Alien and Aliens: Classic Sci-Fi Horror and Action

With Alien: Romulus about to hit cinemas, Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s initial entries in the iconic series remain peerless

Alien (1979). Credit: 20th Century Fox

Warning: Contains spoilers

Director Fede Álvarez recently claimed he wants to emulate both Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) in his upcoming new entry in the series, Alien: Romulus. With the original film considered a seminal work of horror, and the second a stunning action movie evolution of the premise, both are rightly revered, and both are among my favourite films of all time. Therefore, you might expect I’d be pleased with Álvarez’s remarks, but I confess they leave me rather dispirited.

Here’s why: The first two films were groundbreaking and hugely influential, but I fear Alien: Romulus is simply going to rehash past glories. It seems to be the way of things, given Hollywood’s track record with legacy sequels. Cynical pandering appears to be the order of the day, rather than adding anything of significant artistic value. Obviously, I’ll see Alien: Romulus with an open mind and hope to be proved wrong, but somehow, especially with Disney overseeing matters, I doubt we’re in for anything as singular or brilliant as the first two peerless instalments.

All of which brings me to the point of this article: A timely celebration of Alien and Aliens. These two classics are endlessly, thrillingly rewatchable. It’s no accident that they crop up in cinema rereleases every few years. That this doesn’t happen with the later entries in the series speaks volumes.