Fede Álvarez has again made news in Alien circles with the proclamation that the sequel to Alien: Romulus will take the franchise into “uncharted waters.” This is in stark contrast to his first film in the franchise, which many have criticized as a “greatest hits” collection rather than a transformative new direction.
While I mostly feel this criticism is overblown, I do have one criticism of Alien: Romulus that I hope will be addressed in future films. During Romulus, I never felt that the Xenomorph was truly stalking Rain Carradine and crew. While we did get a few moments, such as the shot of the Xenomorph waiting in the halls outside the lab, the fear that comes from being hunted by the Perfect Organism was largely absent. The Xenomorphs mostly seemed to occupy critical hallways that Carradine and crew had to navigate through; it didn’t quite reach the “What do you mean they cut the power, man?! They’re animals!” level of terror.
Pair this frustration with a lack of any real hive scenes since Aliens (1986), and there’s a hole in the collective hearts of Alien fans; and perhaps a space for storytelling that has been left vacant for too long. But I don’t think producers have to look too far for inspiration.
Aliens: Dark Descent, though a video game, offers a good road map for how this could work in film. In the game, the hive functions like a living organism with the Queen at its heart. As marines create disturbances, she dispatches Drones to investigate. If the drones discover the intruders, she dispatches Warriors and even Praetorians to attack.
This “intelligent hive” game mechanic could be fitted with a story that would make the Queen the ultimate antagonist. Could the Colonial Marines or the group of survivors match wits with the Queen and out-navigate her as they try to escape the labyrinth? We’ve never seen an Alien film lean into the concept of an intelligent Queen the way the video games, comics, and novels have; it could make for interesting storytelling.
Tell us what you think! Should the next Alien film feature a highly intelligent hive and queen that tactically hunts characters in the story? Share your reactions in the comments below or join in the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.
Featured Image: Tindalos Interactive
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