ALIEN ROMULUS

The monster moves in for the kill

ALIEN ROMULUS (2024). Director: Fede Alvarez. 

Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is a young woman who works for a mining corporation and wants out. Her constant companion is Andy (David Jonsson), a black android that has been programmed to protect her but is obviously damaged. Learning she has to stay in this dismal place for several more years, she agrees to flee to an abandoned space station with several acquaintances -- including Tyler (Archie Renaux), Navarro (Aileen Wu), Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and Kay (Isabela Merced) -- from whence they can hopefully reach another planet. Andy will be of much help as well. Unfortunately, the station is infested with the same deadly lifeforms as in Alien, and after being outfitted with a module from the android Rook (a digital Ian Holm), Andy is much more interested in protecting the interests of the corporation than he is of Rain's and the others ...   

Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson

If you're looking for something completely different with Alien Romulus, be advised that you won't find that with this movie. A sequel to the original Alien, which occurs before that movie's other sequels (such as Aliens) this picture makes full use of all of the general tropes of this sci-fi/horror series. For the first 20 or 20 minutes you might think you're simply watching a remake of Alien, but fortunately the movie sort of goes in different directions with different, moderately interesting characters. Alien Romulus works not because it's original -- which it isn't -- but because it's well-acted, well-directed, has superior FX work, and several thrilling sequences -- the main reason to sit through one of these movies. The climax, which makes use of an alien-human hybrid (which is gross and scary) -- as did Alien: Resurrection -- is a decided highlight. 

Verdict: Entertaining and slick with some excitement and scares. ***.   

FORBIDDEN WORLD

FORBIDDEN WORLD (aka Mutant/1982). Director: Allan Holzman. Produced by Roger Corman. 

Commander Mike Colby (Jesse Vint) is sent to an isolated  scientific research station on the planet Xarbia. There he is told by Dr. Gordon Hauser (Linden Chiles) that "subject 20," a "metamorphic mutation" -- a genetic fusion of Proto B cells and human being -- has destroyed all of the lab animals and still remains a threat. Naturally the creature breaks out of confinement and begins chomping on people. Consisting mostly of a huge maw and gigantic teeth, the creature resembles the monster in Parasite, and may well be the exact same mock-up. Forbidden World isn't a very good movie, but it's fun in a limited way, and the gooey make-up effects are well done. It also has a low-budget but effective production design borrowed from Galaxy of Terror. And then there's the acting ...

As the nominal hero, Jesse Vint is professional as is Linden Chiles -- along with Ray Oliver and Scott Paulin -- as other workers in the research facility. Fox Harris is generally awful  as Cal, the Chief of Bacteriology, acting as if he thought he were in a parody of a monster movie on The Carol Burnett Show. Michael Bowen, who is adept enough as Jimmy, the first victim in the movie, went on to better things. As for the two women in the cast, who shall remain nameless, they are so insufficient that I've no doubt some audience members wondered if they were dragged in from adult films! They don't seem even remotely like scientists, but they do get to have tedious sex scenes with Jesse Vint and his -- or the commander's -- scarred body. This is yet another clone of Alien. 

Verdict: Worth one look in a weak moment and no more. **1/2.