Alien: Romulus is a heart-pounding sci-fi nightmare – full stop. Yep, director Fede Álvarez really nailed the uniquely terrifying science fiction horror vibe of the Alien films, even bringing the visual aesthetic back to that of the OG 1979 movie. Afterall, this is set between the first and second films in the franchise. Do you need to have seen those films? I will say that having knowledge of Ridley Scott’s first movie will go a long way in setting the stage for this outerspace misadventure. Otherwise, you should be perfectly fine jumping in cold. And while the alien antagonists, the Xenomorphs (and their various incarnations), are as disturbing as ever here, the key to this film’s achievement is the human cast - lead by a headstrong Cailee Spaeny as Rain. The performances are authentic and heartfelt, even when the characters are going on about futuristic thingamabobs. David Jonsonn also deserves a shoutout for his complex turn as the Synthetic, Andy. Let’s just say this android goes through several “system changes” – and David pulls it off expertly. There are some nice themes around family as well, asking questions about what it means to be family and how “blood” isn’t the only thing that connects us. And, if you’re looking for the trademark unsettling Alien frights, don’t worry - you’ll get ‘em in spades. The chest-bursting classics are back in play, but there’s some novel new twists added as well. And while some of the visual effects can fall into the "uncanny valley" territory at times, it’s nowhere near the CGI abominations seen in past works. There’s also some “deep fake” type technology used for a certain character. I won’t spoil it here, but it definitely gets the job done. In fact, you’ll find that most everything works with Alien: Romulus. Heck, you'll probably like it so much, you’ll wanna give a big ‘ol face hug!