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ALIEN: ROMULUS Trailer (2024) Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced

ALIEN: ROMULUS Trailer (2024) Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced
© 2024 - 20h Century Studios
"This is our only ticket outta here." It's time!! 20th Century Studios has revealed for the full official trailer for the next new solo Alien film - officially titled Alien: Romulus. Produced by Ridley Scott, and directed by Uruguayan horror mastermind Fede Alvarez, this is taking the franchise back to its roots with one crew on one ship. Set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), this follow a group of young people on a derelict space station, who end up in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe. It stars Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, & Aileen Wu. Fede says it's similar to both of the original movies - with the scariness of Alien and the thrills of Aliens. After the excellent teaser, this is another freakin' great trailer for this sci-fi horror creation! Really playing up the frightening aspects, between the sound design and chest bursters and everything freaky. Take a peek.

Here's the full official trailer (+ new poster) for Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus, direct from YouTube:

Alien: Romulus Poster

You can rewatch the teaser trailer for Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus right here, for the first look again.

The highly anticipated sci-fi / horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. Alien: Romulus, the seventh movie in the Alien franchise, is directed by acclaimed Uruguayan genre filmmaker Fede Álvarez, director of the movies Evil Dead (2013), Don't Breathe, and The Girl in the Spider's Web previously, plus directing on the "Calls" series and many other short films. The screenplay is written by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Based on the characters created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. Produced by Ridley Scott and Michael Pruss for Scott Free Productions and 20th Century Studios. Disney / 20th Century will release Alvarez's Alien: Romulus in theaters worldwide starting August 16th, 2024 later this summer movie season. Who's down?
Watch the Official Trailer from Hindi movie 'Alien: Romulus' starring Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux and David Jonsson. 'Alien: Romulus' movie is directed by Fede Alvarez. To know more about 'Alien: Romulus' trailer watch the video. Check out the latest Hindi trailers, new movie trailers, trending Hindi movie trailers, and more at ETimes - Times of India Entertainment.
There’s plenty of hype around Alien: Romulus, the seventh instalment in the Alien franchise and the first entry since 2017’s Alien: Covenant – and now we have a new trailer to drum up excitement even more.

Set between the events of the first and second films, Alien: Romulus follows a group of young explorers in an abandoned research facility.

"We were talking about, 'How could this be a child of the two?' So we have those heightened moments, but then proper horror," Cailee Spaeny, who plays new protagonist Rain, told Total Film.

Director Fede Álvarez added that it's a "love letter to all the other movies".

"This is the way this movie works: if you haven’t seen any Alien movie ever, you’ll have a great time," he told the publication.

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"You won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything. But if you’ve seen one or more – oh, boy, you’ll have a blast. At least, I hope you will! The reality is that it is a standalone story, but it’s filled with references to every movie. It is truly a love letter to all the other movies."

The new footage teases plenty of blood, screams and some terrifying Facehuggers. It opens with shots of abandoned corridors as someone yells: "Help! Someone help me, please!" alongside other cries for help.

Fans are also given an introduction to Cailee Spaeny's Raines as she appears in the footage holding a pulse rifle and following in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the original 1979 Alien film.

Read on for everything you need to know about the upcoming movie.

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Alien: Romulus release date
The film will be released in cinemas on Friday 16th August 2024.

It was initially set to release on Hulu, but then got bumped to a theatrical release.

Alien: Romulus cast – Who stars alongside Cailee Spaeny?
Cailee Spaeny in Civil War crouching down holding a Nikon camera looking towards us in a still from the movie
Cailee Spaeny in Civil War. A24
Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) is set to lead the cast as new character Rain.

In addition to Spaeny, other cast members include Spike Fearn (Tell Me Everything), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), David Jonsson (Murder Is Easy) and Aileen Wu (Skin).

The original 1979 Alien film followed Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley and, speaking about the influence Weaver’s portrayal of Ripley has had on her, Spaeny told Total Film: "I definitely did everything that I could to bring that character to life. Watching Sigourney play that role – she’s part of the changing of the game that those films did."

She continued: "I could never be her. But I injected whatever I have in me into that character, and tried to make it three-dimensional – as three-dimensional as possible. So I hope that that’s there, and it comes alive."

