Alien: Romulus debuts to the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise since 1986

Although it hasn’t officially been released yet, Alien: Romulus has debuted to a steller Rotten Tomatoes score, the best the franchise has seen in almost 40 years. 

As of writing, Alien: Romulus stands at an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes calculated from over 120 reviews. Early reviews of Alien: Romulus called the movie “wild” and “the summer’s best movie,” although many said they wished it was a tad scarier.

In our Alien: Romulus review, our writer says the movie is a “busy little creature” that is “brash yet naggingly over-burdened. Come for the shocks and suspense, mind the franchise mytho-stodge.”

This is the highest score the franchise has seen since James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens, which stands at a near-perfect 94% making it the highest-rated flick in the franchise and one of the best alien movies. Ridley Scott’s 1979 original movie Alien is one step behind at 93%. The lowest-rated film in the franchise is Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem which comes in at a meager 12%. Ouch. 

It sounds as though director Fede Álvarez, best known for helming Evil Dead, has pulled it off. In an interview with SFX Magazine, he revealed they sourced old Alien concept art and stills to make sure his movie looked as close to the original as possible. “We have a scan of the original 35mm print of Alien and we put it on the screen side by side with ours,” said Álvarez. And with Alien’s Scott on board as producer, Romulus was sure to succeed. 

Set between Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus follows a group of young space colonizers who decide to board a derelict space station 20 years after Warrant Officer Ripley and her spacecraft crew were first invaded by a terrifying life force. In a similar situation, the new crew soon come face to face with the universe’s most fearsome creatures. You know the ones. 

The new movie stars Civil War’s Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, The Last of Us’ Isabela Merced, and Aftersun’s Spike Fearn. 

Alien: Romulus hits theaters on August 16. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Alien movies in order, or keep up with upcoming movies heading your way this year.