Summary
-
Alien: Romulus
returns the
Alien
franchise to its roots, placing it between
Alien
and
Aliens
and utilizing a similar approach with practical effects. - Director Fede Álvarez prioritizes practical effects over CGI to immerse viewers in the narrative and create a realistic threat, as opposed to the Marvel and DC movies that he finds unrealistic and not dangerous.
-
Alien: Romulus
aims to differentiate itself from modern blockbusters and bring back the wow factor of movie magic when it’s released this August.
We’re less than two months away from the debut of Don’t Breathe director Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus and, suffice it to say, anticipation is building. After Prometheus brought in middling profits and comparable reviews and Alien: Covenant failed to right the ship, it seemed as though the Xenomorph saga had finally run out of steam. But, just as he did with the 2013 Evil Dead remake, Romulus looks to be a significant course correction with its heart firmly in the right place — in between the methodical Alien and the slam-bang Aliens. And that applies to the effects, too, which Alvarez says will separate his film from flashy Marvel and DC blockbusters.
Now that the marketing machine is starting to ramp up for the film, Álvarez himself is beginning to delve into specifics regarding just how he constructed the film. He’s even screened an edited, spoiler-light cut of the film for some London-based critics, including Metro, which reported that he strayed away from CGI territory as much as possible. In Álvarez’s words, his method was:
If it can be done practical, it will be done practical.
In the director’s opinion, which is one shared by many modern cinephile, the medium has become heavily reliant on computer-generated image-based effects. And his usage of practical effects (including scanned miniatures for the wide shots of the spaceship and puppet Facehuggers) will be a way to draw the viewers closer to the narrative and the film’s intended effect. For Alvarez, this differentiates the film from modern blockbusters, especially of the comic book kind:
“Ideally, we fool you, which is what I think movies to a certain extent have stopped trying to do. Maybe because it’s a different thing, I don’t know –
not to go at Marvel or DC movies, but I don’t think they try to be photorealistic
.”
This signals Alvarez’s priority — he wants you to feel like the threat is real. As he previously told The Hollywood Reporter, “I have this obsession with no green screens, so we built every creature and set,” Álvarez said. “Everything had to be built so we were really living and breathing in these spaces.” Say what you will about Marvel or DC, but you never feel like they’re realistic.
Related
Alien: Romulus Star Says It’s a ‘Very, Very, Very Different’ Film for the Franchise
Alien: Romulus star David Jonsson teases the unique approach to the franchise in the prequel/sequel.
How Will Practical Effects Benefit Alien: Romulus?
As anyone who has seen Alien: Covenant can attest, a CGI Xenomorph just isn’t the same. It looks the same, but the imminent danger the creature is supposed to convey is missing. As Álvarez puts it:
“The special effects in movies used [to make the audience go], ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing this!’ And it seems like those movies have given up for the most part. But we haven’t, which has been an enormous task for us, to really push everybody involved in understanding that,
particularly with Alien, you need to believe that what you’re looking at is real
. Otherwise, it just doesn’t work.”
Anyone who’s seen Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant can relate to the point about CGI, especially compared to the same auteur’s 1979 original, where the titular alien feels like it’s in the same room. And yet, it’s a guy in a suit shown in dark corners and close-up shots, but it works like a horrifying charm. Considering Alien: Romulus will be using very similar techniques (including a suit performer), one can only imagine that it’s going to be dynamite in a pitch black theater with a crowd. The film will be released on Aug. 16, 2024, and you can watch the trailer below:
