‘Alien: Romulus’ feels like other Alien films, elevated by actor performances

Young adults living an existence one can liken to indentured servitude on a galactic mining post are fated to encounter the Xenomorph that defies death time and time again.

But while this is the 7th film in the Alien franchise, if one has only seen the “Alien” (the first) or “Aliens” (the second), you can miss all the films in the middle and get the gist. This is not a sequel or prequel. All you need to know, as usual: A very nasty alien that is extremely hard to terminate wants to kill you and use your carcass as an incubator. Oh, and if you kill it, its carcass is still deadly.

In this incarnation, the Xenomorph is after some young 20-somethings who happen to be looting an abandoned space station.

The kids are there to pilfer some stasis pods and head off to a better life. Never do they ask why it’s abandoned. And clearly, there’s no Twitter warning anyone that these things are out there. What could possibly go wrong? Let’s just say immaturity and emotions have their own starring role.

FYI, those emotions stick around longer than some of the characters, because that’s how sci-fi horror works. They easily telegraph who will be the first to go.

However, this is not merely the kids in the Mystery Machine trying to solve a mystery with someone in a scary suit. The requisite horror gore is present for most of the film. There’s lots of screaming. Lots of jumps and gasp-inducing terror.

In the lead, Cailee Spaeney admirably plays Rain. She is unlike Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley from the earlier films except in the essentials. They’re both tough. But there’s a key difference. The biggest is Rain’s relationship with her robot “brother” Andy, wonderfully played by David Jonsson. Rain is only invited on the mission to steal the pods because she’s got a robot who can get them access to the goods. Andy is a docile, dad-joke-telling robot in need of an upgrade, and when he gets one, all bets are off when the meddling kids come into contact with the alien.

This film has the feel of the earlier Alien films for terror and style. But it’s the performances that elevate it. Spaeney plays it smart with an emotionally resonant performance. Jonsson’s scene stealing as Andy and Andy 2.0, if you will, takes code switching to a stellar level. Their relationship is the emotional heart of this film and elevates its watchability.

Review: 2 1/2 out of 4