‘Alien: Romulus’ definitely earned that R-rating

Director Fede Álvarez is here to save the Alien franchise from certain doom with his newest sci-fi/horror flick, Alien: Romulus—and yes, it’s both scary and violent enough to constitute its R-rating.

In many ways, the sci-fi/horror genre is still uncharted territory, but there’s no denying that it wouldn’t be where it is today without Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien. Whether or not the film was Scott’s twisted answer to Star Wars, Alien has since gone on to spur a number of prequels, sequels, and video game spinoffs. Now, Fede Álvarez has taken the reins for the newest installment, and I can confirm that it is indeed 120 minutes of bloody, claustrophobic nightmare fuel. In short, Alien: Romulus rules.

Set between Alien and 1986’s Aliens, the new movie follows a crew of young adults led by Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, who, in an attempt to flee themselves from the clutches of their oppressive mining colony, decide to scavenge an abandoned space station. Their plan? Stow away in some cryotubes and set course for the distant planet Yvaga. Obviously, things go awry—this is an Alien movie, duh. But throw in some brutal kills and unexpected twists, and you’ve got yourself a truly frightening story.

But is Alien: Romulus’ R-rating justified?

Why is Alien: Romulus rated R?

From the get-go, 20th Century Studios advertised Alien: Romulus as a horror film despite the shared belief that most movies beyond the original Alien aren’t all that scary. Still, R-ratings don’t necessarily = jump scares and ghouls. In the case of Alien: Romulus, which is pretty uncompromising in its depictions of onscreen character deaths, I’d say this thing is definitely deserving of its rating, with the MPAA giving it an “R” for “bloody violent content and language.” So maybe don’t take the kids to this one?

Violent, Alien: Romulus sure is, but there’s more that goes into an R-rating here. F-bombs, gore, and bloodshed aside, this age rating generally gives a filmmaker more creative freedom, as they don’t have to adhere to strict MPAA guidelines to make a project into, say, a PG-13 thriller. Given the Alien franchise’s reputation (all of which are rated R, BTW), it seemed like a given that the new movie would be just as unforgiving. And with acidic Facehugger blood, hungry Xenomorphs, body horror elements, and way more grisly surprises along the way, well, I’m certainly glad for it.