Although Alien: Romulus seems determined to repeat an Alien franchise mistake, the reboot shouldn’t fall victim to this error. The Alien movies are full of unhappy endings. Alien 3 features one of the bleakest finales in sci-fi horror history and its opening managed the unique achievement of making the triumphant ending of Aliens tragic in retrospect. Alien Vs Predator: Requiem’s ending is as hopeless and cynical as the rest of the movie’s action, while Alien: Covenant’s twist is almost laughably cruel. As such, 2024’s Alien reboot Alien: Romulus could easily justify a thoroughly grim ending.

At least, that is how it might seem. However, none of these movies are particularly popular among fans of the franchise and critics, with all three of them consistently being singled out as weaker entries in the series. Alien: Romulus’s story, which is set between Alien and Aliens, should keep this in mind. Judging by its promotional materials, director Fede Alvarez’s movie is set to reduce the scope and scale of Ridley Scott’s prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant to offer a smaller, more claustrophobic, and intense horror story. This is promising, but it doesn’t mean Alien: Romulus must end badly for its heroes.