4 reasons Alien: Romulus is an absolute must-watch (and 2 that might make you reconsider)

The latest entry in the Alien franchise is officially playing in theaters and Alien: Romulus is earning great reviews from fans and critics so far. Coming from Don't Breathe and Evil Dead director Fede Alvarez, Alien: Romulus is a terrifying, gory, and claustrophobic flick that takes the franchise back to its survival horror roots.

Some mild spoilers for Alien: Romulus ahead

We're back to telling a tightly-paced story about a group of people isolated in space as they're relentlessly stalked by primordial predators. So, should you check this one out in theaters (yes!)?

1. WATCH IT: Everything is practical and it looks amazing

Practical is the way to go. Alvarez clearly takes great pride in limiting the use of CGI in his movies. He was the same way with his Evil Dead remake, and it works to great effect here. You can tell significant care was taken to create the detailed sets and ensure the Xenomorphs look more terrifying and life-like than ever before. The practicality alone is reason enough to see this on the biggest screen you can.

2. SKIP IT: The characters are the film's weak spot

My biggest issue with Alien: Romulus is its characters. David Jonsson and Cailee Spaeny both deliver excellent performances as their characters Andy and Rain, but their relationship as siblings never feels fully realized. Spaeny holds her own as an Ellen Ripley-esque heroine for the modern era and Jonsson is wonderfully sweet and charismatic.

But the film doesn't do much to flesh out its other main characters: Tyler, Navarro, Kay, and Bjorn, making scenes where they face off against the alien creatures and get injured (or killed) feel anti-climactic. I wasn't particularly invested in whether they lived or died. As much as it's great to watch the carnage unfold in a horror movie, the tension is lacking when the audience doesn't feel strongly about a character's fate one way or another.

3. WATCH IT: Lots of references and callbacks to previous Alien films

Diehard fans of the Alien franchise will appreciate the dozens of callbacks, easter eggs, and references to other films (and even Alien: Isolation) peppered throughout Alien: Romulus. Actually, there are so many references that this reason could just as easily be a "skip it" for some who feel the fan service is too heavy-handed.

If you spent a significant chunk of time marathoning all of the movies before seeing Alien: Romulus in theaters, let it be known you will be heavily rewarded.

4. WATCH IT: It's gross in the best way.

There's so much slime. Squelchy, spindly-fingered, long-tailed, freaky, menacing creatures covered in all sorts of alien goop. Acidic Xenomorph blood is used in creatively horrific ways. Everything is dripping and coated in extraterrestrial slop. It's GROSS. And the best.

5. SKIP IT: The uncanny return of an older character

One of the more hotly contested elements of the new Alien film is the return of the synthetic character Ash, played by the late Ian Holm in the original movie. Many fans have assumed the recreation was achieved using AI but according to a new interview with Alvarez from Entertainment Weekly, that's not exactly the case.

"The creation of Rook was achieved through a combination of animatronics built to resemble Holm and actor Daniel Betts performing his lines," reads the EW piece. Technically, the synthetic we see in Alien: Romulus is not the same Ash; the synthetic in Alien: Romulus is "Rook," though he and Ash share the same knowledge since they're all part of Mother's consciousness, Alvarez explains.

But overall, it always feels a little off to bring a dead actor back. And knowing that these androids share Mother's knowledge makes it even stranger since, theoretically, they could have made the android look like just about anyone.

Regardless of whether you agree with the decision or not, it's worth reading the EW article to understand the thought process behind Alvarez's decision and how it came to be in the film.

6. WATCH IT: Fede Alvarez is a fantastic director.

Alvarez knows his way around a horror movie. He injected new energy into the Evil Dead franchise in 2013 and gave us a great new character in Mia (who I still want to see return someday), and now he's livening up the Alien franchise. Maybe we can get him to direct a Friday the 13th film next. But my favorite thing about Alvarez is his love of practical effects. I hope he keeps directing horror films for many years to come.

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