Alien: Romulus Spoilers follow.

Fede Alvarez is clearly a big fan of the Foreigner Series, Using Xenopedia in Writing Alien: Romulus to avoid breaking the canon (even the books).

So it is no surprise that the new film is packed with Easter eggs and homages to its predecessors, from Foreigner To Alien: Covenant. There are film scores on the soundtrack, iconic camera angles have been carefully recreated, and more.

But there is a fine line between awe and unnecessary fan service – and it is a line that Alien: Romulus Unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to stay on the right side.

There are two special moments that stand out in Alien: Romulus as fan service that is worse than Deadpool and Wolverinea film that we even described as “two hours of fan service packaged as a summer blockbuster.”

To explain exactly why, however, we need to look at some spoilerso look away now if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

We begin with what is probably the least subtle reference in a blockbuster this year, namely a callback to Aliens.

At the beginning of the frenetic final act Alien: RomulusRain and Andy must fight an attacking horde of Xenomorphs in the bowels of the Renaissance Station.

They cleverly disable the gravity field so that Rain can fire at the Xenomorphs without fear of their acidic blood eating through the hull and hurling them into space. She uses a Colonial Marine pulse rifle to kill most of them, leaving their blood floating in zero gravity.

After crossing the acidic minefield, Rain and Andy must climb up an elevator shaft to reach their ship. They are almost at the top before gravity automatically kicks in again and Rain falls back down the shaft, facing a Xenomorph with no weapon.

Luckily, Andy Rain comes to the rescue, grabs the rifle, and kills the Xenomorph. After firing the final shot, he says, “Get away from her,” and after a pause, “You bitch.”

Yes, it is Ripley’s classic line from Aliensbut the problem is that it doesn’t make any sense at all.

For one thing, Andy says the line 37 years before Ripley, which is canonically the first time he uses it. But why would he even say it? It would be more in keeping with the rest of his personality to tell a dad joke instead.

This is such a great line in Aliens because Ripley knew she was going up against an alien queen, “bitch” fit so well in this context. Here, Andy has no idea what gender the Xenomorph is facing – fun fact, they’re neither male nor female – and unless Rain’s father programmed him to be a misogynist, it doesn’t work.

The line only exists in Alien: Romulus for the Leonardo DiCaprio meme pointing a finger at someone, a cheap reference to a famous quote meant to make fans cheer and scream. But it hits viewers like a punch because it’s so obviously intended as such – even David Jonsson seems a little sad to say it.

Worse still, it is a type of reference that actually has no Foreigner Knowledge. It is the easiest fruit to reach, and Alvarez presents it in the rest of Alien: Romulus that he can deliver better, more subtle nods that really require Foreigner Knowledge.

A quick Google search is enough for ‘classic Foreigner quotes’ and you will find that line in seconds. (Try it, we did it to test the theory and it works.)

One could argue that Deadpool and Wolverine has several moments designed to elicit such a reaction from fans. There are probably more such references than actual plot points.

The difference, however, is that in the successful MCU film, that is exactly what you get. The Dead Pool The series has established its fourth-wall-breaking gags, and moving to the multiverse for the third film only gave it more opportunity to provide as much fan service as possible.

There is also a real reason in the universe for the gags, unlike Andy Aliens Recall that makes no logical sense.

This also goes for all the cameos, which are absolutely treated like the crowd-pleasers they are. Gambit, Blade, and Elektra are all introduced in slow motion, showing that the film knows it’s silly and fully gets the joke.

Alien: Romulus is not that movie. It’s intense, gross, and serious body horror set in space. The “get away from her, you bitch” sticks out like a sore thumb and (appropriately) sucks all the oxygen out of the movie.

It also does not shy away from a surprise cameo, like Deadpool and Wolverinebut at least the Marvel film did not resort to digital necromancy.

Shortly after arriving on the Renaissance, the group encounters the dismembered science officer Rook. The synthetic may have a different name, but he has a familiar face: Ian Holms Ash from Foreigner.

Holm unfortunately passed away in 2020, so his appearance is thanks to a digital trick: Holm serves as a facial and voice reference, while British actor Daniel Betts provided the facial and voice representation.

Technically speaking, it doesn’t violate canon. Ash was a synthetic 120A/2 gear from Hyperdyne Systems and in AliensBishop talks about how “A2s were always a little nervous,” confirming that Ash wasn’t the only one of his kind.

One might wonder why Weyland-Yutani installed another A2 on one of its stations after Ash’s spectacular failure on the Nostromo. However, it is logical that perhaps all A2s looked like Ash and one of them was used on the Renaissance.

The question, however, is why it had to be Ash. Yes, Ian Holm’s estate gave its permission, but it raises the same ethical debate about whether films can digitally recreate actors as we did with Peter Cushing in Villain One or Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters: Life After Death.

There’s no reason why Rook couldn’t have been a new type of android. Bishop might not have worked, since it turns out that, like Ash, Rook’s first instinct is to protect the company, not the people he works with. But there’s no reason why it couldn’t have been another, equally shady, synthetic robot.

As the Aliens Call-Back: Rook looking like Ash is purely fan service. Worse still, Rook ends up having a regular role in the film, so even though it could be considered a mere cameo, you’re constantly reminded of him and the somewhat questionable visual effects used to mimic Ash.

The Alien: Romulus Released during an ongoing debate about the use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry, this decision only makes it seem more strange and unnecessary.

The obvious recalls serve primarily to Alien: Romulus from being truly your own. If you are constantly reminded of the past, how can you ever fully engage with the present?

For more information about Alien: Romulus, visit:

• Alien: Romulus review
• Does Alien: Romulus have a post-credit scene?
• When will Alien: Romulus arrive on Disney+?
• The complete Foreigner Timeline
• Alien: Romulus Title has a hidden meaning

Alien: Romulus is now in theaters.

Film Editor, Digital Spy Ian has over 10 years’ experience as a writer and editor in film journalism. He started as an intern at industry bible Screen International and was promoted to report on and analyse UK box office results. He has also carved out his own niche covering horror films, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. In 2019 he became Film Editor, a role in which he has interviewed hundreds of stars including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert on BBC News and on stage at MCM Comic-Con. He continues to push his horror agenda wherever he can – whether his editor likes it or not.