Summary

• The first reactions to Alien: Romulus are generally very positive, with most critics praising the film's scares, relentless thrills, and surprising third act.
• Some criticize the Fede Alvarez film for its over-reliance on nostalgia and it's lack of emotional depth.
• Alien: Romulus could be a hit with audiences since it returns to the first film's roots, and Alvarez's unique brand of horror storytelling has been successful with movie-goers before.

Alien: Romulus will release wide in theaters later this week, but the film premiered in Los Angeles on Monday night after months of building anticipation.

Following the Alien: Romulus premiere, critics and audiences are taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts about the film. So far, the general sentiment is very positive, but there are a few outliers who were less charmed by Alvarez's entry. Check out select reactions below:

Matt Neglia calls Alien: Romulus "a relentless, visceral thrill ride" that will leave audiences "gasping for breath." While he its that the film is "devoid of any thematic depth," he does praise Spaeny and costar David Jonsson for providing some "emotional weight" to the storytelling.

A.A. Dowd shares one of the less glowing reactions to the film, writing that he "Can pinpoint the exact moment I turned on ALIEN: ROMULUS. You'll know it when you see it."

@metaplexmovies shares a similar sentiment, calling Alien: Romulus "a gratuitous nostalgia play, remixing what came before with some occasionally stron thrills." He calls the film "the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been."

The reaction from Harris Dang could be interpretted as either positive or negative, depending on one's personal preferences for an Alien film. He simply writes: "More like ALIEN – VOMITOUS."

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the reaction from Rachel Leishman, who reveals that Alvarez's film "is the first time I have been terrified during one of the Alien movies." She also calls Spaeny's Rain "a perfect character to follow" and says the film's third act is "truly WILD."

"Alien: Romulus is shockingly good," writes Brandon Davis. "This movie is so inventive with horror, thrills, and visuals while never crossing into gratuitous blood or gore." He, too, calls the third act "insane."

Eric Vespe calls the movie "absolutely gorgeous" and says it "honors every single movie that came before." Ultimately, he calls himself a "[b]ig fan of this one."

Andrew J. Salazar praises Alien: Romulus for its "truly marvelous visual storytelling" and argues that "Fede has proved his worth for a trilogy."

How Will Alien: Romulus Fare With Audiences?

Why Fede Alvarez's Film Could Be A Hit

The response to Alien: Covenant in 2017 was generally mixed from both audiences and critics. Ridley Scott, who directed the first film in the franchise back in 1979 before returning with 2012's Prometheus, continued his exploration of the origins of the Engineers and told a story once again focused on the AI David (Michael Fassbender). For some, this fleshing out of the world of the franchise was just not what they were looking for from an Alien movie.

Alien: Romulus takes place between the 1979 original film and James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens.

Alien: Romulus' story, by comparison, is relatively simple, and it is essentially built around the same premise as the first film – one Xenomorph versus one spaceship crew. Alvarez has proven himself adept at this kind of horror-thriller with 2013's Evil Dead and 2016's Don't Breathe, both of which are contained and relatively brutal in of depictions of violence. Both of those films were generally successful critically and commercially, which bodes well for Alien: Romulus.

Another notable point that comes up in several reactions is the inclusion of nostalgic elements in Alien: Romulus. While nostalgia doesn't always please critics, who sometimes criticize it as a storytelling crutch, audiences have proven far more receptive to nostalgia plays in major franchises, such as with Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021 and this summer's Deadpool & Wolverine. So far, it looks like Alien: Romulus is shaping up to be a hit.

Source: Various (see above)