New Things That Alien: Romulus Brings To The Franchise

Highlights

New lore introduced in
Alien: Romulus
adds depth to the
Alien
franchise beyond the traditional horror elements.
Expansion of independent planets and lower class androids offer fresh perspectives and potential storylines for the series.
The use of zero gravity, Xenomorph cocoons, and Facehuggers hunting in packs add thrilling new twists to the classic
Alien
creature features.

As a lifelong fan of the Alien franchise, I must say that Alien: Romulus has truly outdone itself by taking our favorite xenomorphic terrors to new heights. The film’s creative use of zero gravity sequences and pack-hunting Facehuggers have breathed fresh life into these iconic creatures.

Under the direction of Fede Alvarez, the film titled “Alien: Romulus“, premiering on August 16, 2024, marks the seventh installment in the Alien series and aims to rejuvenate the franchise by returning to its roots. The story follows a group of individuals who venture to an abandoned space station, where they unexpectedly encounter a Xenomorph threat. In essence, it’s a classic horror movie setup where fear lurks in the shadows of a seemingly deserted location.

Although the film “Romulus” may appear basic, it does indeed introduce fresh lore and ideas that have been absent in previous “Alien” movies. Remarkably, certain aspects are making their first appearance on screen following their appearance in the franchise’s comic books and video games. These are all the additional details that “Alien: Romulus” contributes to the “Alien” series.

Major story spoilers ahead for Alien: Romulus

8 Independent Planets

Havens Not Under Corporate Control

New Things That Alien: Romulus Brings To The Franchise

Weyland-Yutani Corporation is the secondary villain of the entire Alien universe.
Peter Weyland and his daughter, Meredith Vickers, were the first and last known members of the Weyland family featured in canon.
First Appearance of Weyland-Yutani: Aliens (They were only known as “The Company” in Alien)

In Alien: Romulus, the primary characters are propelled towards the Renaissance Station due to their longing for freedom from their planet controlled by Weyland-Yutani. This is in search of Yvaga III, a supposed sanctuary since it’s an autonomous system, not owned by corporations such as Weyland-Yutani or Seegson – though this haven remains unseen in the film.

As a gamer, I’ve always been intrigued by the Alien series, especially since it seldom delves deep into the civilizations of alien planets beyond the colonies on Weyland-Yutani worlds. Instead, we usually follow teams venturing to other extraterrestrial planets. However, the concept of self-governing planets sparks my curiosity. Perhaps this opens up possibilities for future installments to delve into how Weyland-Yutani expands its control over these worlds, and how rebels might rise against such a powerful corporation.

7 Xenomorphs Can Survive In Space

Continuing From The Original Movie

Xenomorph, AKA. Subject XX121 was created by David the android in his lust for power.
The Nostromo incident was also followed up in the canon video game, Alien: Isolation.
First Appearance of Xenomorph: Alien

In the sequence of events recognized as official, the movie “Alien: Romulus” takes place between the initial “Alien” and its sequel “Aliens”. Director Fede Alvarez faced the challenge of weaving a narrative within narratives that would remain coherent. Luckily, he connected the original “Alien” directly by showing that the original Xenomorph was indeed still alive.

As a die-hard Alien fan, I was utterly captivated when the opening scenes of Alien: Romulus unveiled the remnants of the Nostromo spacecraft. Amidst the wreckage, an eerie organic shell drifted aimlessly through the void. To my astonishment, this mysterious object housed none other than the original Xenomorph from the first film!

6 Lower Class Androids

Not Every Android Is A Corporate Spy

Androids have a tendency to evolve away from their programming.
Androids are a spiritual successor to the Replicants in the Blade Runner movies, which are loosely set in the same universe.
First Appearance of Androids: Alien

In the movie Alien: Covenant, there’s a fresh character named Andy, who appears to be an advanced artificial person. His primary function is to safeguard the main character, Rain. It’s revealed that Andy was once a deactivated synthetic laborer for the mining colony they both hail from and plays a crucial role in Weyland-Yutani operations.

Andy was primarily built for utilization and disposal, serving a role similar to a canary in a coal mine. Consequently, he’s shy and gentle-mannered, but it becomes evident throughout the movie that he possesses the same level of complexity as other android models featured in previous Alien films.

