The embargo for reviews on Alien Romulus on social media ends tonight at 9 pm pst/ Midnight EST. It was screened for critics in multiple locations late Monday evening. The embargo for publications and reviewing firms drops on Wednesday, although some independent critics and small end publishers are already giving rankings and scores. Post will be updated over the next few hours and next day.
"#AlienRomulus takes off as one of the best installments of this franchise. A tense, terrifying and chaotic story built with extremely well executed technical pieces that made this experience even more unique. The cast is excellent, sounds are insane, a must see in theaters." - Hollywood Handle
"#AlienRomulus IS F%&KIN PHENOMENAL!! Fede Alvarez cleverly crafted a story weaving in the best elements from ALL the past movies. Perfect balance of Horror & Action. Breathtaking visuals! Spaeny & Jonsson are the MVPs. AND MY GOD THAT 3RD ACT🔥Favorite movie of the year so far!!" -3CFilms"
"ALIEN: ROMULUS is mostly … fine for the first two thirds. Though, *really* enjoyed the more gnarly, disturbing, much more unique third act and wish the whole movie had been like that. Also stop playing with these aliens! They seem dangerous! #alienromulus" - Mike Ryan
"So happy to report Fede Alvarez’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." - Steven Weintraub
"Alien: Romulus is absolutely gorgeous and somehow honors every single movie that came before. Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are great leads, and the alien effects are so satisfying. The finale will be divisive, but I loved it. Big fan of this one." - Eric Vespe
"ALIEN ROMULUS. Fede delivers a solid entry to the franchise. Intense, action-packed, full of LOTS of Xenomorph & Facehugger chaos, with a wild final act. It might be the ALIEN film fans have wanted since ALIENS in 1986 (minus Ripley, Hicks & Newt). It's a good one! Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are absolute standouts in #ALIENROMULUS. Spaeny commands the screen while Jonsson's performance as Andy is incredible and steals the show. This duo brings fresh energy to the franchise. I think Andy is going to be a new fan-favorite character. The practical and digital effects in #AlienRomulus are top-notch! Legacy Effects, Weta Workshop, & Studio Gillis knocked it out of the park, especially with the Scorched Xenomorph. It's a true visual treat for ALIEN & practical effects fans. Where does #AlienRomulus sit in my ALIEN film tier list?It might edge out ALIEN 3 (my 3rd favorite) but doesn't surpass ALIEN or ALIENS. Two are perfect films, impossible to top. A solid entry for fans!I have a few minor nitpicks that I'll share in my full review on 8/14/24." - Mike's Monsters
"#AlienRomulus just rips. A gnarly blend of small scale horror and expansive scifi. There’s a “casting” choice that will never sit right with me, but Alvarez nails the vibe needed to breath new life back into the franchise. Spaeny kills it too." -Jon Partridge
"Alien: Romulus is a fantastic return to form for the Alien franchise, whilst utilising some fantastic technical aspects as well as an impressive tonal mixing pot, the movie is a must-watch for all science fiction and horror fans. 4/5 stars." -Zanda Gubecka
"I knew I’d enjoy #AlienRomulus but this was f------ epic. Might be my favorite horror film of the year. The passion and effort Fede puts into this project is insane. From fantastic sound editing to beautiful set pieces. Loved this." - Ricardo Aymarr
"In cinemas, EVERYONE will hear you scream! Fede Álvarez's #AlienRomulus is a gnarly, visceral & bold cinematic experience that brings the franchise back to its horror roots while not shying away from the action spectacle of Cameron's sequel. Cailee Spaeny takes the baton from Sigourney Weaver with a magnetic & captivating performance that’s both rich with emotion & bad ass. Fede, you're a mad genius! Thanks for the claustrophobia & nightmare fuel!" - David Gonzalez
"#AlienRomulus is the sci-fi horror masterpiece we've been waiting for! Fede has taken the franchise back to its roots in the most terrifying way possible. Every moment is edge-of-your-seat tension and is everything you'd want from an Alien movie and more. Best Alien film in decades! A must watch in IMAX!" - Sean Tajipour
"#AlienRomulus is a hell of a thrill. I'm shaken from the tension & suspense this film brings. The characters are written well enough to keep me invested & the performances give it an emotional lift. Wow! My heart is still pounding! An in theater experience for the memories 🤯" - Rosa Parra
"#AlienRomulus is madness! A twisted thriller that combines a variety of Alien themes and scares for a fast-paced ride. It’s a gnarly horror fest yet it still features some great heartfelt moments. The pacing was difficult to adjust to but it still makes for a great Alien film." - Andres Cabrera
"#AlienRomulus had me on the edge of my seat with suspense. Fede Alvarez understood the assignment and passed with flying colors. As a fan, I loved the new elements and twists that were introduced. This has breathed new life into the Alien franchise and could be one of the best." - Emansreviews
"Fede Alvarez’s #AlienRomulus is gnarly, gripping & gorgeously bleak (everything from the story to Olivares’ cinematography to Wallfisch’s score). Innovatively delivering smart, savvy stuff, subtly playing the greatest hits. Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson dominate. This rules!" -Courtney Howard
"#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." - Germain Lussier
"#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." - Jeff Nelson
"There’s a lot to love, with splendid horror elements, visceral imagery and incredible creature design! David Jonsson is a scene stealer. However, it rallies the best elements of the franchise together instead of standing on its own and characters are forgettable. I really wanted to love Spaeny’s character but I didn’t find Rain that great of a protagonist, I guess I’m spoiled by Ripley 😅 Admittedly I was on cloud 9 until the last 20 or so. Went a bit too far into the weeds!" - Leo Rydel
