With as many chapters of the Alien storybook that have been produced since the original film debuted back in 1979, it must have been a daunting task to have to create something new for the audience of today. Writer/director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead & Don’t Breath) sets this pressure aside and delivers one of the year’s best science fiction horror films.
The formation of new and inventive ways of creating peril is impressive. Even hardcore fans of the franchise will be surprised and delighted with the results as will their ability to pick up on the easter eggs scattered throughout. It successfully sets out for something new while still respecting what has come before.
Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) is a mining worker that gets screwed over by the megacorporation Weyland-Yutani. Having extended her tour of duty by years, she decides to side with her brother Tyler (Archie Renaux) on a crazy scheme to travel to a distant planet that offers a better life than the one found underground.
This involves appropriating parts from a spaceship that appears abandoned in space. Unfortunately, the ship is not completely empty and plays host to some most unwanted inhabitants. Alvarez succeeds in building a tension that never completely dissipates and the imagination used in creating new hurdles to overcome keeps things moving at a fast pace. This is clever filmmaking and should appeal to fans of the franchise and newbies alike.
Rob Hudson
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