Alien: Romulus first critics reactions are in with heaps of praise (2024)

With just three days before Alien: Romulus hits theaters, the first critic reactions from the highly-anticipated sci-fi thriller are in.

Director Fede Alvarez's thriller is set between the original 1979 classic Alien and the 1986 sequel Aliens, telling a brand new story within the franchise.

While the full reviews aren't in quite yet, social media reactions from several critics across the country have started flooding in on X (formerly Twitter).

Many of them praise writer-director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead remake) for film, insisting that it isn't full of 'fan service' like many new franchise films are.

One critic - The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit - even claimed that the film takes the 40-year franchise, 'in a crazy new direction.'

'Alien: Romulus: Has all the great hallmarks of what you would expect in an Alien flick but never feels like it’s pandering to nostalgia or fan service…and even goes into a crazy new direction. Fede Alvarez & the cast just gave birth to summer’s best movie,' Kit tweeted after attending the film's premiere.

Variety's Jazz Tangcay added, '#AlienRomulus The b***h is back. Was skeptical going in, but this is easily one of the better films in the franchise.'

Fede Álvarez doesn't disappoint. Awesome sound design and world-building. The practical effects are so good that the film gave me nightmares,' she added.

MovieWeb's Richard Fink tweeted, 'Ireally dug #AlienRomulus! It’s a gory monster movie with some truly inventive set pieces. Act 3 had me gasping in horror.'

He added, 'It does play like a best of the Alien franchise for better and worse (one element I did not like) but it feels like the sequels finally found their footing.'

Gizmodo's Germain Lussier added, '#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.'

The early reactions weren't all positive, though, with Next Best Movies' Brendan Hodges calling it, 'mostly a gratuitous nostalgia play.'

He added the film remixes elements from the past films, 'with some occasionally strong thrills, but in a franchise famous for its psychosexual weirdness, it's the safest, blandest and most vapid the series has ever been. I did not love it.'

Good Day Chicago's Jake Hamilton wasn't completely on board either, tweeting, '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.'

Neon Splatter's Rob Dean added, '#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.'

Freelance critic Courtney Howard added, '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!'

ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis added, '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.'