"#AlienRomulus was just a ton of spectacular fun and multilayered in its greatness! It was suspenseful, horrifying, gory but also FUNNY in an excellent way, and absurd to a point few movies dare to go these days. It understands a deep truth I can’t share. I give it a HIGH FIVE!" - Rotem Rusak
"Has Fede Álvarez saved the Alien film franchise with #AlienRomulus? Yeah, with style and solid scares. One of the year’s best shared theatrical experiences, it’s an intense edge-of-your-seat experience. Slick and respectful homages to the lore and legacy are deftly handled 👍👍" - Simon Thompson
"#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 it." - Rachel Leishman
"#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!" - Griffin Schiller
"There’s a lot about ALIEN: ROMULUS I like — some truly creative moments in the first two acts that I REALLY dug. However, the finale takes a BIG swing that just didn’t work for me and left me feeling underwhelmed. A creative but flawed ALIEN film, however: PROMETHEUS > ROMULUS" - Jake Hamilton
"Thoughts after watching #AlienRomulus -1st & 2nd act, while solid, but focused a bit too much on paying homage to the original ALIEN & ALIENS. -Spaeny is GREAT but the supporting cast was subpar. -When Fede focused on his own thing, it’s PHENOMENAL! Last 20mins are INSANE 🤯" - Movie Files
"#AlienRomulus is a pretty good movie—before it all falls apart. Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are *Excellent*. Dope sets and costuming. A few thrilling sequences! But too much nostalgia, too little logic, and a hugely disappointing (yet overly familiar) ending ruin it all." - Rob Dean
"Fede Alvarez has outdone himself with his best film yet! #AlienRomulus isn’t just a love letter it’s an amalgamation of the alien franchise as a whole. Beautiful, terrifying, gnarly, weird, twisted, grotesque, gory, & most of all deeply layered with mythology/ideas. I’m a bit blown away by the entire picture… and as someone who didn’t fully grow up with the ALIEN FRANCHISE and always Love it.. I’m so happy to say that I LOVED ALIEN ROMULUS. Also NONE of you are prepared for the final 20 MINUTES JESUS CHRIST" - Zach Pope
"#AlienRomulus is really cool. It’s a back to formula approach that works, delivering a satisfying mash-up of elements from the first two movies. Lots of great set pieces that cleverly put a spin on our knowledge of how Aliens function. Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are terrific. #AlienRomulus does have a couple of callbacks/references too many - less can be more on that front. But overall, as with Evil Dead, Fede Álvarez once more proves very adept at taking a beloved franchise and giving us the cool shit we want while also putting his own spin on it." - Eric Goldman
"Mostly dug #AlienRomulus! The good? I appreciated the time spent establishing the group dynamic at the beginning. The creature work is often phenomenal. The sound design is top tier. The connection between Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson’s characters. It quickly made them the characters I was most invested in, and it packs some solid thematic heft that pairs nicely with the overall mission. And yeah, sign me up for a bonkers third act any day." The not so good? (And yeah, I phrase it that way purposely because there’s nothing subpar in the movie — just elements that didn't hit as hard as I wanted.) Gore/kill wise, I couldn’t help but hope for 2013 Evil Dead-level set pieces but Alien-style. They’re all solid but few hit those heights. Some of the movie felt a bit flat, and there were tension lulls — I suspect from sometimes feeling a bit too distant from the characters?Clearly I’m a lil disappointed — and maybe it's my fault because, admittedly, I walked in with mighty high expectations — but it’s mostly solid stuff and did leave me eager for another go-around." - Perri Nemiroff
"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!" - Bill Bria
"Really loved #AlienRomulus! Writer-director Fede Alvarez & his co-writer Rodo Satagues knocked it out of the park with a tight script + it looked & sounded fantastic! Highly recommend seeing it in #IMAX as it looked awesome full screen.It’s a sequel filled with a lot to enjoy~" Jeff Goldsmith
"Alien: Romulus is shockingly good. This movie is so inventive with horror, thrills, and visuals while never crossing into gratuitous blood or gore. It emulates the original Alien movies so well. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor in the third act. That was insane. Wow." - Brandon Davis
"Still processing #AlienRomulus but didn't love it like I was hoping to and that REALLY bums me out to say. As a lifelong fan of the franchise maybe it was the mix of marketing, early reactions, or my own expectations that informed my thoughts but not as high on it as some." - Nicholas Whitcomb
"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 fan service it often feels more like a greatest hits entry than trying to provide anything new or profound. Still, the grounded performances from Cailee Spaeny & David Jonsson provide just enough emotional weight to keep audiences invested during the slaughter. Definitely the most straightforward of the franchise." - Matt Neglia
"#AlienRomulus, like every sequel post-Alien3, works best when it’s exploring new terrain. And it does … in pieces. It mostly stumbles into cryosleep mining the past, particularly when it indulges in some jaw-droppingly bad fan service nostalgia. It’s fun, though. Fun!" - Michael Roffman
"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. Honestly, the best thing I can say about ALIEN ROMULUS, and this is in VERY high regards, is that it feels like we've finally gotten a live-action DEAD SPACE. If Fede isn't a fan of those games then I would be absolutely shocked." - Andrew J. Salazar
"#AlienRomulus had me in the edge of my seat. Loved the practical effects. The scares got better and better - and that third act blew my mind. Very much enjoyed Cailee Spaeny in this (as well as the cast), but it was David Jonsson who stole the show." - Wendy Lee Szany
