‘Alien: Romulus’ a stunning return to form for the sci-fi franchise

Science: Going to an early evening IMAX screening of 20th Century Studios’ “Alien: Romulus” to experience what director Fede Alvarez had prepared for this seventh film in the main Alien franchise, I was filled with nervousness and palpable anxiety. After all, it had been seven years since Sir Ridley Scott’s “Alien: Covenant” filled theaters with its nasty carnage and his involvement in directing this project simply did not have the impact it might have had decades ago, regardless of his illustrious Hollywood career. Would this be more aimless mythology dissection or something new and inventive? Turn off the house lights and let’s crack open an egg! When the final credits rolled 118 minutes later, after an extremely satisfying date with xenomorphs and their innocent victim at a creepy Weyland-Yutani research station, I felt like the talented filmmakers and invested actors involved had really got this property back in its cinematic space lane.

It’s a brilliant soft reboot that doesn’t stray too far from its corporate moorings,

and it’s as close as director J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” accomplished to the old “Star Wars” empire. (If you need a refresher on the “Alien” franchise, check out our guide on how to stream the Alien movies, our picks for the Alien movies ranked from worst to best and a guide on how to watch the Alien movies in order.) Set nearly two decades after the tragic events of “Alien” and before heading back to LV-426 for an epic bug hunt of “Aliens'” tough guys in the Colonial Marines, “Romulus” feels like a close relation of both films, operating in that comfortable sweet spot between the stylish beauty of Ridley Scott’s vision and the deafening masochism of James Cameron’s sensational sequel. “Romulus” pays proper homage to those iconic films with intelligent fan service callbacks of memorable lines and scenarios, but it also carves out its own identity with sophisticated modernity.