First Reactions to ALIEN: ROMULUS Arrive - "Fede Alvarez Puts His F****d Up Spin on a Classic Horror Story"

Alien: Romulus has screened for critics and the first reactions to the Fede Alvarez-directed film have surfaced online. This is a movie that I’ve been very excited about watching and like the rest of you, my opportunity to watch is coming this weekend.

The movie has been met with mixed reactions, but it seems like the majority of those that had the opportunity to see it, liked it, so that’s good. However, not everyone was impressed. I’ve included both positive and negative reactions to the movie below.

Alien: Romulus is set between the events of Alien and Aliens, and it follows a “group of young people on a distant world who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Check out the reactions below and let us know what you think!

HOLY MOTHER OF XENOMORPHS #AlienRomulus ABSOLUTELY FUCKS!! yall do NOTTT understand!!@fedalvar thank you so much sir for the love and attention that went into this film as it is a masterclass in continuing an iconic franchise!!

THAT ENDING!!

RIDLEY WILL BE BEYOND PLEASED!!! pic.twitter.com/8IB9ffhLzc

— PCP (@rotator_) August 12, 2024

#AlienRomulus is Don't Breathe in space. A nasty amalgamation of Scott's prequels & the first two. Fights like hell to find an identity of its own. Sometimes it does (& it's sick & twisted), others it doesn't, but Fede's tactile sets gives us the grittiest, filthiest entry yet! pic.twitter.com/1NddrwWVtA

— Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) August 13, 2024

#AlienRomulus is a bonkers roller coaster ride through the previous six Alien movies, using bits of all them, to tell a focused, mostly standalone story filled with glorious gore & scares. It gets better as it goes along, ending with a phenomenal big swing of a third act. pic.twitter.com/mY8Hkbe0gD

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 13, 2024

#AlienRomulus is the first time I have been terrified during one of the Alien movies. Cailee Spaeny's Rain is a perfect character to follow on this journey and through Fede Álvarez's twists and turns, you never really know where Romulus is headed. The 3rd act is truly WILD. I dig… pic.twitter.com/vEaiz5966B

— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) August 13, 2024

Aliens is scary again! #AlienRomulus plays all the greatest hits, homaging the entire series before embarking on one of the most gobsmacking final acts I’ve seen in a while. The anti-corporate fangs have never been sharper & David Jonsson is the (milk) beating heart of the film. pic.twitter.com/t2X7ASVHEk

— Rachel Shatto (@RachiePants) August 13, 2024

#AlienRomulus is a solid action-packed franchise installment. Fede Álvarez nails the atmosphere. Some poor jump scares, unearned series callbacks, & an iffy final act, but there’s a lot to enjoy here otherwise with its thrilling set pieces. David Jonsson is an absolute standout. pic.twitter.com/s6RR0lxb96

— Jeff Nelson (@SirJeffNelson) August 13, 2024

#AlienRomulus is disgusting. It starts slow and rockets into confusing. I didn’t find the characters memorable, but it makes up for that with the most grotesque scenes and creature design. It ups the ante each act and, when you think it’s over, think again. I get why its rated R. pic.twitter.com/8lwLW2fpF3

— Kristen Maldonado (@kaymaldo) August 13, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. Rather, Fede Álvarez puts his fucked up spin on a classic horror story with some truly marvelous visual storytelling. It's too nostalgic at times, but Fede has proved his worth for a trilogy.

Review coming to @DiscussingFilm pic.twitter.com/R1dGTgvhmy

— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) August 13, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS is mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally strong thrills, but in a franchise famous for its psychosexual weirdness, it's the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been. I did not love it pic.twitter.com/n3RtpYvXgJ

— an especially dangerous dug called Brendan (@metaplexmovies) August 13, 2024

Alien Romulus is a curious one. Effective scares, but every set piece feels like a video game level, theme park ride intro, or horror nights maze. Character work didn’t hit me at all either, and I’m an easy mark.

It’s not for me. pic.twitter.com/kRayfGuoR4

— Amelia Emberwing 🔪💋 (@ThatWitchMia) August 13, 2024

So happy to report @fedalvar’s #AlienRomulus is fantastic. The two hour runtime flies by and both Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are so good. Loved the use of practical effects. You don’t have to have seen any of the other Alien movies to watch this. But it would help. pic.twitter.com/eo2EZxTNnj

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 13, 2024

Never doubt Fede Alvarez. #AlienRomulus is a return to form for the franchise in the sense that it is an unapologetic legacy sequel — but also is filled with thrilling, disgusting, and scary as hell moments. Definitely in my top 3 of the series! pic.twitter.com/Di46eQRzCW

— BJ Colangelo (@bjcolangelo) August 13, 2024

For me, #AlienRomulus plays like a Greatest Hits of the franchise; there’s not much new here (except [REDACTED], & I love it!!), but what’s here is done exceptionally well. Great squicky creature work, gorgeous sound + cinematography, Spaeny + Jonsson are rock solid. I’m jazzed! pic.twitter.com/HH70K47Tsh

— Bill Bria (@billbria) August 13, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS is another successful franchise “takeover” for Fede Alvarez, although the story feels a bit rigid in its franchise tie-ins. Happy to see Fede go horror-forward, there are tense as heck Xeno/Facehugger scenes, but it’s never on the level of his EVIL DEAD. It’s fine? pic.twitter.com/z0w4Yb4ixU

— Matt Donato (@DoNatoBomb) August 13, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS leans heavily into its horror origins to craft a relentless, visceral thrill ride that starts off slowly and increases in intensity until you’re left gasping for breath by the end. Devoid of any thematic depth, it incorporates so many winks, nods, and moments of… pic.twitter.com/QSKZdj6cwm

— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) August 13, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS is slick, efficient, and dispiritingly lifeless, emptying a familiar aesthetic of the freaky, psychosexual substance that made it iconic. Spaeny sells her Ripley stand-in, but would take more of Sir Ridley’s messy grappling with godhood over his cover band any day.

— Isaac Feldberg (@isaacfeldberg) August 13, 2024

The movie also stars Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and newcomer Aileen Wu.

Alvarez is directing from a script he wrote with Rodo Sayagues. Ridley Scott is also a producer on the movie along with Michael Pruss (Boston Strangler) for Scott Free, with Brent O’Connor (Bullet Train), Elizabeth Cantillon (Persuasion) and Tom Moran (The Donut King) serving as executive producers.

Alien: Romulus will hit theaters on August 16, 2024.