Alien: Romulus plot – What could happen?
Sigourney Weaver stars in Alien (1979)
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Alien. SEAC
The movie follows “a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe," according to the official synopsis.

And if you're wondering what the title means, Álvarez previously confirmed to TotalFilm that it's inspired by the myth of Romulus and Remus.

"If people aren’t familiar, it’s the creation myth of Rome. Romulus killed Remus," he explained. "It’s not a siblinghood that went down the right path. [Alien: Romulus] is a film about siblinghood. A lot of the character stories are related to siblinghood."

Is there a trailer for Alien: Romulus?
Yes, watch below:

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The first trailer for Ailen: Romulus is definitely going to send shivers down your spine.

Fede Alvarez directs Industry and Rye Lane star David Jonsson, Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu in a film that promises to bring fans back to the feeling of the original 1979 film, with the logline stating explicitly, “Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots.”

“While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe,” the logline continues. That is exactly how the original film started, so it would seem that Alien: Romulus will bring fans what they have wanted since the ’90s–a no-frills horror-thriller with one of the most horrifying and grotesque monsters ever imagined.

Along with directing, Alvarez wrote the screenplay with collaborator Rodo Sayagues. The film is based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. Scott, who directed the first film as well as Promethus and Alien: Covenant, produces with Michael Pruss and Walter Hill. Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon, Brent O’Connor and Tom Moran executive produce.

Alien: Romulus comes to theaters Aug. 16.

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COMINGSOON.net
Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown: A Thrilling Return to Xenomorph Horror
Jeff Ames
Thu, June 6, 2024 at 3:00 AM GMT+5:30·6 min read

Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
Credit: 20th Century Studios
What a day! What a lovely day! Fede Alvarez revealed the full Alien: Romulus trailer, and it looks pretty friggin’ awesome. The two-minute look gave us Xenomorphs, lots of acids, explosions, zero-gravity battles, and a whole lotta Facehugger action. I’m intrigued. Like, very, very intrigued.

Read on to see the aspects of the Alien: Romulus trailer that pushed my hype button past ten. Let’s rock!

The Alien: Romulus trailer’s best moments
Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
Hadley’s Hope
The trailer opens with a shot of what looks like Hadley’s Hope hidden behind blinds drenched in red. At least, I think it’s Hadley’s Hope, as the structure is similar to the main local of James Cameron’s Aliens. Why even show this unless it’s Hadley’s Hope, right? Alvarez has already explained that the picture takes place between Risley Scott’s Alien and Cameron’s Aliens, so perhaps our band of unlucky heroes is part of the terraforming unit that eventually gets infested by the iconic Xenomorph. Are they on the planet when the outbreak occurs, causing them to retreat into space? Or do they leave with a couple of stowaways on board? Or maybe this isn’t Hadley’s Hope but a similar-looking location with no reason to exist besides providing some cheap fan service. Nah, it’s gotta be Hadley’s Hope.

Blue haze
Speaking of fan service, seeing the weird blue haze return is pretty wild. For those unaware, in Scott’s Alien, Ellen Ripley’s doomed crew happens upon thousands of eggs inside a derelict spaceship on LV-426. The weird light (brought on the production after Scott saw them being used by The Who in a nearby studio) is never fully explained but likely serves as a means to preserve the alien eggs. In the Romulus trailer, the blue light appears on a spaceship within what looks like an Alien Nest. Will the film explain how and why the aliens use this technology?

Speaking of the nest, there’s also a great shot of David Jonsson standing beside a metal stairwell, looking at what appears to be a hive shrouded in darkness. If this is indeed the case, it’s a clever way to blend elements from both Alien and Aliens, especially if a Queen appears.

Facehuggers
In one of the trailer’s intriguing shots, we see Facehuggers emerging from mechanical pods in a flooded room.

So, do our heroes stumble upon an abandoned space station crawling with aliens? The vessel “Romulus” bears the Weyland-Yutani Corporation logo, so the former occupants may have been sent to collect specimens from LV-426 and succeeded before something went wrong aboard the ship. When our protagonists arrive, they must contend with a hoard of Xenomorphs, ala Alien Isolation.