5 X-Ray View Of The Chestburster

The First Ever Look At A Stage 2 Xenomorph Still In Its Host

Chestbursters, AKA. Stage 2 Xenomorphs, gestate fast once in a host.
They are small but have impressive strength to break through human bones and muscle.
First Appearance of Chestbursters: Alien

In keeping with the custom established by Alien films, which often incorporate gruesome body horror into their Chestburster scenes, the movie Alien: Romulus follows suit. A notable scene featuring Navarro, who managed to grab a handheld X-Ray device during his exploration of Renaissance Station, has become quite iconic and is prominently displayed in the marketing materials for Alien: Romulus.

In the scene where Bjorn and Navarro are attempting to elude Renaissance, Navarro senses a creature stirring within her, prompting her to examine herself using an X-ray machine. This provides viewers with a grim yet captivating sight of the Chestburster burrowing through her abdomen, struggling to free itself from its host. This unsettling yet innovative scene showcases Fede Alvarez’s mastery over horror filmmaking.

4 New Company Orders

There Is More Than One Weyland-Yutani Agenda

The Pathogen was used by the enigmatic Engineers to create and evolve life.
David used it to experiment and create the first Xenomorph strain.
First Appearance of The Pathogen: Prometheus

Initially, the Xenomorph was the primary focus for Weyland-Yutani Corporation to capture and exploit within their bioweapons sector. Yet, “Alien: Romulus” unveils an unexpected objective by linking directly with “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant”, ultimately tracing back to The Pathogen that David had utilized to create the Xenomorph originally.

In the lab at Romulus Station, they were assigned to blend the Pathogen from the Xenomorph and Facehuggers to concoct a serum, designed to transform humans into species suitable for space exploration. This revelation not only strengthens the narrative as a follow-up to several films in the series, but hints at diverse objectives regarding the creation of Xenomorphs by the corporation, possibly even ones that could clash with each other.

3 Facehuggers Hunting In Packs

More Development Of Facehuggers

Facehuggers, AKA. Ovomorphs, impregnate their hosts with a Xenomorph embryo.
Their tails are strong enough to break their host’s neck.
First Appearance of Facehuggers: Alien

In earlier Alien films, Facehuggers were seldom shown in large numbers, but they primarily served to produce Xenomorphs, and this function remains consistent in Alien: Romulus. However, the movie strategically elevates the menace of Facehuggers, making them as terrifying as Xenomorphs, by showcasing dozens of them chasing the characters throughout the film.

Alien: Romulus not only demonstrates that Facehuggers can work together as a group but also uncovers their hunting methods. Since they lack eyes, they primarily depend on detecting the warmth of their targets and have an exceptional ability to pick up sounds. To this day, fans continue to discover new details about their background, and the Facehuggers have never been more menacing than in Romulus.

2 Zero Gravity Sequences

Acid Blood Has Never Been So Beautiful

Acid Blood, seen in Xenomorphs and Pathogen mutations.
First Appearance of Acid Blood: Alien

As soon as the characters step into Renaissance Station in Alien: Romulus, they encounter weightlessness. Remarkably, despite the Alien series always being set in deep space, it had never previously explored any aspects related to zero gravity until now.

In addition to providing stunning visuals for Alien: Romulus, zero gravity also leads to exceptionally inventive action scenes. For instance, an entire sequence showcases Rain and Andy battling a group of Xenomorphs in weightlessness to keep their corrosive blood from eating through space and causing Renaissance Station to lose pressure.

1 Xenomorph Cocoons

Evolving From Chesterburster And Xenomorph

The transition from Chestburster to full-grown Xenomorph takes place in a coccoon.
First Appearance of Xenomorph Coccoons: Alien: Romulus

In the Alien: Romulus series, the rapid life cycle of the Xenomorph is not only maintained but also elaborated on. It reveals that the creature rapidly develops from a Chestburster to a fully-grown warrior drone within minutes, which is made possible through a quick transition using a protective cocoon.

Following Navarro’s sudden eruption of a strange creature, Kay and Bjorn stumble upon a Xenomorph in the process of metamorphosis within a corridor. This development underscores the hive’s insect-like behavior and hints at potential future films exploring diverse stages of Xeno evolution, like the Praetorian guards or the intriguing growth process of a Queen.

2024-08-18 10:04