Alien: Romulus is around the corner, and questions come with every new installment in an I.P. How will this version differ from the others? Will this respect the source material? How much of the lore do I need to know beforehand? All legit questions in our sequels, prequels-filled entertainment, and the latest Alien movie is no exception. Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus is said to occur between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens, but it’s ideal to find out if doing some homework on the movies from the Alien franchise is required.
The film is the seventh film in the Alien movies, and fans of the series are excited—in varying degrees—to see another expansion of this universe. Granted that not every Alien movie has been good—I’m looking at you, A.V.P and A.V.P: Requiem—but director Fede Alvarez‘s take the space horror appears to bring the franchise back to its roots. The trailers promise to telegraph the use of practical effects and legit scares that made these movies great. However, the considerable amounts of entries might cause those new to his world some pause.
Some unfamiliar with all of the Alien movies might be intimidated or lost on what needs to be known about the universe before catching Alien: Romulus in theaters. Fortunately, the director is assured that watching the previous movies is not mandatory. ScreenGeek paid a visit to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and was lucky enough to attend the Alien: Romulus panel. The event was packed with fans as the cast members Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn were there alongside Alvarez.
When the director was asked by the moderator whether or not the movies Alien or Aliens needed viewing, here’s what the filmmaker had to say:
“Yeah, I mean, it’s its own story. You don’t really need to have seen the other ones to really understand or enjoy this film. I think if you have, it’s fucking great. You’re going to find all these things, but if you haven’t, I’m jealous. Really jealous. You haven’t seen any of them. And you’re going to be exposed to these amazing ideas created by Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and some of the best directors that work on genre that you’re going to find all those ideas packed in two hours of insanity. So I think that’s why it takes place between the two of them. It’s just because their style is just a period piece. It needs to look like those movies. It made sense that it was right there in the middle. But, like I said, there’s no required watching, really. But if you’ve seen them just, it’s just a different ride.”
No studying is needed.
It’s really fantastic for those who haven’t seen Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Alien, and James Cameron’s classic, Aliens. Watching those movies for the first time again is a feeling that just can’t be duplicated. I’ve seen exclusive clips from the movie, and I can say that we are in for a real treat this time around.
Alien: Romulus hits theaters on August 16.