Moreover, David Jonsson’s character is an android, evidenced by that weird eye trick he does later in the trailer. This begs the question: is he a friend or foe? Does he convince the others to search the Romulus on company orders? In the blue mist shot above, we see him crouching with a canister. Maybe he’s collecting specimens? Either way, if we’ve learned anything from this franchise, it’s never to trust a droid.

Also, that shot of the Facehugger trying to insert its, um, thingy in one of the characters’ mouths is very disturbing. We’ve never seen the process up close, and now I’m not sure I ever wanted to.

Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
The Aesthetic
Alien Isolation fans will note the similarities between the Romulus interiors and the Sevastopol space station where Amanda Ripley battled a deadly Xenomorph. Everything from the walls to the long corridors looks like they were ripped straight from the video game. Plus, kudos to whoever decided to finally bring back the f—ing pulse rifle. I mean, I know it’s not the pulse rifle from Aliens, but it’s close enough in appearance. I’ll take it!

Remarkably, Alvarez nails the look and feel of Scott’s classic picture while sprinkling details from Cameron’s epic, notably the sound of a motion tracker and the terrifying alien screams. More than one alien exists on this vessel, prompting the type of adrenaline-fueled action fans have clamored for nearly 40 years.

Also, I love the wide tracking shots that look like an homage to Alien 3. In that film, director David Fincher shot several chase scenes from the alien’s POV. I’d love to see the same technique utilized with modern effects.

Floating Acid
The trailer concludes with a breathtaking scene of Cailee Spaeny gracefully floating through the spacecraft, surrounded by ominous acid splotches. Once again, the film looks absolutely stunning, with the moody lighting effectively capturing the chilling atmosphere of the original two pictures. Romulus appears to be a terrifying descent into Hell. Galo Olivares’s cinematography is simply striking, artfully utilizing heavy shadows and an assortment of colors to convey this horrific adventure. I can’t wait to see this sucker on the big screen.

Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown
The Xenos
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Xenomorphs look incredible — frightening but incredible. The final shot gives us a stunning view of a new design that appears to be a hybrid between Ridley Scott’s sleek original and James Cameron’s bulkier version. There’s even a thrilling moment where Spaeny’s character fires a pulse rifle at what appears to be a couple of aliens from behind a metal grate. Will we finally see a Queen again? Will Alvarez lean on the humans-turn-into-aliens plot device Scott employed, or treat them more like insects?

Could Romulus be the Alien movie we’ve been waiting for? So far, everything points to yes, but I’ve been disappointed too many times to abandon my skepticism completely. We’ll have to wait until August to find out. I can’t wait!

Side note: I still don’t know what Romulus is about. A group of teens head into space and stumble upon an abandoned space station/ship infested with aliens. Carnage ensues. If that’s the plot, I’m good. The franchise needs a reboot, so I am okay with going with a back-to-the-basics approach before (hopefully) venturing into uncharted territory in future installments. I only ask that Romulus delivers the thrills and chills of early chapters and stays far away from Ellen Ripley. I love Sigourney Weaver’s iconic character, but this series needs new blood to sink its teeth into.

The post Alien: Romulus Trailer Breakdown: A Thrilling Return to Xenomorph Horror appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.

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Hypebeast
Check Out the Official Trailer for ‘Alien: Romulus’
Brycen Saunders
Fri, June 7, 2024 at 2:49 AM GMT+5:30·1 min read

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This past March, the Alien franchise revealed the teaser trailer for its forthcoming title Alien: Romulus. Even though it got fans excited, the visual only offered a slight glimpse at what's to come. Now fans can really get ready for the film as the franchise as 20th Century Studios has released the film's official trailer.

"Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe," read a description from the entertainment company. In true Alien fashion, the predatory creatures are taking over – terrorizing any human or life form that comes near them.

Directed and written by Fede Alvarez with main producer Ridley Scott, the film’s cast sees Caillee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, Isabela Merced, Aileen Wu and more. In addition to Alvarez and Scott, the movie’s producers include Michael Pruss, Walter Will, Elizabeth Cantillon, Brent O’Connor and Tom Moran.

Check out the new official trailer in the gallery above. Stay tuned for more information about the new Alien: Romulus, which is set to release in theaters on Friday, August 16.

