The newest entry in the Alien franchise is being called one of the best so far. For many, it’s on par with the first two Alien films. Our own Alien: Romulus review called it just that. With Alien: Romulus now available on digital platforms for more fans to enjoy, the film will likely find even more fans, but be warned, your favorite characters are probably going to die.
Nobody likes it when a favorite character in a film dies, except possibly Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez. He told our Reelblend podcast that he gets attached to some of his characters as much as audiences do, but in his case, that actually results in an increasing desire to kill them off. He explained…
The more attached I get to them, the more sometimes I have the urge to kill them. Because that is the mission. That is the mission. It is just too good. Once you become so lovable, it's low-hanging fruit. I was like, ‘Oh, now I know how I’m gonna inflict damage on the audience in the next scene. I’m just killing this one.’ It's truly a perverse exercise of making you love people to just kill them. And look, if I didn't kill anybody, you'll ask for your money back. So no one can act shocked. That's exactly the point of this film.
Writers who tend to kill off characters are often painted as heartless monsters who must have no love for their creations. It feels like they do it just to upset the audience, and it can be really upsetiing. Some of the most famous character deaths in fiction are also some of the most memorable moments in those stories.
As much as we may hate it when a favorite character dies, as Álvarez says here, it’s “the point.” Killing off a character doesn’t mean anything if the audience isn’t invested in that character’s survival. So the more a viewer wants to see a character live, the stronger the impact when that character is ultimately killed off.
Of course, this puts the writer in a strange situation that even Fede Álvarez calls "perverse." He admits that he can get attached to these characters as much as the rest of us. Unfortunately, for him, that means potentially killing them off because it's the emotional moment a story needs.
Most horror movies include characters dying, it's something that defines the genre. But the difference between bad horror movies and the best horror movies usually isn't how a character dies or how many characters die, it's whether or not it matters that a character dies.
With Alien: Romulus available on digital platforms, fans can now go back and visit those favorite characters again, at least as long as they are still alive.
