Aliens don’t adhere to our social-distance boundaries.
They just don’t respect personal space.
Anyone who has seen an “Alien” movie knows this. There’s that now standard shot, seemingly a must in these films, of a hideous, giant, toothy extraterrestrial sticking its face inches away from a cornered horrified human, usually if not always female. The female turns away with an expression of horror and repulsion on her face, as if to say, “This critter has the worst stinkin’ breath in the cosmos!”
Rain (Cailee Spaeny) meets a new friend in “Alien: Romulus.” (20th Century Studios)
We get this shot in “Alien: Romulus” (R, 119 minutes, in theaters), the seventh movie in the franchise, though, in terms of timing, it apparently takes place between the first two films, “Alien” and “Aliens.” There’s a new plot for “Romulus”: Young folks trying to escape a dreary mining colony take over an abandoned space station and experience a few unpleasant surprises (surprises for them, not for us). Despite the new angle, and an unexpected appearance by a former cast member (unless you know who, you’ve probably guessed wrong), “Romulus” essentially rehashes the same old “Alien” stuff.
There’s an android among them, naturally, who’s best buddies with the protagonist, Rain Carradine, played by Cailee Spaeny of “Priscilla” and “Civil War.” One of the gang is especially mean to the android, which brings up the question (again) of whether real humans are superior morally or in any other way to the artificial variety.
We get lots of standard shots and other bits from the “Alien” playbook, whether it’s crew members running for their lives through dark spaceship corridors or a baby alien emerging from a crew member’s chest like a stripper coming out of a birthday cake.
Ta-da!
Spaeny, usually so engaging, is wasted, as is the impressive art direction. Better to rewatch the spooky “Alien” or the wildly entertaining “Aliens” than this time-killer. ** (out of four)
Giving in to temptation
Catherine Breillat’s “Last Summer” (104 minutes, in theaters) also tells a familiar story, but in a provocative way.
Anne (Lea Drucker), a successful lawyer, appears to lead a comfortable existence with her husband, Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin), and their two young daughters. Theo (Samuel Kircher), Pierre’s rebellious teenage son from another marriage, comes to live with them, and …
Can you guess? Hint: Pierre is often away on business.
Anne (Lea Drucker) and Theo (Samuel Kircher) engage in forbidden love in “Last Summer.” (Sideshow/Janus Films)
So, yes, after an initial period where they barely speak, Anne and Theo warm up to each other, becoming increasingly intimate. They begin a passionate affair. And then, predictably, things get messy.
But this is no standard drama about forbidden love. Veteran French filmmaker Breillat, remaking the 2019 Danish film “Queen of Hearts,” considers what it means to be consumed with desire. In the case of Anne and her stepson, it’s like a Freudian heavyweight boxing match, and Id is kicking Superego’s ass. Speaking of Freud, troubled Theo, angry at his father for past neglect, also has a serious Oedipus Complex, which leaves his motivation for pursuing the affair in question.
Breillat doesn’t shy away from how the lovers’ reckless behavior could destroy several lives, but she also emphasizes, with extended close-ups, the bliss Anne and Theo feel in each other’s arms. Meanwhile, when matters reach a breaking – or, break-up – point, she shows how the power shifts back and forth between Anne and Theo … and Pierre.
In the end, Breillat suggests, life comes down to choice. What can you live with, and how can you live with it? To its credit, “Last Summer” offers no easy answers, no comforting resolution. The film is unsettling, as it’s meant to be. ***½
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller, Movie Critic
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or follow him onTwitter @TimMillerCritic. Or you can ignore him completely.
