A Recap of the Movie ‘Alien: Romulus’ (2024)

Written by Michael Lee

*All Media used in this article is courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Alien: Romulus 2024 Official Trailer

Cast & Crew Interviews: Alien: Romulus

Plot Synopsis

A drone probe is shown drifting across space, collecting organic material from the wreckage of the USCSS Nostromo, the spacecraft where Ripley first encountered the Xenomorph in 1979’s Alien. A piece of the Nostromo wreckage is taken to a facility where it is then cut open by technicians and although the contents are not directly shown, the shape of the wreckage resembles that of a nesting Xenomorph.

Film Clip: Alien: Romulus - “A New Plan” | Video via Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

On the planet Jackson’s Star, a mining colony, we first meet Rain Carradine, an orphaned teenager. Alongside Rain is her adopted brother named Andy, who is a synthetic human, or android, reprogrammed by Rain’s father to look after her.

Film Clip: Alien: Romulus - “Kay’s Escape” | Video via Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Against her will, Rain's work contract is unexpectedly extended by several years. To escape this entrapment, she then accepts her friend Tyler's proposal which is to embark on a journey to a derelict spacecraft. They will be accompanied by Tyler's pregnant sister Kay, his cousin Bjorn, and their mutual friend, Navarro.

Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Their mission is to salvage cryogenic stasis chambers that are potentially functional. These stasis chambers will serve as their means of transportation to the distant planet of Yvaga, where living conditions are vastly superior to their current circumstances. Tyler also extends an invitation to Andy as well, who can communicate with the spacecraft and also gain access to high security areas.

Isabela Merced as Kay in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

On their journey to Yvaga, Navarro pilots Rain and the rest of the crew on the derelict spacecraft known as the Corbelan. After further exploration of the spacecraft, they begin to realize it isn’t just a spaceship, but a research outpost space station split into two sections named Romulus and Remus. They located the intact stasis chambers, but unfortunately lacked the sufficient cryogenic fuel to continue their journey.

During their search, they stumbled upon a massive, active cryonic chamber. As they scavenged its fuel, they unintentionally reactivated some of the frozen facehuggers within, triggering an automated lockdown.

(L-R): Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo by Murray Close. © 2024 20th Century Studios

To disable the lockdown and grant Andy access to the station's controls, Rain retrieves a chip from Rook, the science officer android, (who resembles Ash, the original android aboard the Nostromo) and inserts it into Andy's brain. Although this allows Andy's control over the station's systems, it also resets his mission of protecting Rain, causing him to become solely loyal to Weyland/Yutani Corporation, his company creators.

(L-R): Xenomorph and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Later, a facehugger attaches itself to Navarro's face. Rain reactivates the damaged android, Rook, to ask him for help. Rook tells the group that the station's personnel have all been killed by the Xenomorphs, that Navarro is beyond help because she likely has been impregnated by alien seed and that all they can do is flee. Tyler is able to remove the facehugger from Novarro, though they fear it is too late. Bjorn, who is extremely hostile towards Andy, as his mother was sacrificed by an android to save a group of miners, flees with Kay and Navarro aboard the Corbelan leaving Andy, Tyler and Rain behind. They escape, but as they are about to make a further ascension, a chestburster emerges from Navarro, killing her instantly. The Corbelan then crashes into the Romulus hangar, jeopardizing the station's orbit and leaving less than an hour before it collides with Jackson's planetary rings.

Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Following the impact, Kay loses consciousness, allowing the chestburster to break free and make its way into the depths of the ship. After regaining her senses, Kay encounters Bjorn, who confronts the very same facehugger/ Xenomorph as it is transforming into its adult form, though the tussle with the Xenomorph proves fatal as its acidic blood kills Bjorn instantly.

(L-R): Archie Renaux as Tyler and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Within the Romulus, Rain, Andy, and Tyler venture toward the hangar bay, encountering additional facehuggers along the way. Kay manages to escape from the Corbelan, determined to reunite with the rest of the group. However, her escape attracts the attention of the Xenomorph. It cunningly attempts to bait the others into an ambush by stalking Kay, hoping to trap them.

David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios' ALIEN: ROMULUS ● Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Despite Tyler's pleas, Andy adamantly refuses to unlock the door to the room where Kay is trapped in order not to put the rest of them in harm's way. As the group watches helplessly, the Xenomorph seizes Kay and drags her into the darkness.

Following his new mission directives from Weyland, Andy locates samples of experimental fluid extracted from the Xenomorphs, referred to as the “Prometheus Fire” by Rook. Rook informs them that the compound, which is shown resurrecting a dead rat, will ultimately help humans evolve into perfect beings and that the samples must be returned to the colony. Rook, in control of the station's computers, refuses to let the Corbelan leave unless the samples are aboard.

Rain and Tyler go to retrieve weapons which will aid them in fighting their way back to their ship to confront Rook, but manage to stumble across a nest of Xenomorphs, with the body of Kay cocooned around them. The two attempt to take Kay with them but Tyler is instantly killed by the Xenomorph. Kay manages to survive her injuries but only after injecting the Prometheus Fire. Andy is then rendered incapacitated by the Xenomorph terror which helps Rain manage to remove the extra chip from Andy’s brain, resetting him to his original function.

Rain returns to the Romulus and then disables the ship's gravity, so they can shoot down the Xenomorphs all while keeping their blood away from the hull. Rain, Kay, and Andy all make it back to the Corbelan, and Rain cuts off Rook's connection just as the station crashes into Jackson’s planetary rings.

Featurette: Alien: Romulus - “Introducing Rain” | Video via Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

As they are just preparing to make the return home, Kay suddenly gives birth to an egg which hatches into a rapidly growing human-Xenomorph mutant. The mutant kills Kay immediately and severely damages Andy further. After a struggle, Rain manages to eject the cargo pod carrying the human-Xenomorph directly into an asteroid, quickly regaining control of the ship just before it too crashes into Jackson's rings. Rain then puts Andy in one of the stasis chambers to prepare for flight. As she too prepares to enter stasis, in her final log, she expresses uncertainty about whether they would ever reach Yvaga and what would await them if they did and the screen fades to black.

A Recap of the Movie ‘Alien: Romulus’