By Finnegan Kennedy
Photo by Finnegan Kennedy
Modern horror hasn’t been the best quality lately, but Alien: Romulus changed that.
The 2020s have proved pretty lackluster for the horror genre. None of the top 50 highest grossing movies of the 2020s are inherently horror movies, and in the 2010s, there were only two horror films in the top 50. In this new age of movies, summarized by deep, complex storytelling and niche cinematography, how will modern horror come back into the mainstream?
It all starts with Alien: Romulus.
The first movie of the Alien franchise was released in 1979 and was released in the wake of the original Star Wars, which renewed interest in the sci-fi genre. Alien was originally expected to flop, but the success of the first Star Wars movie two years earlier convinced Fox to invest millions into the creation of the first Alien movie.
Alien director Ridley Scott can easily recall the feel of the theater on opening day of the first Star Wars movie. “The theater was positively boiling with expectation. I have never seen such audience participation,” he said in a 2019 interview with journalist David Weiner. With Star Wars kicking off the new sci-fi movement that would soon sweep the nation, 20th Century Fox was desperate to find a movie worth investing in until the script for Alien came along. “This script put off four other directors, but I’m a designer, and I had sort of a vision,” Scott remembers. Thus, Alien became a massive success, and the franchise is now cemented as an icon in the film industry.
Alien (1979) is a thrilling watch which I’m giving a rating of 7/10. For a movie made in the ‘70s, they did a great job with the special effects and the puppeteering of the xenomorph. I would definitely recommend this movie, as it sets the scene for the entire franchise. The film established context used throughout the rest of the franchise, such as the distrust of synthetics (androids which serve mostly corporate purposes) and cryo-sleep (being frozen to make a journey in space feel quicker). It also introduced us to the two types of aliens, facehuggers and xenomorphs, as well as the first recurring character: Ellen Ripley.
Aliens (1986) is even better than the original, thus getting a 7.5/10 rating from me. Set 57 years after Alien (1979), we are introduced to the Weyland corporation, affiliated with the armed forces–the same group that sent Ripley on her mission in the last movie. It showed Weyland’s corporate greed and the corporation’s lack of care for who they hire. It establishes Ripley’s priorities and how she wants to leave what she experienced behind and truly put it to rest. But in order to do that, she would have to confront her fears. It introduces the idea of Ripley being a mother figure to a new character she adopts and shows just how deranged people can get under stress. My only grievance is the dialogue of Private Hudson, played by Bill Paxton. Just like his role in 1985’s Weird Science, his acting skills are stale and unrealistic. However, what it did best was the exploration of the relationship between Weyland Corporation and the US Armed Forces.
Alien 3 (1992) is generally agreed to be the worst film in the franchise, but I disagree. It’s very lackluster. There are multiple inconsistencies, it’s too long, and there are a lot of things that would never be realistically possible. Still, it was entertaining nonetheless. I gave it a 5.85/10 and think it’s not necessary to the story or the progression of any of the characters. If you have the time, watch it, but for me, it’s a skip. The movie really nailed the behaviors of the xenomorph and how it would realistically act. It also had my favorite set/prop design. The low lighting and eerie soundtrack made it feel more like a horror movie than any of the others, but also more action then any of the others.
I rated Alien: Resurrection (1997) as a 6.95/10. I think you should watch it, but this movie was the most unrealistic out of any of them. In my opinion, the movie had the worst prop/set design, but I really enjoyed it. The film did the best job at furthering the idea of corporate greed and the sinister lack of sympathy that Weyland had for both the xenomorphs and Ripley. This movie also started the recurring theme of the creator versus the created that would conclude in Covenant (2017).
Prometheus (2012) had pretty poor acting in my opinion. The editing was done well, but the story and plot progression weren’t the best to me. However, what the film did best was show the progression of the creator vs. the created that we saw first in Alien: Resurrection (1997). Furthermore, it introduced the best character in the franchise, the synthetic named “David.” David is perhaps the most important character and also the character with the most depth. Still, it’s my least favorite film in the franchise, ranked at 5.3/10.
Alien: Covenant (2017) is my second-favorite film in the series with a rating of 7.8/10. It had the best editing, but it’s kind of hard to compare the editing of a film in 2017 with a budget of $111 million dollars and the editing from a film made almost 40 years before with a budget that’s 1/10th of Alien: Covenant (2017). To me, the film explored the idea that more than anything, xenomorphs are apex predators and are more vicious animals as opposed to a vengeful alien. This idea contradicts with ideas established in Alien, Aliens, and Alien: Romulus, saying that they are intelligent beings that want to destroy humanity. Alien: Covenant is a must watch movie. Its cinematography was amazing, and I think it did what Prometheus tried to do with David but better.
Alien: Romulus (2024) is my favorite movie in the franchise. Despite its short cast of characters, with only seven main actors, everyone executed their performance amazingly. Cailee Spaeny, who also had a great performance in Priscilla a year prior, definitely was the best actress in the movie, but Isabela Merced shined as well. The movie focused on ideas of isolation (social and physical), as well as continuing the idea of not trusting synthetics. I rated the movie a 9.3/10 and would recommend watching it. The final movie in the series (so far) was the perfect nail in the coffin, and I hope director Fede Alvarez doesn’t beat the dead horse and try to produce another film. At this point, the story can’t continue between movies, and every future film would remain as side stories and skits unconnected to the original storyline.
Sure, Alien: Romulus is nowhere near the top 50 highest-grossing films, but it already made on its opening weekend a third of what Avatar: The Way of Water (highest grossing film of the 2020s) made in that same timeframe. It certainly has the potential to break the top 50 and ranks as the 23rd best movie I’ve ranked, with only one horror movie above it, that being King Kong (1933). Alvarez showcased his expert casting by giving the star role to none other than Cailee Spaeny, known for On the Basis of Sex (2018), blockbuster movies like Priscilla (2023), and Civil War (2024). With her recent buzz of the last two years and a new movie coming out next year, he made the smart decision to cast an actress quickly rising in popularity–and who can propel the horror genre with her amazing acting skills in a film that revitalizes the Alien franchise and gives a fresh breath of air to the horror genre.
With only three good horror films being released this year, Immaculate, The Exorcism, and Alien: Romulus, Alvarez made a good decision releasing the movie this year, attempting to bring some more life to the modern horror scene.
Here’s how the films rank:
- Alien: Romulus (2024) – 9.3 / 10
- Alien: Covenant (2017) – 7.8 / 10
- Aliens (1986) – 7.5 / 10
- Alien (1979) – 7.0 / 10
- Alien: Resurrection (1997) – 6.95 / 10
- Alien 3 (1992) – 5.85 / 10
- Prometheus (2012) – 5.3 / 10