Alien: Romulus: Disney's takeover of 20th Century Fox in 2019 ensured that any and all of the valuable IP's they had in their library would be getting the reboot treatment. In the case of Alien, it was particularly needed as Ridley Scott's return to the franchise with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant were deep dives into the franchise lore that weren't all that loved beyond diehard Alien fans. Similar to Prey, this reboot materialized in the form of a back-to-basics exercise that would appeal to both fans and new audiences alike. So how well did Alien: Romulus fare with its assignment? Adequately, I guess.
A major of emphasis throughout the pre-release process for Romulus is just how much director/co-writer Fede Alvarez (2013's Evil Dead, Don't Breathe) loves the Alien franchise. The cast talked about how he knew the franchise like the back of his hand while Alvarez himself discussed how he felt like he compelled to honor the franchise's legacy by continuing its most storied traditions (building huge sets, relying on practical effects over CGI whenever possible, centering horror above any other genre). Any substantial evidence of Alvarez's tremendous passion for Alien didn't really make into Romulus.
Honestly until a wacky but fairly obvious twist that gives way to a fun final act that is a bit off the beaten path, Romulus feels like an Alien movie that was put through the Disney corporate car wash. There's comically inorganic fan service galore, the tension and gore almost never rise above a mild level and the way that it goes about returning to the franchise's original plot of "humans stuck on a space station with a variety of deadly but related alien creatures" is nothing more than blandly competent. While I wasn't exactly sure what Romulus would be like, a corporate-friendly Alien movie was about the last thing I expected from the guy whose made some of the nastiest, gnarliest mainstream horror films of the past 10+ years.
As depressingly routine as Romulus is, there are several elements that manage to rise above its inherently safe nature. Cailee Spaney is the first person to since Sigourney Weaver retired from the franchise to properly fill the badass heroine role. Isabela Merced elevates a character that doesn't have much on the page by conveying sheer, visceral terror through her facial expressions and physicality. David Jonsson gives a great, multi-faceted performance as an aging android whose torn between protecting his "sibling" (Spaney) and the interests of his corporate creators. Alvarez delivers really tight pacing and a couple of electrifying setpieces (the zero-gravity scene in particular is incredibly cool). All of the technical aspects from the animatronic/puppet creatures to the cinematography to the production design are outstanding. There are just enough really good things about this movie for me to be mad that it isn't much better.
Out of the Alien films I've seen (Resurrection remains my only blind spot), I'd probably rank Romulus fourth behind Alien, Aliens and Alien 3. While Romulus is more entertaining and better acted on the whole than Scott's past two entries, I'm not sure if this is really preferable to the vicious, vile mythmaking that filled Prometheus and Covenant. They may not have worked all that well for me personally (particularly Covenant-which bored the shit out of me outside of the infamous flute scene with Michael Fassbender), but at least Scott was trying to expand the scope of the series. Romulus is just an inoffensive Alien franchise greatest hits compilation that is a few standout performances and technical elements away from being completely forgettable. Alvarez is capable of more than being just a guy who delivers Disney their palatable, nostalgic franchise resetting film and if he gets the opportunity to make another Alien movie, maybe he'll prove that.
Grade: B-
Jackpot!: A sincerely goofy, playful R-rated studio comedy with real money behind it in 2024?!?! Say it ain't so! Jackpot! is an action comedy that weaponizes its endearing zaniness at every turn as it treats its heightened reality as a big sandbox for absurd hijinks. Awkwafina and John Cena fully surrender themselves to this nutty world where hordes of "normal" people leave their everyday routines behind to hunt down the winner of California's new statewide Grand Lottery that boasts a $3.6 billion jackpot and kill them in order to claim the fortune for themselves before the sundown deadline. Awkwafina plays the most recent winner of the Lottery while Cena is the "Lottery Protection Agent" she hires to help her stay alive until sundown. Veteran comedy director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) captures the goofy chaos of this ritual through a string of slapstick-heavy fight scenes (no guns are allowed to kill the Jackpot winner, which helps maximize the creativity the stunt team headed up by James Young can bring to the combat) and Awkwafina and Cena are a well-matched buddy team that have a relationship that evolves in a surprisingly genuine manner. It's a shame that most of the jokes are more gently amusing than laugh-out-loud funny because this honestly would've been a really good movie if it were funnier.
Grade: B-
The Union: Perhaps I'm currently dealing with an undiagnosed concussion or maybe the stink of Atlas lowered the bar for Netflix blockbusters to the point where almost anything with forward momentum and a production value that's above the latest Ryan Phillippe project feels like at least a minor victory for their brand, but I found The Union to be perfectly watchable. It's able to overcome a generic setup (A spy played by Halle Berry recruits her average joe high school boyfriend played by Mark Wahlberg for a crucial mission after the identities of everyone at her agency have been compromised) through its refreshingly unconvoluted espionage plot, solid action beats and Berry and Wahlberg's affable chemistry. It probably would be ill-advised to follow through on the sequel tease that's presented at the end of the film, but it works better than expected as an undemanding time eater.
Grade: B-
Didi: Sundance's reigning U.S. Dramatic Competition Audience Award winner is easily the best movie I've seen in months. As somebody who was just 16 years old during the period in which this film takes place (summer of 2008), Didi was something that I deeply related to. Watching protagonist Chris Wang (Izaac Wang in a powerhouse breakout performance) handle this turbulent period where your relationship with your parents becomes combative, bad decisions are being made daily and your greatest fear is not looking "cool" invoked a lot of hilarious, uncomfortable and impactful memories from that time in my life. I told similar lies to try and impress/fit in with people, had stupid bullshit get in the way of my relationships with some of my best friends, engaged in pranks that were most definitely illegal and so many more feelings and situations that are depicted in the film.
Writer/director Sean Wang boasts a reverence for these times that's infectious, but more importantly, he has the clarity and self-awareness to frame these events through the illuminating lens that adulthood provides. There's a real admiration for the plight of Chris' mother (the excellent Joan Chen)-who raised her kids by herself while her husband worked in Taiwan, crushing, embarrassing, soul-crushing honesty present in the scenes where Chris' lies blow up in his face and a needed reminder that while there are some embarrassing/painful consequences for your stupid teenage actions, not every mistake you make at the age will define the rest of your life. Seeing such a thoughtful, honest portrayal of the teenage experience from this period in time was a really beautiful and gratifying experience for me. An avalanche of summer blockbusters buried this one, but hopefully people discover this really special movie somewhere down the line.
Grade: A-
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