Forty-four years after Ridley Scott brought Alien to the public, Fede Álvarez brings us the ninth film in the franchise. Set between the events of the first and second Alien films, Alien: Romulus. is an independent film that tells the story of Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her fight for survival alongside a small organization of partners in what at first appears to be a deserted area station. However, it soon shows up as a dangerous environment infested with face-huggers, posing an imminent threat to its existence.
The film is an homage to what Scott created but has a new vision with Álvarez putting his stamp on the franchise. He says it’s important to make a movie that can bring together all Alien fans.
“The film as a whole is a tribute to the entire Alien franchise, a film that brings them all together. The franchise can be very divisive for a lot of people, and I was looking to make a movie that would bring them all together and bring together my love for the franchise in one movie.
He says that it is vital to make a film available to a new audience that does not want to have noticed the other 8 films to perceive what is happening.
“There are a lot of references to other movies, but do it in such a way that if you haven’t noticed any of them, you don’t want to miss anything. That’s the goal of this film. I need a 20-year-old film. – Adults or teenagers to watch it, have an intelligent time and not feel that they lack references. When there is too much nostalgia and authoritative references, the film can lose its interest and be missed by a younger audience. surely that did not happen.
While there are some references, they are main plot points, so as Alvarez says, the newcomers may not lose out. He says he enjoyed making small nods to the franchise’s previous managers.
“I had the chance to show it to [Ridley Scott and James Cameron] and they liked the references to their films. I think a director needs to make sure that his films have been identified in some way. That’s why I made sure to take my hat off to all the other [Alien] movies. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those directors, Ridley, James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. They are some of my favorite directors. They taught me everything I know about cinema.
The film’s cast is much younger than in previous Alien films. Alvarez, whose background is in the horror genre, says his decision to have younger characters is partly influenced by horror, which is overwhelmingly more youthful and serves two purposes: to be original and to raise the stakes.
“The concept came from thinking: how can I make an Alien movie that’s different from the others?Young people are usually the norm when it comes to horror. Alien is the exception to the rule, it is a really effective horror movie where the characters are between 40 and 50 years old. I felt that [a younger cast] was a clever way to tell another story. I think a horror movie is harder the younger they are, the more effective it is, in one way or another. »
So says writer-director Cailee Spaeny, who earned a lot of praise for her starring role in Priscilla, her first and only selection to play Rain.
“I met Cailee a few years ago and when she read for me, she blew me away. When it came time to make this movie, there was no doubt in my mind that I was looking for her to play the character. No one else ever came to mind. Once I had an I sent the script to her and I was lucky that she said yes, she decided to do it.
The director says that Spaeny carries a lot of his emotions in his eyes, which is a blessing.
“You’re lucky when you have an actor like her; Half of the story is written in his eyes. I don’t want to tell the full story of his life at the beginning of the movie. You see her eyes and you see the sadness. That tells you what she lived in the first years of her life. It’s a blessing for a director when the actors’ eyes do all the work. “
David Jonsson plays Andy, the brother followed by Rain, who is also a humanoid AI. The character is going through a transition in the film and Alvarez says it took him a long time to find an actor who could play both sides of the same character.
“It’s been a long process and it’s not easy to find someone with the skill and ability to play both sides of this character, right?A lot of actors are smart at one thing but not the other, but when I met David, I felt like he was the best for it. “
He says that the public will make assumptions about Andy and that he used those assumptions to his advantage.
“These videos have wonderful artificial characters, and they’re all different. I think Andy’s character works because the audience assumes that because he’s artificial, he’s a villain. Everyone comes in with expectations about what they can and can’t do in the story. . I use your prejudices to my advantage and that makes you watch until the end, wondering how it will evolve.
With so much mythology in the franchise, has Alvarez ever felt overwhelmed? He says that he is never a burden and that he is excited to have a story to play with.
“It’s very exciting to have all this mythology behind you. In a way, it makes it less difficult. I take it as the Gospel, don’t I?The other movies are the Bible that I have to overlook and read to make sure that I am faithful and do not betray anything that the movies have said in the afterlife. It’s exciting to be able to have all of that and build and build from there. I’m not afraid to bring new things. I am aware of this. As a moviegoer, as long as you respect the afterlife and play the canon very well, you will be able to upload more things that will be part of the franchise.
Words – Cara O’Doherty
ALIEN: ROMULUS in Irish cinemas