Have you seen the new Alien: Romulus? If not, you oughtta! We just got back from seeing the seventh film in the franchise (not including the two meh Alien vs. Predator films) and I can’t rave enough about the new movie bringing back the tension and horror elements of the 1979 original, homaging it and the 1986 sequel, Aliens. Director Fede Álvarez puts his own stamp on a franchise that lost its steam with noble intentions in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, ignoring the awkward Alien: Resurrection and the snooze fest that was Alien 3.

Romulus is balls-to-the wall with a two-year connection to Ridley Scott’s game changing 1979 original, as a new crew of misfits stumble into the wreckage of the U.S.S. Nostramo from Alien and gets far more than they bargain for. It pleased me to see Scott acting as producer to this one and keeping it old school, I’m spinning the CD soundtrack of the late Jerry Goldmith’s magnificent score to the first Alien with James Horner’s clatter-filled backing to Aliens on deck. Benjamin Wallfisch (whose collab with legendary composer Hans Zimmer in Blade Runner 2049 is one of my therapy scores) took the musical duties for Romulus, and you can hear nods to Goldsmith in Romulus with screeching guitars heightening the climactic points. I shelled out extra for Cinemark’s XD theater, banking on the experience I was promised by reputable friends, and what a fragging show, in sight and sound.

Heralding the original Alien, I found this old newspaper ad using an outmoded phrase for movies up through the 1990s for movies outrunning their intended release course: “Held Over.”

As it implies, “Held Over” means the theaters across the nation booked extra running times with Hollywood studios for movies continuing to bring viewers in by word-of-mouth. Keeping in mind mainstream cinema back in the day had half the releases of today’s market. Anything with sales power today making it three weeks being considered a profit.

By 1970s and 80s standards, three weeks out there spelled a blockbuster to be “held over” an extra week or two to capitalize on the public interest, despite VCRs and cable t.v. beginning a future trend of at-home movie viewing. Don’t get me started on streaming; I have six subscriptions because that’s just the way of it. This despite my wife and kid being more than willing participants to actual movies. You just can’t beat it. The fact an indie horror film like Longlegs with a super-creepy performance by Nicolas Cage hung around theaters for five weeks (I caught it on the final day before it vanished) speaks loudly of its appeal in this streaming culture we’ve found ourselves in as a movie audience.

A terrifying visual spectacle like Alien was a monster kick in the nards of space epics, considering the first Star Wars in 1977 was one of the longest held over movies of all-time, returning for a second engagement a year later. 1979’s Alien is still a terrifying movie all these years later and thank the gods Fede Álvarez chose to drop his new entry into the tailspin of Ridley Scott’s original masterpiece. Romulus is thus validated by attrition. The fact it wastes no time trying to curry your favor to a Ripley-stripped cast and drop them into a familiar if fascinating new terror zone speaks of why Romulus may be held over an extra week or two in its own right.

In space, no one can hear you scream. Unless you’re Isabela Merced as Kay in Alien: Romulus. Even the rings of Saturn were shredded by her piercing shrill.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.