Anyway, Alien: Romulus is the seventh film about these particular monsters. According to the producers, the film takes the franchise ‘back to its roots’. So we get a group of grimy crew-mates piloting a big rust-bucket of a spaceship who pick up an extraterrestrial stowaway and end up having to use their wits and courage to survive as it gobbles them up, one by one.

And it’s not a bad film. It’s nicely creepy, the special effects are good, the acting is perfectly serviceable. In fact, I could give you a normal review of Alien: Romulus, but just writing this is making me feel a little crazy. It’s not a bad film, but it’s also a direct copy of a much better film that already exists. That film is called Alien, and it came out in 1979. It had Sigourney Weaver in it. It hasn’t vanished. If you have a Disney+ subscription or a torrent client, you can watch it tonight. Why have we made it again? What’s the point? Why have we spent the past 45 years – which is longer than I’ve been alive – making seven different versions of the same film? What on Earth is going on?

  • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    Why have we spent the past 45 years – which is longer than I’ve been alive – making seven different versions of the same film?

    If you watch Alien, Aliens and Alien3 and come out with the idea that they are “different versions of the same film”, maybe the whole movie critic gig thing isn’t for you. Hell, they are not even the same genre.

    • 9point6@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Spectator journalist incapable of perceiving nuance

      In other news, the sun rose today

    • ThunderComplex@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      Kinda surprised the author could tell the difference between Alien, Predator, and Aliens v Predator at this point.

    • muzzle@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Alien and aliens are 2 very different take on the same ide (opinions differ on Alien 3), that is not the reviewer claim.

      Their point is that Romulus is a useless remake of a much better original.

      • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Alien and aliens are 2 very different take on the same ide

        So are Ghostbusters and the Others.

        What is your fucking point?

  • maegul (he/they)@lemmy.mlM
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    2 months ago

    I mean yes, totally. I haven’t seen it, yet, but will likely be going to the cinema for this one.

    But, to just throw an idea out there … covers of and homages to songs are normal and sometimes awesome in music, and fundamental in live music.

    So maybe the same isn’t so bad in film, especially if they’re not done badly, as it seems to be here.

    Maybe “the problem” is more the lack of properly original works, the copious unashamed cinematic universe slop and faithless reboots?

    In the same way that Bond films and Disney films find ways to manifest and apply to each new generation or era, why not other classic forms?

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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      But, to just throw an idea out there … covers of and homages to songs are normal and sometimes awesome in music, and fundamental in live music.

      So maybe the same isn’t so bad in film, especially if they’re not done badly, as it seems to be here.

      The film does a lot of things I liked but those call-outs are often so clunky it spoiled what could have been one of the great Alien films (it’s still better than most).

      • echutaaa@sh.itjust.works
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        Are we reading the same article? The text was bashing anything that has a scary alien in a rust bucket spaceship killing ppl. The callbacks are corny sure but not the point. To say no one should make a film that puts a xeno in a space ship and have it hunt down ppl anymore because they did that 50 years ago is insane.

        • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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          No, it wasn’t bashing anything that has a scary alien in a rust bucket spaceship… It merely says, “we already have that movie and it’s great”. It literally praises the original…

          • echutaaa@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            It’s not a bad film, but it’s also a direct copy of a much better film that already exists. That film is called Alien, and it came out in 1979. It had Sigourney Weaver in it. It hasn’t vanished. If you have a Disney+ subscription or a torrent client, you can watch it tonight. Why have we made it again? What’s the point? Why have we spent the past 45 years – which is longer than I’ve been alive – making seven different versions of the same film? What on Earth is going on?

            The article is literally saying we should not be making alien movies if there’s already a good one. It’s saying they should have never even attempted to make Romulus because alien exists. If that not bashing it idk what is.

