Although the movie's story details are being kept under wraps, Alien: Romulus promises to return to the most popular period in the Alien series timeline. Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, the film features a whole new crew of a spacecraft that comes face to face with the galaxy's most terrifying predator. As demonstrated by the teaser trailer, Alien: Romulus will blend explosive action with nerve-shredding horror – following the examples of Alien and Aliens. However, this isn't the only way that Álvarez's movie is following the blueprint of what came before.
Alien: Romulus' Creatures & Sets Are All Practical (& Uses For Key Scenes)
Arguably the most important aspect of any Alien movie is the creature itself, and in this regard, Álvarez has signaled that Alien: Romulus represents a departure from most of the most recent films in the series. Unlike CGI-heavy installments like Alien: Covenant, Prometheus, and even earlier sequels like Alien Resurrection, the movie will emphasize practical effects and animatronic creatures for key scenes. In an interview with THR, Álvarez revealed that the project brought in the same team who worked on Aliens, adding:
This suggests that during up-close encounters with the iconic creature, Alien: Romulus will rely on practical rather than computer-generated effects. However, this is not to say that Alien: Romulus will be devoid of modern effects. The teaser trailer has already revealed zero gravity scenes and legions of scampering facehuggers, all of which will require VFX, while Álvarez himself has expressed his passion for technology. However, while CGI will still play a part, there's no doubt that Alien: Romulus also represents a return to the practical effects that made the early movies so memorable.
Why Practical Effects Is The Way To Go For Alien
The evolution of VFX has allowed films of every genre – especially sci-fi – to completely transform how imagined worlds are brought to life. Nevertheless, despite this change, the Alien movie series has always been grounded in incredible practical effects. From the first moments of Alien, where the Nostromo and its payload are slowly pulled into view, the use of models gives the spacecraft a tactile feel that's almost impossible to recreate digitally. Practical effects have also enhanced most of the series' most iconic moments – with the original gruesome chestburster being a prime and visceral example.
Where the impact of practical effects is most noticeable, however, is in scenes with the xenomorph itself. Not only do the animatronic creatures in Alien and Aliens feel more believable than their sleek, computer-generated counterparts in later films, but the limitations of practical effects actually end up enhancing the horror. Just like the shark in Jaws, the original alien skulks in the shadows largely unseen, making it seem even more strange and terrifying. Álvarez's return to practical effects can help bring this quality back after years when the monster lost most of its mystery.
Alien: Romulus' Practical Effects Avoid A Huge Prometheus Problem
Part of the consequence of using practical effects – whatever their quality – is that they help a movie's universe feel more lived-in and tangible. As a result, most practical-based movies feel much less polished than their VFX-heavy counterparts, where dazzling detail can easily overwhelm an audience. As it turned out, this was a major problem with Alien prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
Not only did the overuse of CGI make Prometheus and Covenant both seem more futuristic than the original Alien – despite taking place years before it in the timeline – but both movies also felt far cleaner and less grounded than what had come before. The consequence was that the entire universe felt inconsistent – a problem, considering that Prometheus and Covenant were intended to enhance the story. By returning to practical effects, Alien: Romulus can recapture the feel of the original film more effectively than any of Scott's own prequels.
Director: Fede Alvarez
Release Date: August 16, 2024
Cast: Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Aileen Wu , Spike Fearn
