‘Alien: Romulus’ Trailer Revives the Franchise With Facehuggers and More Scares; Director Fede Alvarez Wanted to Restore Series’ ‘Handmade’ Roots
variety.comTodd Gilchrist editor The first teaser trailer for Fede Álvarez’ “Alien: Romulus,” released March 20, hints at a return to the same kinds of thrills that audiences experienced back in 1979 with Ridley Scott’s “Alien” — and that James Cameron delivered in the 1986 follow-up, “Aliens.” Opening with a parade of spaceships reminiscent of the Nostromo and Sulaco, the clip offers a first look at its young cast, which features Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”) and Isabela Merced (“Madame Web”).
The crew navigates dimly-lit, hexagonal corridors, run from scurrying facehuggers, and deliver shrieks of fear that, despite the original film’s tagline (“In space, no one can hear you scream”), echo all too viscerally. “Alien: Romulus” marks the seventh film in the “Alien” franchise, and the overall ninth involving acid-blooded xenomorphs, if you include the “Aliens vs.
Predator” crossover films. Writer-director Álvarez is about to complicate its already convoluted timeline even further with “Romulus,” which premieres August 16.
But the more important question is, will it be better than some of the more lackluster chapters in this ongoing saga — which there are probably more of than great ones?
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