Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 15+
Intensely gripping sci-fi horror with gore, shocks, cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Intense, visceral, bloody action and suspense. Jump-scares. Futuristic guns and shooting, with aliens shot and blown to pieces. Vicious alien attacks: A face-hugger attaches to a woman's face, an alien bursts out of someone's chest (with blood spray), and characters are slashed and impaled by the aliens -- including having an eye stabbed with an appendage and then being dissolved with acid. A character gives birth to an alien-hybrid baby, with lots of blood and gore. Person falls from high place, clangs on a railing, and hits the ground, hard. Dead bodies wrapped up in nest of alien goo. Electric prod, zapping alien nest. Explosions. Video of cruel experiment on rat. Vomiting. Slapping.
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Language
a lot
Several uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "twat," "hell," "d--k," "balls," and "Jesus Christ." Characters who have never been to space are called "space virgins."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Brief cigarette/pot smoking.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
Woman wears underpants and a tank top.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Part of the Alien franchise.
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Positive Role Models
some
Rain consistently shows compassion for her fellow travelers, including her artificial companion, Andy; she sees him as human, while others ridicule him or write him off for being synthetic. She believes everyone has a right to survive and that no one should be left behind.
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Diverse Representations
some
There are six major characters. Rain (Cailee Spaeny, who's White) is the heart of the group and is a compassionate, strong woman. Helpful synthetic person Andy is played by Black British actor David Jonsson. Group leader Tyler is played by Archie Renaux, a British actor with an Anglo-Indian background. Kay is played by Isabela Merced, whose mother is from Peru. Spike Fearn, who plays Bjorn, is White and English, and Aileen Wu, who plays Navarro, is Chinese American. Director/co-writer Fede Álvarez is from Uruguay.
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Positive Messages
a little
The story is a commentary against the kind of corporate mentality that prizes profits over human well-being. It also raises questions about priorities, about whether saving the largest number of people while sacrificing the lowest number of people is acceptable. The movie suggests that everyone is worth saving.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Alien: Romulus is an intense, bloody sci-fi action movie that's part of the Alien franchise but is a standalone story. It's set between the events of the first movie and Aliens and stars Cailee Spaeny. It has plenty of the violence and gore viewers will expect for this series: There are futuristic weapons and shooting, deaths, blood spatters, monster attacks, impalings, someone getting burned by acid, dead bodies, intense peril, jump-scares, and more. Strong language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "twat," "d--k," "Jesus Christ," and more, and characters are referred to as "space virgins." A woman gives birth to a mutant baby, and another is seen in underwear and a tank top. A character smokes what's either a cigarette or a joint. This gripping movie adds to the series' lore -- and, like the other films, questions the kind of corporate mentality that prizes profits over human well-being. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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Alien: Romulus
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (2)
- Kids say (1)
age 15+
Based on 2 parent reviews
Written by Anonymous
August 15, 2024
age 13+
such a entertaining and scary movie made for teens
Theterminatorfan Parent of 15 and 17-year-old
August 15, 2024
age 16+
Very intense disturbing, but fantastic movie! Not for kids!!!
Very. Very. Disturbing movie. I have seen some of very messed up movies, but this is insanity. I have a high tolerance for extreme gore, but this was next level. (Content warning)There was a back of a persons head shown open, major chest cavities, with bones sticking out on different corpses. Bloody corpses, up close attack of xenomorph, and much, much worse. Think of something disturbing, it’s in it.
Rate movie
See all 2 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In ALIEN: ROMULUS, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her "brother," synthetic being Andy (David Jonsson), live and work in a mining colony, vainly hoping to rack up enough hours to earn their freedom. They're approached by Tyler (Archie Renaux) and his crew -- Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu) -- with a proposition. The group has discovered a decommissioned ship drifting above the planet that has cryo-pods in it. If they can steal them, they'll be able to escape, surviving the nine years it will take to get to the nearest habitable system. They need Andy to access the ship's computer so they can get in. They make it aboard and find the pods, but the devices are low on fuel. They successfully track down more fuel -- and then unfortunately discover that it was being used to keep something in a deep freeze. And now it's awake...
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):
After a couple of science-fictiony entries full of big ideas, the Alien franchise returns to pure horror with this ruthlessly gripping, brutally intense, refreshingly simple movie. Directed by Fede Alvarez, who successfully rebooted the Evil Dead franchise and whose Don't Breathe was a clever use of limited space, Alien: Romulus takes things back to basics. There are no scientists or philosophers here, no trained space explorers or soldiers -- just regular folks who are trying to get out of a bad situation. Alvarez gets things moving well before the aliens appear with an impressive use of visual effects that gives viewers the most visceral vision of the perils of outer space since Gravity.
The movie also spends time on Rain and Andy, exploring their unusual but loving relationship; when Andy is installed with a new chip to give him access to the special alien room, he changes, and Rain looks at him with suspicion ("Andy, are you there?"). The themes of the original films (Alien and Aliens) come back into play here, with an evil corporation that's only interested in finding ways to exploit the aliens and their power for profit (no matter the cost in human life), but the real focus here is on survival. The sharp screenplay uses the familiar elements (the "face-hugger," the "chest-burster") but keeps them fresh. It keeps upping the ante, with bigger and bigger shocks and challenges as the clock runs down. Alien: Romulus easily ranks with the best of this series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Alien: Romulus' violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
Do you consider Rain a role model? Why, or why not? Does she demonstrate any valuable character strengths? How does she compare to the other women in the Alien franchise?
What's the appeal of the Alien movies? How does this one compare to others in the series?
How do you feel about the movie's message regarding corporate motivations and priorities?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 16, 2024
- Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced
- Director: Fede Alvarez
- Inclusion Information: Latino directors, Female actors, Black actors, Indian/South Asian actors, Multiracial actors, Latino actors, Latino writers
- Studio: 20th Century Studios
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Space and Aliens
- Run time: 119 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: bloody violent content and language
- Last updated: August 13, 2024
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Alien: Romulus
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