Alien Romulus Rating Continues The Franchise's 45-Year-Old Trend

By Ryan Northrup

Published Jun 5, 2024

Followed

Thread

This article is part of a directory: Alien: Romulus - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

Alien: Romulus Popcorn Bucket Teased With Nod To Franchise's Scary Creatures

Summary

Alien: Romulus is rated R.
All six previous installments in the franchise have been rated R for some combination of violence and language.
Fede Álvarez's previous movies take full advantage of their R rating, making him a great choice for the new Alien movie.

Alien: Romulus' age rating is now official, and it continues a 45-year franchise trend. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the installment in the Alien franchise follows a young crew, which includes characters played by Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced, aboard a derelict space station as they face off against a deadly Xenomorph threat. Trailers for Alien: Romulus have already teased a bloody and horror-oriented take on the hit movie series, which began back in 1979 with Ridley Scott's seminal original movie.

Now, FilmRatings.com reveals that the MPA has rated Alien: Romulus R for "bloody violent content and language." This R rating continues a trend for the franchise that began in 1979, with all six previous movies have also been rated R for similar reasons. See the chart below for the previous Alien movie ratings and the reasoning behind them:

Title	Rating	Reason
Alien (1979)	R	Sci-fi violence/ gore, and language.
Aliens (1986)	R	Monster violence, and for language.
Alien 3 (1992)	R	Monster violence, and for language.
Alien: Resurrection (1997)	R	Strong sci-fi violence and gore, some grotesque images, and for language.
Prometheus (2012)	R	Sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language.
Alien: Covenant (2017)	R	Sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Alien: Romulus (2024)	R	Bloody violent content and language.

Fede Álvarez Knows How To Take Advantage Of An R Rating

Alien: Romulus Will Be Bloody

Before taking on a movie in the Alien franchise, Álvarez directed two movies that speak to just how comfortable he is with an R rating. The movie that really put him on the map in Hollywood is 2013's Evil Dead remake. This film is filled with violence and cringe-inducing gore, and the third act features not only a gnarly chainsaw kill, but blood raining from the sky.

Álvarez also directed Don't Breathe in 2016, which, while not as bloody as Evil Dead, takes full advantage of its R rating. The film features inventive moments of genuine terror and disturbing themes. Even though there may not be a lot of blood and gore, Don't Breathe ultimately doesn't need them to feel graphic and terrifying.

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley from Alien³, Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw from Prometheus and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine from Alien Romulus

Alien: Romulus Is Already In Danger Of Continuing The Franchise's Worst Trend

Alien: Romulus is an exciting reset for the series, but its premise is already dangerously close to some earlier mistakes in the Alien franchise.

Posts 1

The R rating is arguably just as crucial to the Alien franchise as the iconic Xenomorph, so it's not entirely surprising that Álvarez's new film continues this trend. After Scott's Alien: Covenant was met with a lukewarm reception in 2017, Álvarez has an opportunity to revive the franchise and bring his signature sensibilities to the film. Many questions remain regarding how Alien: Romulus will make full use of its R rating, but it evidently means audiences could be in for a gnarly ride.

Source: FilmRatings.com