‘Alien’ Recap And Things To Know Before Watching ‘Alien: Romulus’

Back in 2013, with the release of Evil Dead, Director Fede Alvarez did something unprecedented and incredible, i.e., rebooting a classic horror franchise with an entry as good as if not better than the original movie. A decade later, the director has another opportunity to repeat the same feat as he is at the helm of the upcoming Alien: Romulus, the latest venture in the iconic cosmic-horror franchise, and from the first look of the promotional updates, things are looking really promising as well. 

Hailed as the most influential, original, and pioneering amalgamation of the sci-fi and horror genres, director Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise has had an undeniable cultural impact on showbiz since the 1980s. However, with a couple of misfires in the last decade in the form of prequel movies Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the franchise suffered unfortunate setbacks. Now with Alien: Romulus, the upcoming installment that is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the approach seems to be a lot more atmospheric horror-oriented once again, which fans will definitely see as a positive sign. Before catching Alien: Romulus in theaters, having a precise idea about the first two Alien movies and the prime extraterrestrial antagonists is necessary, which we will try to provide in this article. 

Xenomorphs and All Their Major Forms

The prime antagonist species of the Alien franchise are the nightmarish, insecto-humanoid feral extraterrestrial creatures known as Xenomorphs (in their humanoid form). With a hardened exoskeleton around its gaunt, hideous body, dome-shaped head, extremely reactive corrosive bodily fluid, pharyngeal jaws, gnarly maw with a second set of teeth on proboscis extension, and an elongated barbed tail, the creature design of the Xenomorph is nothing short of death manifested in its terrifying beauty. We have to thank artist H.R. Giger for bringing this dreadful vision of his to life, which remains the most fan favorite creature design to date right along with Stan Winston’s Predator, aka Yautja. It should be mentioned that clashes between these two apex monsters have occurred in the past in the form of crossover movies. 

Xenomorphs are parasitic in nature and take after the physiology of their host, which means a Xenomorph emerging from a quadrupedal host will have a different appearance to one that preyed on a human host. In general, Xenomorphs go through an insect-like lifecycle of egg-larvae-pupae-adult form, and to go through this transformation, the alien species needs a host. Xenomorphs are shown to be highly adaptive and fairly intelligent as well, making them an absolute menace for their human adversaries. The lesser members of the species are governed by a Xenomorph queen, an even more terrifying monstrosity with enhanced physical and mental attributes.

Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986): Two Horror Masterpieces

In the far future of 2122, the seven-member crew of the space freighter ship Nostromo, associated with the shady profiteering R&D conglomerate Weyland-Yutani, intercepts a distress signal from LV-426, aka Acheron, the moon of gas giant Calpamos. Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley realizes it was a warning signal, but by then crew members have already landed on the moon, and one of them, Kane, got assaulted by a Facehugger, an alien lifeform emerging from an egg. Despite Ripley’s reservations, Science Officer Ash decides to let the crew carry the alien lifeform into the Nostromo, and eventually the Facehugger dies after depositing its larvae inside its victim, Kane’s body. Growing inside by devouring its host from within, the larvae take on a Chestbuster form as an infant alien Xenomorph rips open Kane’s chest to emerge out of him and escapes inside the Nostromo to gradually get bigger in the ship’s controlled environment. As the creature wreaks havoc by killing the crewmembers one by one, Ripley learns that Ash, an android in disguise, was following the directive of the heinous conglomerate to bring the alien lifeform to earth, with the crew members of the ship as collateral damage. After putting an end to Ash with the help of two other crew members, Ripley decides to put the Nostromo on self-destruct and escape with the surviving members in the escape shuttle. However, the Xenomorph kills the remaining crew and manages to sneak onto Ripley’s escape shuttle, resulting in a climactic battle that results in Ripley managing to finally get rid of the monstrosity by throwing it into outer space. At the end, Ripley and her cat, Jonesy, remain as the only survivors of Nostromo as they head back to earth. 

Set 57 years after the events of Alien, the direct sequel Aliens follows Ripley back to earth after spending half a century in hypersleep, and within this period the evil conglomerate Weyland-Yutani has already established a steady colony on the moon LV-426, aka Acheron, where Ripley’s crew had found the Xenomorph eggs to begin with. Initially, Ripley’s statement about the fate of the crew aboard Nostromo—the threat posed by Xenomorphs—is denounced by the conglomerate, but eventually they send Ripley with a band of marines on a recon mission after transmission from the colony abruptly stops altogether. Ripley and co. find the colony to be infested with Xenomorph lifeforms who have nested over their latest victims, and following the space slasher trend of the first movie, almost the entire marine crew falls prey to the terrifying alien. Ripley manages to survive and rescue Newt, the only surviving member from the colony massacre. Ripley learns that the conglomerate had a proper idea about the alien threat on the planet; they wanted to weaponize the Xenomorphs, once again putting the lives of the clueless colony inhabitants in danger as acceptable collateral damage. In the climactic showdown, wearing an exosuit, Ripley battles a Xenomorph queen, and with the help of an android, Bishop, manages to save Newt at the end. 

Clues from the Prequel Series

The bold, inventive yet less well received prequel movies of the Alien franchise, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, expand upon the lore of the extraterrestrial saga by revealing the history of the Xenomorphs. The duology highlights an ancient and highly advanced race of aliens, known as the Engineers, who created humankind eons ago and had manufactured Xenomorphs as a necessary deterrent to teach humankind a lesson for their hubris. It remains unknown whether concepts from these two movies, especially the Engineers, their machinations, or the Xenomorph’s origin, will have a major effect in Alien: Romulus, but there are strong possibilities of the upcoming movie bridging the gap between prequel and sequel entries by drawing upon the elements from past ventures.

What Can Be Expected From ‘Romulus?

Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus is set during the five-decade-long gap between the first two Alien movies and features an entirely new set of characters, seemingly LV-426 colonists who come across a Xenomorph-infested ship while scavenging for advanced tech from space debris. From the trailer, the tone of the upcoming movie seems closer to the atmospheric dread showcased in the first movie of the franchise, and the violent, graphic scenes teased are in sync with the body horror roots of the franchise. We do not know for sure whether Ripley’s exploits in Alien are going to be teased in any form or whether the maniacal android David from the prequel series will make his presence felt—but viewers can expect some surprises for sure.