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Total Film
Netflix’s new thriller is a massive hit, with fans and critics calling it “one of the best shark movies ever made” and even comparing it to Jaws
Megan Garside
Thu, June 6, 2024 at 5:46 PM GMT+5:30·2 min read
106

Under Paris.
Under Paris.
If you, like us, have been patiently waiting for another worthy shark movie to bite into, then you’re in luck as Netflix’s newest great white thriller is here, and it’s got dazzling first reviews calling it the best shark movie since Jaws.

Released on Netflix on June 5, the steamer’s new horror Under Paris is already reeling in positive reactions from critics and audiences alike, and so far stands with an impressive 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes. "Netflix has delivered one of the best shark movies ever made," writes Stuart Heritage from The Guardian, with Jonathan Wilson from Ready Steady Cut writing, "It’s dopey but not stupid, outlandish but not silly, violent but not gratuitous, and serious but not so serious that it isn’t great fun."

Some critics even went as far as to compare it to other major movies in the shark horror genre such as Steven Spielberg’s 1975 epic. “Netflix’s new thriller swims rather than sinks as it adds life to a genre that’s been bloodless for far too long,” writes Michael Nordine from Variety, calling it a "shark movie worthy of swimming in the wake of Jaws." NME echoes the enthusiasm by describing Under Paris as "a standalone semi-classic of the genre."

But it's not just critics who are loving the fin-tastic film as fans are also raving over Under Paris. "Under Paris has absolutely no right to be as good as it is. This is Creature Feature goodness through and through," tweeted one fan, while another chimed in with, "I love a movie that just doesn’t give a single fuck and goes all in on the over the top. This is what Under Paris does for almost two hours and it was glorious."

Check out some more reactions and reviews below.

Directed by Xavier Gens, the French film follows a scientist, environmental activist, and river police commander who must join forces and capture a giant shark that has made its way into the river Seine just before the summer 2024 Paris Olympics is about to take place. The movie stars Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, amongst others.

Under Paris is available to stream right now on Netflix. For more, see our list of the best Netflix movies, or keep up to date with upcoming movies heading your way this year.

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Digital Trends
3 underrated sci-fi movies on Amazon Freevee you should watch in June
Christine Persaud
Fri, June 7, 2024 at 5:30 PM GMT+5:30·4 min read

A man holding a gun and looking to the right in a scene from Screamers.
Triumph Films
The best sci-fi movies, particularly sci-fi horror movies, often include indie and low-budget films that fans adore. When it comes to the three underrated sci-fi movies on Amazon Freevee you should watch in June, these are all lesser-known movies that might be exactly what you’re looking for right now.

One hails from a story by Philip K. Dick, the sci-fi writer and novelist whose work is behind hit movies like Blade Runner and Total Recall and shows like The Man in the High Castle. Another is a sci-fi comedy starring Rhys Darby with a lighter, more fun tone if that’s what you’re in the mood to watch. All three films can be watched without a subscription, completely free through Amazon’s Freevee service.

Screamers (1995)

Combining sci-fi with horror, Screamers is based on the Philip K. Dick short story Second Variety, and remains one of his lesser-known works given all the high-profile movies and TV shows his writing has inspired. Set in the future year 2078 on a planet called Sirius 6B, space has become a wasteland following a war between the mining company that once ruled it and a group of former mining and science personnel.

Battling with science isn’t easy. These highly intelligent individuals have devised Autonomous Mobile Swords (AMS), AI-powered, self-replicating machines that make a high-pitched noise (that sounds like a scream) to kill soldiers of the New Economic Block (N.E.B.). The N.E.B. members counteract this by wearing tabs that make them invisible to the machines. A story of high-tech, high-stakes battle, some critics applaud the movie, like Brendan Kelly of Variety, who describes Screamers as a “fun, fast-paced, futuristic thriller with enough jolts per frame to keep even the most impatient action fan happy.” If you’re a fan of Dick’s work, Screamers is one of the more obscure sci-fi movies in his arsenal that you might not yet have added to your list but is worth diving into.

Stream Screamers on Amazon Freevee.

