Alien: Romulus is one of the strangest franchise movies that Hollywood has produced in recent years. The new, Fede Álvarez-directed thriller is a back-to-basics legacy sequel for the Alien franchise — one designed to bring it back to its late '70s cinematic roots. The film, to its credit, gets a lot right in that regard. Across its two hours, Romulus executes several ingeniously staged set pieces that make the now-familiar horror of the Xenomorphs seem both bracing and new. By relying heavily on practical costumes, animatronics, and sets, Alien: Romulus also emerges as the most tactile film that its franchise has delivered in decades.
