulus' does the script praise?

The script praises 'Alien: Romulus' for its cinematography, production design, props, costumes, and soundtrack, noting that it successfully replicates the look and feel of the original movie. It also appreciates the modest budget without sacrificing quality and the use of practical effects.

What is the setting of 'Alien: Romulus' and how does it relate to the original 'Alien'?

The script states that 'Alien: Romulus' is set about 20 years after the events of the original 'Alien' and begins with a Weyland-Yutani ship recovering the original Xenomorph from the wreckage of the Nostromo.

What is the main plot of 'Alien: Romulus' as described in the script?

The main plot revolves around the main character, Rain, who works on a mining planet and gets involved in a plan to steal cryopods from a derelict space station to escape to a better planet. However, they discover the station was a classified research facility experimenting on the Xenomorph, and they must escape before it explodes.

How does the script evaluate the characters in 'Alien: Romulus'?

The script finds the characters in 'Alien: Romulus' to be reasonable but not memorable, lacking the gravitas and depth of characters from earlier films in the franchise. It notes that the cast does a fine job but does not leave a significant impact due to the script's shortcomings.

What is the script's view on the third act of 'Alien: Romulus'?

The script criticizes the third act of 'Alien: Romulus' for being overly ridiculous and exhausting, with a series of implausible events that undermine the film's tension and logic.

What does the script suggest about the audience's reaction to 'Alien: Romulus'?

The script suggests that despite its flaws, 'Alien: Romulus' has been well-received by audiences, with a successful opening weekend and a lot of positive chatter online, although the script's author seems to disagree with this reception.