Jack’s Apocalypse (2015)

There are so many apocalyptic stories nowadays, both in movies and TV shows. In many cases, those who emerge the strongest are ones who were often discarded or disregarded in the world before. Jack (David Maldonado) is one of those people who finds a courageous strength in the worst of times. An addict who frequently indulges in alcohol, drugs, and sex, the end of the world kicks him into shape. He has no choice but to change his ways, finally face his demons, and come out a better person, ironically just as the world is falling apart.

Jack’s Apocalypse is a metaphorical film that flips the concept of the end of the world on its head. It’s mostly the theme of redemption that makes this film so pleasurable to watch. Jack’s Apocalypse provides hope that even when all seems lost, people at their lowest can find their way back.

Stream Jack’s Apocalypse on Amazon Freevee.

Relax I’m from the Future (2023)

Looking for some laughs? This Canadian sci-fi comedy stars Rhys Darby as Casper, a man residing in the 22nd century who can time travel. He decides to go back to the 2020s to get away from his boring and lonely life, hoping to use his knowledge of the outcome of lotteries and sporting events to fund a lavish lifestyle, reminiscent of Biff’s attempt to do the same in Back to the Future Part II. He meets Holly (Gabrielle Graham) whom he ropes into his plans, promising to make them both rich. But Casper needs to tread lightly so as not to disrupt the flow of events that lead to the already played out future. Plus, there’s Doris (Janine Theriault), a law enforcement officer from the future sent to stop people like him.

Relax I’m from the Future is pure fun, but it’s one of those underrated movies you probably haven’t heard about. Comically absurd and downright weird, the Toronto, Ontario, Canada-set movie has struck a chord with critics and audiences, alike. Josiah Teal of Film Threat calls it “funny, quotable, and unique,” a solid build on what initially began as a short film.

Stream Relax I’m from the Future on Amazon Freevee.

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The Daily Beast
‘House of the Dragon’ Rebounds in Its Shocking, X-Rated Season 2
Nick Schager
Fri, June 7, 2024 at 1:30 AM GMT+5:30·5 min read
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Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/HBO
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/HBO
From its theme music and credit sequence, to its costumes and locales, to its lore and themes, to its narrative focus on the ceaseless competition for the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon sought, in its first season, to not simply be a faithful prequel to Game of Thrones, but a veritable carbon copy. Nonetheless, if it got off to a rocky start marred by excessively familiar action and too many leaps forward in time, it eventually found its footing by its finale. In electric fashion, that capper culminated with eye-patched Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) getting revenge on his bastard cousin Luke Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) by chomping him and his dragon in half via his own winged beast, the gargantuan Vhagar. While it may have required 10 uneven hours, the show finally appeared to have found its footing on the ground and in the sky, thereby setting up the savage dragon war destined to dominate the remainder of its tale.

Returning to HBO nearly two years after the end of Season 1, House of the Dragon takes true flight from the outset of its superior and stirring second season (June 16 on HBO), diving right into the fallout from that fateful murder with political jockeying and, more calamitously, a series of assassination attempts that compromise any lasting hopes for peace. Over the course of its first four episodes (which were all that were provided to press), showrunner Ryan Condal—aided by co-creator George R.R. Martin and GoT-vet director Alan Taylor, who helms the premiere and phenomenal fourth installment—devises a raft of intricate machinations involving parties who are torn between wanting the best for themselves, their allies, and their houses. He delivers shocking bombshells in spades, and better yet, he stages the franchise’s finest dragon fight to date: a larger-than-life skirmish that results in a death that once again radically rewrites the fate of the seven kingdoms.

Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Theo Whiteman/HBO
House of the Dragon begins in the north with the Night Watch at The Wall and references to the Starks, but the Song of Ice and Fire—though a relevant prophesy courtesy of the late King Viserys I (Paddy Considine)—is still on the distant horizon as this saga kicks into gear. At King’s Landing, newly coronated King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) has turned out to be a petulant young punk unfit to rule, much to the frustration of his Hand, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). As Otto and his daughter Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) patiently try to guide the sovereign toward responsibility and reason, war becomes more unavoidable thanks to Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), whose grief has fueled her anger over Aegon usurping the throne (with Alicent’s help), and whose shipping blockades have exacerbated tensions between the two kingdoms. Rhaenyra hasn’t lost her burning ambition for the crown, but her sorrow has left her distracted. Her diplomatic caution worries her council advisors, and it also rankles her uncle-husband Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), who endeavors to escalate matters to outrageous degrees—purportedly in order to fulfill his Queen’s wishes, but in reality out of his own cunning self-interest.

