In space, no one can hear you scream, announced the 1979 advertisement forAlien (The Stranger, the Eighth Passenger) in a promise as frightening as it is attractive. With a huge success, Ridley Scott’s masterpiece saw several of its images insinuate themselves into popular culture. There were three sequels, two prequels, not to mention the very forgettable Alien vs Predator (Alien vs. Predator) and its sequel. What the saga had not yet had was an “inter-episode” (or interquel). With Alien: Romulus (VF), whose action takes place somewhere between those ofAlien and ofAliensit is now a done deal, as journalists to whom Disney revealed about twenty minutes of the film expected on August 16 were able to see. Co-writer and director Fede Álvarez still pinches himself when he remembers the genesis of this breakneck project, this series being as exciting as it is up and down.
It must be said that this is not the Uruguayan filmmaker’s first foray into a cinematographic universe that is not only pre-existing, but also “protected” by admirers who are willingly suspicious, even aggressive. Indeed, in 2013, his bloody evil Dead (The Opera of Terror) cleverly blurred the line between remake and sequel, and pleased the designer of the original film, Sam Raimi. This was followed by the horror thriller Don’t Breathe (Don’t breathe), in 2016.
Moreover, that Fede Álvarez had been selected to relaunch the saga Alien This is hardly surprising, as the 1979 film is, at heart, a slasher in the space in which the characters are killed one by one by a monster, or “xenomorph”. However, nothing was decided in advance for Álvarez, others before him having been refused access to this prestigious intellectual property, such as Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium).
“I wanted to propose a standalone film set a few years after the initial film,” confides Fede Álvarez during a videoconference interview. “I like the style of the first two films, but beyond that, my desire for an independent plot stemmed from a desire for accessibility.”
Fede Álvarez means that some cinematic universes span several decades, and he mentions Terminatornow require a form of expertise from the public that is not only unrealistic but harmful.
“I’m thinking, among other things, of the younger ones, who haven’t necessarily seen the four or five previous films. That’s why, at the time, I designed evil Dead so that it can be perceived as both a remake than a sequel, or finally a related story. Same principle with Alien: Romulus. I was very nervous when I showed up at Ridley Scott’s offices. [demeuré coproducteur de la saga] to explain my idea to him: it was like presenting my vision to the master himself. Even though he liked the concept and urged me to write, I was even more nervous when it came time to hand him the script.”
The human and the humanoid
Once Ridley Scott’s imprimatur was granted, however, Fede Álvarez put his nervousness aside and charged forward with confidence. “Nervousness is fine at first, before you start, but you have to pull yourself together quickly. Fear is the enemy of creativity. During filming, if you start worrying about what people are going to think, if they’re going to approve, you’re in trouble.”
The plot, concocted in collaboration with Rodo Sayagues, Fede Álvarez’s regular co-writer, revolves around a group of young space colonists who survive by scavenging parts and materials from abandoned ships. When they board a deserted space station, they quickly realize that they are not alone on board.
The director clarified: “The central relationship developed in the film is that between a sister and a brother, except that she is human, and he, a ‘synthetic’.”
Note that the humanoids, from Ash (Ian Holm) to David (Michael Fassbender), including Bishop (Lance Henriksen) and Call (Winona Ryder), are key, and ambivalent, figures in the universe. Aliensometimes adversaries, sometimes partners.
“Ridley immediately embraced the script and sent me to shoot it right away, but it was this part that really got him excited. You don’t see it much in the clips we’ve shown you, but this relationship is the heart of the film. And it’s what will keep you glued to the film until the very end; the desire to know how it ends for these two.”
It stays in the family
In the meantime, the creatures that stick to the faces of unfortunate victims in order to lay eggs in them, and then the phallic-headed offspring (courtesy of HR Giger) that result, will cause the expected carnage. Now, even if the mythology of the xenomorph has been established for several films, Fede Álvarez has found a way to renew it… in continuity.
For example, while it has been known since the original that once it has burst from its host’s chest, the small xenomorph sheds its skin and reappears in a much larger format, its growth spurt and the context of it were until now mysterious. In one of the passages ofAlien: Romulus shown to the media, we can see what it’s all about, and it’s as ingenious as it is slimy. Without realizing it, managing to invent plausible new elements within such a marked-out universe is quite an achievement.
“I wanted to offer new things, but still respect the classic elements. It was crucial not to contradict the criteria already established. The cocoon in Romulus is a good example. You can look at the early films, and it’s impossible to say that what I show in mine couldn’t happen there, off-screen. I’m very proud of it, because Shane Mahan, who built the Queen in Aliensdesigned the cocoon in my film, so it stays in the family.”
To remain in the filial images, the “patriarch” Ridley Scott was the first to see the final cut ofAlien: Romulus. Verdict?
“He approved enthusiastically,” rejoices Fede Álvarez.
This bodes well. Will we start to let out vain, but oh so satisfying, cries of fear in the face of the new spatial ravages of the most famous of xenomorphs? Answer on August 16.