THRILLS AND CHILLS (DOUBLE FEATURE): "Trap" (2024) / "Alien: Romulus" (2024)

WRITER’S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on August 5, 2024. 

Earlier in his filmmaking career, M. Night Shyamalan had been pigeonholed for incorporating twist endings into his stories. With his latest, Trap, the trailers had me wondering if the big “reveal” was already being spoiled. Or was it? Either way, this unique thriller about a serial killer trying to escape a heavily guarded pop concert with his daughter (who is unaware of her dad’s secret life) is thoroughly effective and chilling. 

The “experience” emphasis in the marketing had me most intrigued. (That’s the director’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, as the central pop star, while Shyamalan himself cameos as a security guard—one of his best film appearances yet.) Without a doubt, Trap is well-written, well-acted, and well-crafted. Moments where characters directly face the camera recall the quote-on-quote “Kubrick stare.” Josh Hartnett gives an equally effective and chilling lead performance, even though his character (habitually putting on a nice-guy facade with awkward dad jokes) isn’t really likable, nor potentially redeemable. 

While its last act and slow-burn effect took me by surprise, I’m not sure how I feel about this movie overall. Plus, that same final section—ever so eerie and weird—becomes anti-climactic, while also conjuring up a few plot holes and questions. It may echo traits of Norman Bates from Psycho, but it seems like Shyamalan is wanting us to root for Hartnett’s Cooper to get away with it. Perhaps the title is just as much a personal metaphor as it is a narrative one. 

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WRITER’S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on August 19, 2024. 

Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 sci-fi/horror feature, Alien, remains a benchmark of its unique genre. James Cameron’s 1986 action-oriented follow-up, Aliens, is still regarded as one of the greatest sequels ever made. Every installment in the Alien franchise since then has been misguided, unnecessary, and/or predictable. Not to mention grotesque. The latest version, from director Fede Alvarez (who made 2016’s reverse home-invasion thriller Don’t Breathe and the 2013 remake of Evil Dead) and co-produced by Scott, returns to the series’ roots with high-quality practical effects, immersive world building, engrossing characters, an intriguing and operatic narrative, and a genuine sense of terror and claustrophobia. 

Alien: Romulus (named after one of the Greek demigods who supposedly founded Ancient Rome) feels like a cross between Scott’s first film and his prequel chapters (2012’s philosophically heavy Prometheus and 2017’s gory Alien: Covenant), with a little Blade Runner thrown in. Its central crew of young colony miners is superb (headed by Cailee Spaeney’s beyond-her-years Rain, David Jonsson’s synthetic being Andy, and Isabela Merced’s pregnant Kay). Even the opening credits, score excerpts (composed by Benjamin Wallfisch), and stunning IMAX-framed photography, feel like they came straight out of the late-70s/early-80s, acting as a seamless connection between the first two movies. 

Its unpredictable narrative and arcs are brilliantly written and structured, with characters looking for a way to escape the bleak colony they’ve been living in most of their lives, and longing for something better. And we really feel for these characters and fear for their safety, even as their mission is risky—and illegal—and as one of them develops a new “module” that shifts their directive, resulting in questionable choices, trust issues, and submission versus free will. I should also mention that a familiar-looking character makes an appearance that comes across as uncanny, recalling elements and scientific musings from the recent Jurassic World movies, as well as the otherwise-exceptional Star Wars prequel, Rogue One. 

But be forewarned: this is arguably the most horrific and disturbing Alien movie to date, with its horror factor cranked way passed 11. And it’s not just the creepy face huggers or the terrifying xenomorphs that’ll leave an impression as the credits roll. As its body count piles up (apparently at the cliched expense of greedy and merciless corporations, wanting to create “the perfect organism”), something much more frightening is unleashed. Let’s just say it puts a nightmarish twist—or rather, perversion—on creation and child-rearing. It also squanders any hopes and dreams these characters had. Ain’t it always the way for anybody who encounters and underestimates these monsters and never learns? You better believe it. 

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