Alien: Romulus takes audiences a rollercoaster of a ride

There are new adventures on the horizon for the seventh official endeavor in the Alien franchise.

Romulus takes place between the events in 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens in the timeline.

A group of young explorers visits a drifting space station named Renaissance to take any worthy leftovers that are still onboard, such as one of two modules titled Romulus. It's just a matter of time before trouble arises with surrounding extraterrestrial life forms, but Romulus avoids some of the unpredictability of this upcoming threat.

The tale begins with an eery quietness then bangs and clangs like a machine that revs up fairly quickly in the almost two-hour running time.

Writer and director Fede Alvarez delivers thanks to his horror film background which comes in handy and Ridley Scott acts as producer to keep things legit. The visual effects are impressive from the Image Engine team and have succeeded in launching this stunning project into outer space.

Some of the British accents were challenging to understand at times, but the entire cast performed well otherwise in conveying a variety of characters. Special attention should be given to Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy the Android who have a sister and brother relationship onscreen.

New viewers can hop on this spaceship without much homework required although it's helpful to know some history such as the prequel Prometheus. Romulus stands alone in many ways and injects youthful freshness into the franchise with this original take. This happens in part because of a solid setup and lingering suspenseful scenes throughout.

The ups and downs make Romulus not only a strong summer movie but also a good Halloween flick if this creature feature survives during the next few months. There are bloody dismemberments along with bullets flying to keep people on the edge of their seats. It's rated R for good reason, but there's nothing that's more over the top than what's seen in video games.

Many of the previous films relied on star power and gimmicks to keep things going. Romulus doesn't rely on tricks such as this. There could easily be more movies or even a series similar to Alien vs. Predator could be warranted depending on how this alien ant farm multiplies and grows with success. More comic books and video games could be easily revived from their cryosleep for ravenous longtime fans of the Alien saga.

This great space rollercoaster could have gone off the rails easily, but stays on track for future generations to enjoy! Romulus was originally going to be on the small screen on Hulu, so a theatrical release offers audiences a chance to see it projected on a large screen. Look for it at local cinemas on August 16, 2024, when 20th Century Studios blasts it out across the globe.