Summary
Fede Álvarez’sAlien: Romulusis returning to a seminal point intheAlientimeline– giving many fans hope that the series will finally be revived – but while the movie’s wider context is important, there are signs that it will also connect to old franchise tropes in more subtle ways. After years in the wilderness,Alien: Romulusis bringingAlienback to its roots. SetbetweenAlienandAliens, the film offers a fresh start following the lukewarm response to Ridley Scott’s prequel films. Yet while filmmakers undoubtedly hopeRomulusmoves the franchise forward, its success will still be rooted in its links to the past.
As part of his promotion for the upcoming movie, Fede Álvarez has been explicit in acknowledging the influence otherAlienmovies have had on his creative process. As he explained in an interview withTHR: “I love all of those movies. I didn’t want to omit or ignore any of them when it comes to connections at a story level, character level, technology level and creature level. There’s always connections from Alien to Alien: Covenant.” This attitude proves thatRomuluswill be replete with otherAlienreferences and allusions. Judging by theAlien: Romulustrailer, however, one specific returning trend is particularly exciting.
Alien: Romulus Includes Facehuggers Attacking In Water
It’s A Terrifying Scene
Without revealing too much in the way of plot,theAlien: Romulustrailer has highlighted some key points of interestahead of the upcoming sci-fi horror movie. Revelations such as theexistence of the Romulus laband the fate of some supporting crew members provide a tantalizing glimpse at what’s to come. However, one more subtle moment hints at the extent to which otherAlienmovies' DNA runs throughoutRomulus.
At around one minute into the trailer, one ofAlien: Romulus' young castis seen frantically splashing about in a dingy flooded room. As his compatriot tentatively asks him “what’s happening?” the man responds that “there is something in the water”. As he becomes increasingly agitated, a facehugger suddenly leaps out of the murky depths, trying to attach itself to his face and impregnate him with a chestburster. This brief scene already suggestsAlien: Romuluswill be full of the intense horror that fans expect from anAlienmovie. However, the presence of an aquaticAlienattack actually linksRomulusto several previous franchise installments.
Romulus' Facehugger Attack Continues A Trend Established In Aliens
Its Water Attack Sequence Was Legendary
While seeing facehuggers launch themselves unseen from underwater is a new innovation for the franchise,it is far from the only time thatAlienmovies have used water to heighten the terror. The most famous example undoubtedly comes fromAliens. As Ripley, Hicks, and Newt are desperately trying to escape an onrushing xenomorph horde, Newt slips and falls into an underground river. While Ripley and Hicks race to find her, she creeps through the water, trying to remain undetected – suddenly realizing that she’s not alone.
Just as Ripley and Hicks are about to rescue her, an alien emerges from the water behind Newt, grabbing her and taking her back to the main alien hive and the queen. It remains one of the scariest scenes in the movie, sincethe initial jump scare combines perfectly with the horrific uncertainty of what’s happened to Newt. While the xenomorphs inAliensare frequently shown camouflaging themselves amidst their surroundings, the water attack is the first time they’re seen using water to ambush their prey so explicitly.
The fact thatAlien: Romulusis bringing back this method of attack not only shows a willingness to be inventive when it comes to scaring the audience, but also an awareness of what’s come before in the franchise.
AlthoughAlienswas the first film to include a surprise water attack, it certainly wasn’t the last. WhileAlien Resurrectionreceived middling reviews from fans and critics,one of the movie’s most effective moments was another underwater scene. Here, alien aggressors are seen hunting the crew of the Betty, swimming after them as they desperately try to swim to safety. The fact thatAlien: Romulusis bringing back this method of attack not only shows a willingness to be inventive when it comes to scaring the audience, but also an awareness of what’s come before in the franchise.
Now This Looks Like The Alien Movie I’ve Been Waiting For
Alien: Romulus’ trailers have done a great job of teasing the movie’s horror tone, and it’s shaping up to be the best Alien movie in decades.
Every Alien Movie Features Water To Some Extent
It’s A Key Symbol Throughout The Franchise
It looks likeAlien: Romuluswill joinAliensandAlien: Resurrectionas the onlyAlienmovies to feature a direct xenomorph attack from water. However, while this detail marks these installments out, it’s important to acknowledge thatwater has actually played a vital symbolic role throughout the franchise. In fact,everyAlienmovie, to a greater or lesser extent, has featured water to some degree, highlighting its significance as a recurring motif.
In Ridley Scott’s originalAlien, for instance, the first fully-grown xenomorph attack on Brett takes place in a chain-filled room where water droplets fall from the ceiling. InAlien 3, a key part of the prisoners' plan to fight the xenomorph threat involves using a combination of fire and the sprinkler system.Prometheus' deadly hammerpede emerges from a mysterious black stream, whileCovenanthas a memorably gruesome kill in the shower. While not as clearly water-based asAliens,Resurrection, andRomulus,these moments highlight how water flows throughout the franchise.
Why The Alien Movies Are So Obsessed With Water
It Serves Multiple Functions In The Series
There are several reasons why water appears in everyAlienmovie. On a superficial level,it is an easy way to create an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. Water in space automatically feels unnatural, subconsciously making any viewer uneasy. There’s also something sinister about its impenetrability, with the fear of something monstrous attacking out of the depths triggering a primal response in both characters and audience members.
Beyond this, however, water acts asa potent symbol of theAlienmovie’s exploration of the dark heart of nature. Its presence indicates a return to the natural order, where human technological prowess matters little. The alien itself is the embodiment of this theme: a savagely beautiful killing machine that Ash memorably describes as “the perfect organism”. The recurring use of water is a way to link human characters to their evolutionary past where they were just another link in the food chain. Its reappearance inAlien: Romulusindicates that Álvarez’s movie will continue to explore this existential theme.
