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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    2 months ago

    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?