KSL Movie Show review: “Alien: Romulus” is respectful to the past but still bold and new

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SALT LAKE CITY — We’ve certainly been aware of sequels, and then prequels came along, and now how about an “interquel.” That’s the description given to the new “Alien: Romulus” movie since it’s basically a standalone film that takes place between “Alien” (1979) and “Aliens” (1986). 

Confused much? Get in line.

Well, since it’s a standalone, the filmmakers can introduce a bunch of new characters with just a hint of some of the old. 

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Cailee Spaeny of recent “Pricilla” fame — as in the young Mrs. Elvis Presley — plays Rain Carradine, an orphan who’s tied to a mining colony like an indentured servant.

As the higher-ups continue to elongate her service contract, she and a group of other misfit toys come up with a plan to hijack a decommissioned cargo ship, steal its power source and take a long journey to a planet where they will finally be free.

Unfortunately, the ship in question houses some of those super-vile unfriendlies from the previous movies, mainly because they can survive in locations without heat or air. But with a bit of coaxing from the human idiots, the dormant can awaken and become big nasties once again. 

In the meantime, the mysterious ship in question is soon to hit a planetary asteroid belt that will disintegrate everything onboard. So, time is of the essence — as if being hunted by these voracious killers isn’t enough. 

Adding a nice wrinkle to the process is an android, Andy (David Jonsson) who Rain’s father programmed to act like a brother to Rain. 

Protecting her at all costs is the mandate.  Sadly, he doesn’t have the mad skills nor the temperament to effectively make that happen, forcing Rain to do all of the looking after. 

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Now with the rag-tag group of space adventurers ready to execute the plan, obstacles come up at every turn, making up the majority of the rest of the film.

Then, we get to the ultimate third act — which is basically taking all that we’ve seen so far, tossing it into a three-ring circus, and see if Rain and friends can do whatever is possible to survive these impossible odds. 

Admittedly, it’s fairly spectacular with the help of actual, physical sets and creatures that give the film that extra hint of authenticity. 

So I came away mostly impressed that the filmmakers were able to create something that was respectful to the past, but bold enough to throw in a few new elements for the future.  Bottom line? It’s not bad. 

ALIEN: ROMULUS (B+) Rated R for bloody violent content and language. Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu. Co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe” “Evil Dead”) – filmed in Budapest, Hungary. Running time: 119 minutes. 

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.