In every direction, incestuously intertwined characters conspire to improve their stations by manipulating frictions and exacerbating hostilities. Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is a zealously intimate confidant of Alicent, as is club-footed Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), albeit in different devious ways. Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) strives to keep Rhaenyra on solid footing with her supporters as well as takes curious note of the relationship between her husband Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and the man who saved his life in battle. On both sides of this regional divide, countless schemers start ramping up their calls for wide-scale conflict, putting pressure on the matriarchs tasked with charting their houses’ courses into the future. Of those forces, perhaps none is quite as malevolent as Aemond, whose reserved, steely demeanor suggests that he’s two steps ahead of his rivals in this game—and which makes him, along with Ifans’ commanding Otto, the most compelling of the series’ myriad major and minor players.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 1 Finale: Our Seven Biggest Lingering Questions

Although there are numerous threads strewn throughout House of the Dragon, the show’s primary concern remains the difficulties of its two female protagonists—Rhaenyra and Alicent—to avoid bloodshed in a system, and world, dominated by impulsive and greedy men who stupidly see violence as the surest means to achieve their ends. As with every member of the cast, Cooke and D’Arcy have become increasingly comfortable in their respective roles, and their performances are bolstered by scripts that strike a confident balance between introspective character-building drama and wily plotting. Everyone is colored in various shades of crimson-streaked gray, and now that the story has a clear thrust—i.e., the efforts to avoid and/or instigate ruinous war—they’re all substantially more compelling.

House of the Dragon’s sophomore run is propelled by a monstrous early fatality and a similarly bold retaliation, and Condal infuses his material with an urgency that was often lacking before. There’s no ignoring that all of this is prelude to a more cataclysmic chapter of this fantasy epic—a notion that’s intrusively emphasized whenever anyone alludes to the Song of Ice and Fire. Fortunately, those moments are rare; the pressing importance of Rhaenyra’s quest for her birthright, and Alicent and Otto’s concurrent maneuvers to maintain Aegon’s claim to the crown, is gripping enough in its own right to distract attention away from the proceedings’ fundamental nature as backstory. It’s no easy feat to elicit passionate engagement with a tale whose real ending is already known, and Condal’s success in that regard is, especially in these episodes, impressive.

Spoiler considerations mean that House of the Dragon’s biggest surprises must stay under lock and key for the time being. Still, GoT fans won’t be stunned to hear that the show continues to indulge in gory decapitations, deviant sexuality (including one X-rated brothel scene), and treachery most foul, not to mention out-of-left-field deaths that are designed to shock and thrill in equal measure. And that they do, in the process proving that even when it too closely resembles its legendary predecessor, Condal’s series is a gripping portrait of the eternal hunger for wealth, pleasure, power, and supremacy.

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The jury is still out. For a while, “The Watchers” is a reasonably well-made lost-in-the-woods horror movie, one that draws you in like a puzzle whose rules you need to learn (just as the characters do). Shyamalan’s only previous credit is directing six episodes of the Apple series “Servant,” but she has learned her craft.

Mina (Dakota Fanning), an enigmatic lass who works in a pet store in Galway, is asked to deliver a talking orange parakeet to a client in Belfast. During the trip, she drives through a sinister forest full of trees with tall straight thin trunks, only to get out and discover that her car has vanished, and that she’s now trapped. In the prelude sequence, we’ve already seen someone get sucked into a hole in the ground of this woods; we also saw a sign that says “Point of no return” coupled with a mysterious numeral (108).

Mina soon spies an older woman with white hair who’s beckoning her to come to the house in the middle of the woods. She does, and enters. The white-haired woman is named Madeleine, and she’s kind of the mistress of ceremonies. The Irish actress Olwen Fouéré conjures up the image of Galadriel from “The Lord of the Rings” as played by Sir Ben Kingsley. She’s an impishly imperious den mother of the macabre.

