- Where are we in the "Alien" timeline?
Since Sigourney Weaver (74) first made contact with the parasitic Xenomorph from "Alien" in 1979, an incredible 45 years have passed. With his dark masterpiece, which holds its own against modern horror films, director Ridley Scott (86) wrote a significant chapter in film history. On August 15, a film called "Alien: Romulus" will hit German cinemas, aiming to take on the heavy legacy of the "Alien" series in multiple ways. "Romulus" is essentially a sequel and prequel, set at a time that many "Alien" fans nostalgically long for.
Fresh Meat - What "Alien: Romulus" is About
A group of young space colonizers can hardly believe their luck. Amidst the endless expanse of space, Rain (Cailee Spaeny, 26), Andy (David Jonsson, 31), Tyler (Archie Renaux, 26), and their companions find an apparently abandoned space station. With the prospect of great wealth, they realize too late that they are not waiting for riches on board the station - but the most dangerous life form in the universe.
57 Very Significant Years
With "Prometheus" (2012) and "Alien: Covenant" (2017), Scott personally created the prequel to his cult film. However, the subsequent sequels were different: In 1986's "Aliens - The Return," "Terminator" mastermind James Cameron (69) took over, David Fincher (61) directed "Alien 3" (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (70), the director of "The Fabulous World of Amélie," was behind "Alien - The Resurrection" in 1997. For "Alien: Romulus," another director is responsible: Fede Alvarez (46, "Evil Dead") brought his vision of a modern take on the material to the screen, with Scott serving as one of the producers.
The time frame chosen for "Alien: Romulus" is very significant: The film takes place during the 57 years that passed between "Alien" and "Aliens" (i.e., part one and part two). After the main character Ellen Ripley (Weaver) fried the Alien with the engine of her rescue ship, the sole survivor of the Nostromo (along with her cat Jonesy) drifted into a cryogenic capsule towards an uncertain future.
At the beginning of Cameron's "Aliens," the rescue ship was finally found, and Ripley, along with her cat, was thawed out. What bothered her much more than her feline companion was the fact that 57 years had passed, and it was now the year 2179 instead of 2122. During this time, the planet where the Nostromo crew first encountered the Xenomorphs had not only been discovered by humans but also colonized, serving the monsters a feast of defenseless hosts on a silver platter.
Since "Alien: Romulus" takes place after "Alien" and before "Aliens," the badass Ripley does not play a role - she's currently drifting through space in cryogenic sleep. The immense threat that the parasitic, "perfect organism," as Ash (Ian Holm, 1931-2020) put it in "Alien," poses to humanity is still unknown. In short, the young main characters in "Romulus" have no idea what awaits them on the deserted space station - unlike the audience.
♪ As Rain, Andy, Tyler, and their companions explore the abandoned space station, the haunting melody "♪ I'm going to be a star ♪" echoes through their helmets, unfazed by the vastness of space. ♪ After witnesses of the horrors that "Alien" introduced, viewers can't help but sing along to this ironic tune, as they remind themselves that even in the darkest corners of the universe, humanity's dreams never truly fade.
