How Alien: Romulus Fits Into the Alien Universe

As a movie lover who has spent countless hours huddled under blankets during late-night screenings of terrifying sci-fi flicks, I can confidently say that “Alien: Romulus” is a chilling addition to the Alien franchise. With its masterful blend of suspense and homage to the original series, it’s like being reunited with an old friend who’s just had a facelift…and somehow got even more terrifying in the process.

The question of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe is a big one for humanity. But if the discovery of Xenomorphs ever turns out to be the thing that answers that question, we’ll almost certainly wish we’d never asked it.

Indeed, within the realm of the Alien movie universe, such harm was inflicted long ago. The Alien franchise, dating back to Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking 1979 sci-fi thriller, has been masterfully crafting a chilling dread in audiences about terrifying space-dwelling organisms known as endoparasitoid aliens. Now, the latest addition to the film series, Alien: Romulus, is now playing in theaters and continues the gripping horror narrative that began decades ago.

Under the direction of Fede Álvarez (known for “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe”), and produced by Scott, the film titled “Romulus” focuses on Rain Carradine, a 25-year-old character played by Cailee Spaeny, and her adoptive android brother Andy, portrayed by David Jonsson. They team up with other young space settlers yearning for an escape from Jackson’s Star mining colony, which is under the control of the malicious corporation Weyland-Yutani. In search of a way out, they aim to infiltrate what appears to be an abandoned space station orbiting their ringed planetoid, hoping it holds the technology necessary for traveling to a utopian world. However, their discovery within the station proves to be far more terrifying and lethal than they could have ever anticipated.

How Alien: Romulus Fits Into the Alien Universe

The film Romulus primarily tells its own tale independently, yet it also pays tribute to earlier works and links directly with both the original Alien and the Scott-directed prequels from 2012, Prometheus, and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.

Álvarez explained to IGN that we went to great lengths to ensure consistency with the movies, avoiding any conflicts or alterations. Essentially, he said, we aimed to pay homage to these beloved films by making subtle references that only the most attentive viewers might catch. It’s like having a secret code shared between you and the filmmaker, creating an exclusive experience for those in the know.

How Alien: Romulus connects to Alien

2179, I find myself drawn into the chilling world of “Romulus,” a thrilling prequel that dares to delve deeper into the Alien saga, 37 years before James Cameron’s iconic “Aliens.” Set two decades after Ridley Scott’s original “Alien,” this film unveils an astonishing truth: the colossal Xenomorph, affectionately known as Big Chap, didn’t meet its demise when blasted out of the Nostromo’s shuttle Narcissus. Instead, it was miraculously recovered from the cosmic abyss and transported to Weyland-Yutani’s Romulus research station for sinister experiments. As a movie reviewer, I can assure you that this revelation promises a terrifying ride through the darkest corners of space.

Following the rain, Andy and their companions climb aboard the adrift Romulus. Upon boarding, they manage to revive a damaged Hyperdyne Systems 120-A2 synthetic, Rook – who bears a striking resemblance to the late Ian Holm’s android Ash from Alien. For this film, Holm’s likeness was digitally recreated, a method that Disney has used before in bringing back Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa and Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin in the Star Wars franchise, sparking debate.

What about Prometheus and Covenant?

How Alien: Romulus Fits Into the Alien Universe

I’ll share with you what Rook told us: He said that scientists onboard the Romulus took a peculiar, dark substance, which had been first mentioned in ‘Prometheus’ and further developed in ‘Covenant’, from Big Chap. This substance, although not fully understood, essentially serves as an extremely potent mutagen, capable of both creating and obliterating life forms. In ‘Covenant’, we found out that the android David (played by Michael Fassbender) was using this black goo to recreate the DNA structure of Xenomorphs.

As per Rook’s account, Romulus scientists were trying to transform the mysterious black substance into some form of miraculous treatment, capable of enhancing humans and thereby producing superior workers for Weyland-Yutani. Unfortunately, things took a tragic turn when it was discovered that Big Chap was not dead but had instead slaughtered the crew, planted Facehugger eggs on the ship, and eventually spawned a Xenomorph nest.

The supposed remedy turns out to be ineffective, as demonstrated by the horrifying Xenomorph-human hybrid that arises from Kay (Isabela Merced), Rain’s friend who was pregnant and injected herself with a black goo sample in an attempt to mend her Xenomorphic wounds.

Regarding the possibility of a follow-up to the series Romulus, which may shed light on the mysterious effects of the black goo, it’s already evident from what we’ve seen so far that people should refrain from tampering with it for their own safety!

2024-08-16 16:19