Madeleine, a former professor of folklore, lays down the law, and there are plenty of them. At night, the characters must stand in a line in front of the mirror, so that the Watchers can gawk at them. During the day, they’re allowed to go outside, but can’t go past those “Point of no return” signs. They can’t go into the holes (though Mina, at one point, does, emerging with an old bicycle and several other artifacts). Yet even as I was trying to get the hang of the situation, I kept thinking of other, more basic questions, like: Where do the characters sleep? (The only furniture in the room is a red leather armchair and a lamp.) What do they eat? (There’s a reference to hunting, and we see a crow being killed, but the movie doesn’t get more specific than that.) And how do they pass the time without Wi-Fi?

Because, you see, they are stuck there and have been for a while. The brash Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) has been in the house for eight months, the more circumspect Ciara (Georgina Campbell) has been there for five months (it turns out her that her husband, John, disappeared — he was the victim in the opening scene), and Madeleine seems like she’s been there forever. She runs the place with an iron hand, so we know there’s more to her than meets the eye. Are these woodland survivors a cult that she’s the secret leader of?

Mina has a backstory of trauma, involving the death of her mother 15 years ago. It seems that she was not a well-behaved girl, and that she was acting up in the back seat of the car when her mother, trying to deal with her, smashed into another vehicle. So young Mina was responsible for her mother’s death. The reason this is relevant is that it connects with the backstory of the Watchers. They’re a race of fallen elves (or something), who covet humanity, but the more we learn about them the less interesting they become. That’s in part because they’re envisioned as tall, scaly-skinned beasts who scuttle around with that amplified liquid percussive sound that makes you go, “Oh, it’s Predator!” Not a lot of mystery there.

Ishana Night Shyamalan’s direction is mostly fine. Her screenplay is mostly a series of gambits piled on top of one another, adding up to a horror-movie crockpot, one that grows less creepy and effective as it goes along. We don’t have any great investment in the characters, and by the time we discover the bunker hidden under the fortress, where a professor (John Lynch) first went to study the Watchers, the film has begun to grow top-heavy with its mythology. Of course, it’s also a problem that if you’re going to play the busy and derivative mainstream-horror game, you’ve got to deliver, as in jump scares or moments that make us shiver in, you know, horror. “The Watchers” is too restrained for all that; it wants to be a kind of fairy tale. In this case, though, there’s too much impeccable pretension and not enough things that go bump in the Shyamalan night.
20th Century Studios has released the first trailer for “Alien: Romulus,” the upcoming science fiction film in the long-running “Alien” franchise. It is set for a theatrical release on Aug. 16.

Directed by Fede Àlvarez, the film takes place between the events of Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and James Cameron’s popular sequel “Aliens.” Cailee Spaeny, who played Priscilla Presley in last year’s “Priscilla,” is set to star in the standalone movie.

The plot for the film, which has largely been kept mysterious, follows “a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” In addition to Spaeny, other cast members include Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Aileen Wu and Spike Fearn.

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The trailer returns to the horror roots of the franchise, as dark hallways filled with facehuggers await the crew. Several people get jumped by the face-sucking aliens, and one unlucky crew member has their torso invaded by a chestburster — but the trailer cuts away before we can see the gory carnage. There’s also at least one Xenomorph lurking about, as Merced’s character comes face to face with the killer alien at the end.

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The original 1979 “Alien” film followed Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, an astronaut whose crew comes face to face with a deadly alien in space. “Aliens” continues the story as Ellen, waking from cryogenic slumber, reluctantly goes on a mission to a faraway space colony to explore another potential xenomorph attack. Subsequent films in the “Alien” universe include “Alien 3,” “Alien: Resurrection,” “Prometheus,” “Alien: Covenant” and the 2004 crossover film “Alien vs. Predator.”

Àlvarez, who is known for directing horror films including “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe,” has already shown the director’s cut of “Romulus” to Ridley Scott, who serves as a producer on the film. In conversation with Guillermo Del Toro at the DGA Latino Summit 2023, he revealed that Scott had a positive reaction.

“And then he walks into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s fucking great,'” Álvarez said. “For me it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, who I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made but particularly something like this… and talk to me for an hour about what he liked about it. One of the best compliments he said was, ‘The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?’ Yes!”

