This is technically the eighth Alien film, a franchise about to have as many lives as a cat. From directors Ridley Scott to James Cameron and now Fede Alvarez, it’s been quite a ride for this IP and its most recognizable character, Ripley. On the strength of the chilling suspense he brought to such films as Don’t Breathe, there’s a lot of anticipation over having the Uruguayan director at the helm of this latest installment - which, timeline-wise, occurs between Alien and Aliens.

That may be the timeline, but despite the fan service and Easter eggs, this is practically a standalone story, so it doesn’t matter if this will be your first exposure to the Alien franchise. The action takes place on a space mining colony and how a band of young colonizers attempt to escape the planet via an excursion on a derelict space station that’s floating in the planet’s atmosphere. There’s not much to the narrative as it’s all about making the new lead characters resonate with us, then bringing on the face-huggers and the fully-developed aliens - we know the drill.

There’s a definite slow burn to this film, as Fede seems to be teasing us on purpose, wallowing in exposition and introducing the characters. Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) would be this film’s Ripley (Sigourney Weaver of first films), and you’ll root for Andy (David Jonsson) as this film’s AI/android. He’s got glitches, a frozen personality, and the worst jokes - so we love him immediately.

If you’re patient enough with the slow burn of a start, get ready as the film kicks into thriller and action mode, with a truly wild, intense third act. The fourth act is Fede’s little gift to us - when we thought it was ‘safe to go back in the water’, Alvarez throws a left curve of a fourth act, one that may divide audiences - it reminded me of Mission Impossible, but happening in deep space.

Where I think Alvarez falters is in too long of a slow burn start and how, beyond Rain and Andy, we don’t root for the other characters. I’d compare this to James Cameron with Aliens and how, beyond Ripley, we still recall Vazquez and Newt so vividly. Here, Spaeny is great, but all the others pale in comparison, except Jonsson.

Mind you, there’s still much to like about Alien: Romulus, and I would call it a much better addition to the franchise compared to the installments that came after Aliens. Watching this at the SM IMAX at MOA brought home how this is also a visual spectacle. When you consider that the first Alien was released in 1979, it’s pretty impressive to watch a 45-year-old franchise elicit such excitement and rapturous attention from an audience.

Romulus should be a big success; I’m just not sure if it’ll be seen as a truly worthwhile addition to the franchise in the years to come. The jury is still out on that particular question.