Alien: Romulus

The seventh chapter in the creepy-crawly franchise shamelessly feeds off the DNA of the first two sci-fi space classics. But new director Fede Alvarez dishes out serviceable funhouse horrors with the gory enthusiasm of the alien fanboy he most truly is.

"Alien" movie, "Alien: Romulus," the seventh installment in this storied, apparently inexhaustible cycle of films, is perfectly adequate filler.

A film that has a cool and retro and kind of 1980s vision of the future that feels authentic to the timeline.

It's lovingly aimed at fans who have seen its Carter-era predecessor 15 times, yet it's unlikely to scare anyone except those who are new to the "Alien" shtick. In space, it turns out, no one can hear you yawn, either.

While incredible practical gore effects and stunning set pieces make Álvarez's installment well worth watching, it's as void of meaning as space itself.

Romulus isn't a mutation. It's just inbred.

An efficient and reasonably entertaining thriller that, like a lot of franchise movies nowadays, traffics more in nostalgia than novelty.

Imperfect though "Romulus" may be, it's also a solid entry in a slate of films whose original maker has taken the extended story seriously enough to petrify it. Álvarez returns us to the simple sweatiness and anxiety that made "Alien" magnificent

Alien: Romulus is diverting enough, but it's also instantly forgettable - something I don't think I've ever said about any other Alien film, good or bad.

Alien: Romulus really shines when it plays like a straightforward Alien movie -- and doesn't pander to the demands of franchisable intellectual property. There's yucky pleasure to be had in watching these young people flounder.

A straightforward Alien movie for the bloodthirsty purists. Unfortunately, it goes about tapping into the soul of the original in a rather thuddingly literal way.

Expect jump shocks and armrest clutching, and the gnarliest alien expensive CGI can offer, in this visually stunning match made for IMAX, regular theaters and communal screams.

"Alien" movies are like pizza, and aside from a few head-scratching choices that will no doubt inspire reams of think pieces, "Alien: Romulus," with its thrilling tactility and appealingly plucky cast, is a very enjoyable pie.

A solid, entertaining Alien film.

Between its sleek production design, dynamic editing, and nicely modulated ensemble cast, Romulus has the feeling of a quality-controlled multiplex product. The problem is that it rarely feels like anything more than that.

The film boasts some rock solid Alien scares and Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson make for a winning lead combo, but Alien: Romulus caves under franchise connectivity pressure.

An engaging, generic horror/sci-fi/thriller. That's an observation. Not an accomplishment.

Constantly impresses with its prodigious use of cinematic language, its striking soundtrack, its overwhelming sound work, [and] its meticulous production design. [Full review in Spanish]

You can see the gears turning in every scene, and feel the film dutifully avoiding, well, alienation, the unknown, the discomfiting.

I thought this was awesome... Yes, it plays the hits, but in a slightly different key. It's different enough for me to have had fun.