Watch the trailer for “Alien: Romulus” below.
The all new Alien movie is coming up very soon!

Alien: Romulus premieres in theaters this summer and the trailer just dropped on Tuesday (June 4), teasing the upcoming sci-fi horror film.

Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu all star.

Directed and co-written by Fede Alvarez, the upcoming movie “takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

This is the ninth film in the Alien franchise, which has spanned over 40 years.

Alien: Romulus will hit theaters on August 16th.

If you missed it, check out the first teaser that was released earlier this year.
Alien: Romulus features practical effects for a scarier experience than CGI can offer.
The young cast brings fresh energy to the film while still connecting it to the original series.
Director Fede Álvarez's new installment in the franchise earns high praise from Ridley Scott.
Out-of-this-world terror awaits sci-fi fans in the latest trailer for Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus. Yesterday, an ominous poster featuring a facehugger doing what it does best foretold the coming of today’s drop, which serves as the second teaser for the movie that touches down in cinemas on August 16. This time around, the space crew tangoing with the deadly extra-terrestrials will be made up of actors including Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), David Jonsson (Industry), Spike Fearn (Tell Me Everything), and Aileen Wu.

Spaeny’s Rain Carradine is looking for a ticket out of her unimpressive life in the new trailer for Alien: Romulus. But she’s about to bite off more than she can chew when she finds herself trapped on board a ship destined for destruction. The teaser is filled with plenty of darkly sinister moments as the crew tries to survive their encounters with the creepy crawly critters from another planet. We also get a nice look at a chestburster doing what it does best and some good up close and personal peeks at the practical effects that went into bringing Romulus to life.

Acting as the ninth installment in a franchise that has spanned nearly half a century, Alien: Romulus finds its story falling in between the movie that started it all - Ridley Scott’s Alien - and the James Cameron-helmed sequel, Aliens. While technology has come a long way since Scott first dropped his groundbreaking movie in 1979, Álvarez recognized the importance of keeping the special effects as practical as possible, which, in a lot of ways, does so much more for the scare factor than CGI ever could. Turning to those who know the chestbursters the best, the director enlisted the help of those behind the effects of Aliens to help carry the story into the next chapter.

What To Expect From ‘Alien: Romulus’
All things considered, Alien: Romulus is shaping up to be the most terrifying installment in the film series yet - and that’s saying something considering the guts and gore pouring out of the last eight movies. And, while the movie doesn’t rely on legacy characters to propel itself forward, there are still plenty of nostalgic pieces that tie it to the films that came before it. From what we’ve gathered from the young cast, they fully understood the assignment in making Romulus just as fresh as it is familiar, with Spaeny previously commenting on living up to the hype of the female lead and following in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver.

While she knows that she’ll “never be” Weaver, the Priscilla and Mare of Easttown star also believes that audiences will fall in love with her character, stating, “I injected whatever I have in me into that character, and tried to make it three-dimensional - as three-dimensional as possible.” Finally, there are the comments from Scott, who has already given the ultimate stamp of approval by calling Romulus “fucking great,” which is as promising of a review as we can expect to get.

Check out the latest trailer for Alien: Romulus above and learn everything there is to know about it in our all-encompassing guide. While you wait for one of this summer’s buzziest titles to launch into theaters, you can stream the original Alien now on Hulu.

Alien Romulus Film Poster
Alien: Romulus
Sci-Fi
Horror
In Alien: Romulus, a crew of space explorers lands on a distant, uncharted planet, only to uncover a horrifying secret lurking beneath the surface. As they delve deeper into the alien environment, they encounter deadly creatures and ancient ruins that hint at a terrifying history. The team's survival becomes a desperate battle against the relentless xenomorphs, forcing them to rely on their wits and technology to escape the nightmarish world.

Release Date
August 16, 2024
Director
Fede Alvarez
Cast
Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Aileen Wu , Spike Fearn
Main Genre
Horror
Writers
Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O'Bannon , Ronald Shusett
Studio(s)
Scott Free Productions , 20th Century
Distributor(s)
20th Century
Sequel(s)
prequel(s)
Franchise(s)
Alien