Watching the Dead Meat awards for this year made me want to go watch Alien Romulus immediately. I skipped it initially because it was Fede Alvarez, and I’m not quite a fan. This continues with Alien Romulus, but there’s still a great movie to watch and unpack.
Alvarez is really great at creating a series of impactful, jarring, and memorable moments in his films. In this sense, he is a step above many of his peers. But where I think he lacks, and this was prominent in Alien Romulus, is in tying up the story. Alien Romulus starts out intriguing, gets more intriguing, and then becomes a mess.
Regardless, Alvarez has directed a series of films that I at least want to talk about. In horror, we appreciate flawed masterpieces! And I’d rather shine a light on all the things I liked. First off, the set design and atmosphere of this film is amazing. The lo-tech technology of machines and computers, worn and scratched with old monitors rendering in dated wireframes doing things we can’t fathom of doing with today’s slick modern technology? It’s all really brilliant and gorgeous.
Then there’s Andy. I really thought this character couldn’t possibly be as good as people made him out to be, but he was. A difficult role to play for an actor, but David Jonsson captured the character in a standout performance. The dad jokes were terribly wonderful, a great device to make the character more endearing. His android tendencies and portrayal were unique and sympathetic. Andy didn’t walk, he shuffled. He didn’t lead, he followed. Andy didn’t just stammer, he struggled with words. I’m avoiding spoilers here, but when the thing happened, you immediately understood the difference.
But then there was the final act, the ending, the…nonsense. Heh. Oh well. It’s inspired me to write something featuring a character like Andy. Let’s see how it goes…
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