Highlights
- Alien: Romulus aims to reconnect with the roots of the original Alien films, emphasizing claustrophobia and weaponry.
- Director Fede Alvarez confirms strong influences from the acclaimed horror video game Alien: Isolation in the upcoming movie.
- The subtle Easter egg from Alien: Isolation in the latest Romulus trailer reveals a deeper connection between the projects.
Early footage from Alien: Romulus strongly echoes the original Alien films. The gritty aesthetic, confined spaceship environment, sense of claustrophobia, and weaponry all harken back to Alien and Aliens, underscoring the film’s effort to reconnect with the franchise’s roots. While the latest trailer for Alien: Romulus highlights numerous connections to the initial films in the series, its most significant link might not be to another movie but rather an Alien project that might be unfamiliar to fans who have only watched the movies.
Alien: Romulus appears to be a promising return to the franchise’s roots, capturing the formula and essence that made the original films successful, especially after the shortcomings of Ridley Scott’s two prequels, Prometheus and Covenant. Notably, this approach also reveals a deeper connection, as the film draws inspiration from one of the most acclaimed recent entries in the series: the hit horror video game Alien: Isolation. Director Fede Alvarez previously mentioned that the game significantly influenced the film, and now fans believe they’ve uncovered an Easter egg from Alien: Isolation in the latest Alien: Romulus trailer. And Alvarez appears to have confirmed these fan theories on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
In a recent online interaction with Alien enthusiasts, director Alvarez reached out to fans via his X platform to seek their insights on a subtle Easter egg featured in the latest trailer for Alien Romulus. Alvarez posed the intriguing question, “If while watching #AlienRomulus, you see one of these (and there are many…) what do you think it means?” He accompanied his query with an image of a phone booth marked “Emergency.” This phone booth is a nod to the save point station from the hit horror game Alien: Isolation. Keen-eyed viewers of the new trailer quickly identified this familiar element, which appears momentarily in the background as the central characters traverse through a shadowy corridor.
Released in 2014, Alien: Isolation remains a standout title in the horror game genre, captivating players with its intense and immersive experience. The game follows Amanda Ripley, the daughter of the iconic Ellen Ripley, as she delves into her mother’s mysterious disappearance aboard the ominous Sevastopol space station. Alien: Isolation is frequently lauded as one of the scariest horror games set in the future, and many consider it the pinnacle of stealth-survival horror. While the design elements of Romulus clearly echo the aesthetic of both Alien and Aliens, it bears a striking resemblance to the 2014 Creative Assembly game, particularly in its depiction of claustrophobic environments.
For instance, the first corridor scene showcased in the Romulus trailer closely mirrors the eerie corridors of the Sevastopol station from Isolation. Furthermore, the film’s use of a creeping, first-person perspective is reminiscent of the tense, immersive experience that Alien: Isolation is known for. This alignment suggests that, much like the game, the movie will stay true to the traditional survival horror elements, offering a more grounded and atmospheric approach compared to the sci-fi direction of Ridley Scott’s controversial Alien prequels. Overall, it’s evident that Alien: Isolation has significantly influenced the film, making it a key reference point alongside the classic movies.
The link between Alien: Romulus and Alien: Isolation is both logical and compelling. Isolation, the most acclaimed entry in the Alien franchise since Aliens, garnered widespread praise for its visuals and atmosphere—areas where recent Alien projects have faltered. This makes Romulus’ connection to Isolation a smart move. Narratively, both projects are set during a crucial period in the series’ overall timeline between the original Alien and Aliens, providing a coherent backdrop. Consequently, the visual similarities are striking, with Romulus featuring a spaceship and space station reminiscent of Isolation’s vessels, like the Torrens and the Anesidora, including a matching off-white room color scheme. Director Álvarez’s incorporation of Isolation’s detailed design choices into Romulus suggests a deliberate homage rather than a mere nod.
Alien: Romulus is scheduled to premiere in theaters on August 16.
Source: U/baazar|Reddit
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