Summary
The final trailer forAlien: Romulusis both exhilarating and contentious, but there’s an intriguing reveal in its soundscape. On the one hand, the scares in theRomulustrailer arguably give away too many surprises. On the other,the preview promises a return to theoriginalAlien’s horror roots– an exciting prospect for fans who have been frustrated by the franchise’s recent history.
One sneaky element of this is thecreepy, echoey old song played throughout the trailerwhile exploring the halls of the derelict space station. The use of the song is a clever reference to the originalAlienmovie, and it has exciting implications for the upcoming interquel. Although director Fede Álvarez has pledged a standalone entry,Alien: Romulus' position in the series' timelinemeans it has a clear connection to the earlier movies. While this will undoubtedly be reinforced in the narrative, the use of an oldAliensong is a more subtle link to what’s come before.
Alien: Romulus - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
With Fede Álvarez at the helm of the new Alien movie the franchise is heading in a promising direction, but what is Alien: Romulus about?
“You Are My Lucky Star” Plays In The Final Alien: Romulus Trailer
The Song Is A Ghost Of The Original Movie
In the final trailer forAlien: Romulus,the song “You Are My Lucky Star” is used, as sung by Gene Kelly inSingin’ In The Rain.It isolates the vocals and adds an echo and a radio-like, crackly quality. It intersperses lines from the chorus with bassy, ominous synth as the crew explores the creepy interior of the Romulus space station. The old tune adds to the movie’s retrofuturistic vibe, which promises tofix the design problems ofPrometheusandCovenant. Butit’s more than an unsettling aesthetic – it also harks back to the franchise’s roots.
It’s a subtle nod to the originalAlien. While Ripley is preparing to take on the Xenomorph, she mutters parts of the song to herself to calm herself in the face of terror. Her daughter, Amanda Ripley, also sings it in the gameAlien: Isolation.The song is a reference to the 1952 movieSingin’ In The Rain.The lyrics of the song take on a sinister meaning when put in theAliencontext. For instance,“You’ve opened heaven’s portal here on earth for this poor mortal,”reflects Weyland-Yutani’s secret plot to capture the Xenomorph in the 1979 classic.
What Alien: Romulus Repeating Ripley’s Song Could Mean For The New Movie
The Song References Both Alien’s Legacy And Humanity’s Past
Using “You Are My Lucky Star” tethers the characters to their past. Despite Álvarez’s decision to make an interquel set 20 years afterAlien, this draws on something prequelsPrometheusandCovenantdid well. InPrometheus,David repeatedly quotes the 1962 movieLawrence of Arabia,a reference that cleverly mirrors the synth’s ongoing struggles with identity, loyalty, and humanity’s colonial entitlement. InCovenant,Shaw sings the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as a distress signal. Thisprovides a dramatic contrast to the setting of the futureand therelatably inexperiencedRomuluscharacters’journey into the horrifying unknown.
This subtle nod to Ripley’s face-down could also reflect his paying homage to the originals.
The song arguably uncovers another hidden message – inSingin’ In The Rain,it’s sung to reveal that Kathy is the real star. This could foreshadowÁlvarez centering the Xenomorph once again. He’s made no secret of the fact he adores theAlienandAliensmovies, and this subtle nod to Ripley’s face-down could also reflect his paying homage to the originals – without dismissing thePrometheusduology,asRomulusis not disconnected from Scott’s prequels. The final trailer highlights thatAlien: Romulusis to be a meaningful rework, the human themes giving it weight to balance out the chest-bursting crowdpleasers.
