Summary

• Alien: Romulus reimagines a key scene from Alien vs Predator, focusing on multiple Facehuggers attacking the crew.
• The film seems to recreate the tense horror of the original Alien, leaning away from the action-heavy approach of later entries.
• Alien: Romulus seems to be pulling inspiration from the best moments of the franchise, hinting at redemption for past missteps.

Alien: Romulus seems to be looking back at much of the Alien franchise for its new brutal take on the series, including reimagining one of the best scenes from one of the franchise's most lackluster entries. The Alien franchise has something of a mixed record, with the first two films in the series often heralded as classics of the sci-fi genre. By contrast, many of the latter Alien movies have been decried for an assortment of reasons. One of the most infamous entries twenty years after it was released remains Alien Vs. Predator.

Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the 2004 film pits the Predators against a horde of Xenomorphs, creating a crossover between the two series that generated a sequel but little critical appraisal. However, even that film had one scene that truly underscores the frightening potential of the Xenomorph's infant state. Alien: Romulus seems to be taking a similar approach, throwing several of the creatures at the human characters. It's a good showcase and a hint that Alien: Romulus' story might be the key to making up for many of the Alien franchise's woes.

Alien: Romulus' Multiple Facehuggers Can Fix Alien Vs Predator

Facehugger Swarms Are A Good (And Terrifying) Idea

One of the scenes teased in the trailer for Alien: Romulus features an entire swarm of Facehuggers chasing after the crew members of the Romulus, giving fresh life to the best sequence in Alien vs. Predator. Alien: Romulus seems to be a deliberate throwback to an earlier era of the Alien franchise, reflecting the tense horror of the original film rather than the more bombastic beats of Aliens or the philosophical exploration in Ridley Scott's Prometheus. One of the most infamous examples of the franchise's action-heavy approach is Alien vs. Predator, which pitted the titular extraterrestrial killers against one another.

One of the underlying flaws of that film was the way it traded away any potential tension in lieu of big fight scenes and explosions. This detracted from the stronger horror beats of both Alien and Predator. However, the best scene of that crossover film focused on multiple Facehuggers waking up at the same time within a sacrificial chamber. They quickly attack the explorers and infect them, leading to the birth of several Xenomorphs in a frightening sequence. It's something that Alien: Romulus seems to recognize, which seems to feature a similar beat that it recreates more in line with Alien.

Alien Vs Predator's Facehugger Scene Was One Of The Movie's Strongest

How Alien: Romulus Is Replicating The Best Beat From Alien Vs Predator

While the Xenomorphs of Alien Vs Predator were largely reduced to monsters for the Predators to test their might against, the Facehuggers remained uniquely alien and frightening. Several of them coming to life at once proved to be a quickly overwhelming and horrifying beat. It stands out as one of the film's only genuinely scary moments, and speaks to the unnerving effectiveness of the Facehuggers as a movie monster. One of the most frightening moments in the trailer for Alien: Romulus highlights a similar concept, as features a genuine swarm of Facehuggers racing through the decks of the Romulus and infecting crew members.

It's a reminder of how quick and lethal the creatures are, something Alien Vs Predator did with relish during the scenes set in the sacrificial chamber. While the film may have been overall something of a disappointment, Alien Vs Predator did utilize the Facehuggers effectively. It was a reminder of how scary the creatures could be, and how suddenly they could become lethal. Taking cues from that moment is a good indicator that Alien: Romulus is willing to pull from all over the franchise, and could quietly redeem one of the more lackluster films in the franchise.