    • GraniteM@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The Bond franchise is an interesting one because they’ve essentially been remaking the exact same movie since Doctor No, and although there are definitely ups and downs, on balance it’s still a good franchise! Virtually no continuity. Only occasional meta nods. In essence, every single Bond movie consists of…

      • Bond goes to exotic location

      • Bond engages in romantic shenanigans with one or more partners

      • Bond faces a threat ranging from personal to world-ending

      • Bond is menaced by a villain with some personal quirk

      • Bond engages in a popular extreme sport

      • Bond deals with a number of nameless goons plus at least one ascended chief goon, probably named, with their own particular quirk

      • Bond foils the plans of the bad guy and has an epilogue with a romantic partner

      Change some variables, rearrange the furniture a little, but this is basically every single James Bond movie for the last sixty two years, and we still love them! It makes me think that originality is overrated.

      • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        a fresh coat of paint on an old house is a good thing.

        trying to remodel the damn thing to fit whatever is trendy here and now, ruins the whole house.

      • maegul (he/they)@lemmy.mlM
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        and we still love them! It makes me think that originality is overrated.

        Yea, kinda what I’m saying too. People like repetition and familiarity just as they like surprise and shock.

    • Kushan@lemmy.world
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      I’m with you on the covers analogy, but I feel the best covers take the source material and do something different with it to set it apart.

      I haven’t seen aliens Romulus yet myself, but it sounds like the ‘cover’ here doesn’t really stand out or do anything different to the original.

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        Its a mixed bag. They do some cool and original things with the premise. There are also a lot of “point at screen because you remember this” moments. Overall its definitely one of the stronger entries in the franchise and definitely does enough new to justify its existence.

      • maegul (he/they)@lemmy.mlM
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        Don’t disagree. Sometimes though a relatively straight cover of something people like but in a more modern style can work well too. Bond films are maybe an example of that.

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    I haven’t watched the new film yet, but saying that 7 remakes of the first movie have been made is total bullshit.

    • Telodzrum@lemmy.world
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      Yeah … Alien is one of the greatest movies of all time and Aliens is a rare sequel which is almost as good as the original and it does it while switching primary genres from the first. 3 is weaker but is carried by set design and incredible acting.

      Honestly, all of the Alien movies that don’t have “Predator” in the title are at worst above average films.

    • vxx@lemmy.world
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      Anyway, Alien: Romulus is the seventh film about these particular monsters.

      That’s not the same.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        Why have we spent the past 45 years – which is longer than I’ve been alive – making seven different versions of the same film?

      • DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz
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        Why have we spent the past 45 years – which is longer than I’ve been alive – making seven different versions of the same film?

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    “Covenant” and “Prometheus” would’ve been killer movies to kick off a new IP.

    I might be the old man shouting at clouds, but I’ve been turned off to all franchise “reboots”. Just sick of rehashes and revisits and the cute little “winks” these movies do to the previous installments. Have an original thought, damn.

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      The interesting thing is that I almost always hate remakes and reboots, but I love the Alien series. I think Covenant and a couple others were bad but generally they’re all still worth watching for me. I really enjoyed Romulus and I loved Prometheus. I do not get all the hate that movie got.

      • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world
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        Because it was bad movie. Bad characters, nonsensical plot, and did nothing creative or interesting with the mythos. Sure, it was shiny and had need effects, but it was forgettable and empty otherwise. Just another big budget Hollywood movie.

        People were looking for something memorable and epic and that expanded the mythos… Promethus was none of those.

      • eldoom@lemmy.ml
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        Yes! The whole time I was watching Raised by Wolves I was waiting for some kind of Prometheus tie in! It felt imminent.

    • averyminya@beehaw.org
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      Hollywood has retold so many stories they’re running out of things to come up with. Hence all the reboots and remakes :(

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      Exactly! Romulus is not without its faults, but damnit if it isn’t a worthy follow-up to the first two films.

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      They should make alien movies but not Alien movies. Try something new, leave Alien alone, they fuck it up everytime!

  • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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    This article would maybe have a point if they hadn’t finally released a good Alien movie for the first time in like 30 or 40 years.

    • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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      I mean, the fact it took them SEVERAL DECADES to finally make a good repeat kinda’… actively reinforces the point of the article…

      How many interesting new ideas could we have gotten instead without Hollywood morons chasing that virtually unattainable goal for several decades?