10 Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies Of The 2020's (So Far)

It's safe to say Alien: Romulus is the third best entry in the Alien IP. If Ridley Scott's space saga hadn't lost its way over 30 years ago, such a claim would carry more weight. However, there's no doubt Fede Alvarez' sidequel has revitalised the brand in a way its creator couldn't manage with Prometheus or Alien Covenant.

Serving as a direct sequel to Alien, Romulus follows a miner called Rain (Cailee Spaeny) who's trying to make ends meet on a space colony. When a Xenomorph cocoon on the facility erupts open, Rain and her companions do all they can to survive.

Due to the last few Alien flops, skepticism surrounding Romulus was reasonable. Fortunately, much of that cynicism is put to rest early on. The film quickly and efficiently fleshes out the characters, makes their relationship with one another clear, and sets up their inner conflicts. Even though Rain and Andy (David Jonsson) serve as substitutes to Ripley and Bishop respectively, they never feel like carbon copies, thanks to the tight script and the actors' phenomenal performances.

Rather than going for cheap scares and sensational gore, Romulus builds the tension slowly. The subtler approach is a great idea and makes it more effective when a jump-scare is thrown in.

Sadly, Romulus loses points for relying on nostalgia bait (Was anyone pining for Ian Holm's return?) Despite these fumbles, the future for Alien hasn't been this bright since the '80s.