Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulusis the latest installment in Ridley Scotts hugely popularAlienfranchise, set between the events of the first and second movies.
The story follows a group of scavengers, led by a young woman named Rain, who set out for an abandoned spaceship in search of parts that they can sell to earn their freedom.
But what they find on the ship is much more dangerous than anything they could have expected.The story ofAlien: Romulusis very reminiscent of the first movie, but there are many interesting themes explored that give it a unique identity.
David Jonssons character Andy is one of the most interesting figures inAlien: Romulus, as he allows for some intricate commentary on the future of mankinds relationships with robots and artificial intelligence.The film spends plenty of time exploring to what extent Andy is defined by his central programming, giving him different orders at different points of the film and examining how he responds to his shifting moral compass.Andy is Rains brother, but their relationship often becomes strained due to his lack of humanity, and the film has several ways of showing this.
Andy Glitches In Alien: Romulus Because His Module Is Not Fully Functioning
The Robot Has Some Faulty Parts
From the very beginning ofAlien: Romulus, its clear that something isnt quite right with Andy.
Hes often seen glitching and forgetting things, which is frequently the first sign that a machine is on the way out.
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These glitches become more common as the story progresses, giving Andy a unique character arc that explores to what extent hes defined by his programming rather than the lived experiences that hes had.The primary reason for Andys glitches at the beginning of the film is his faulty module, which was first installed by his father prior to his death.
Alien: Romulus marks the return of the Alien movie franchise, and there are options for where to watch it in theaters or at home on streaming.
The faulty module is a clear indication of Andy and Rains poverty in their current living situation, as they cant afford to get it repaired without selling everything theyve worked so hard to build.
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Rain often voices her concern for Andy, wishing she could afford to get him fixed and buy a new module, and this likely contributes to her willingness to join the scavengers on their expedition.Rain is one of theAlienfranchises best protagonists, and her constant concern for Andy makes her extremely likable inAlien: Romulus.
Andy Also Glitches Whenever He Is Physically Damaged
The Character’s Beatdown At The Beginning Of The Film Damages Him Further
Another reason for Andys frequent glitches is his physical damage: the android has been through a lot since the death of Rains father, including constant manual labor and sporadic beatings from strangers looking to steal his parts.
At the beginning ofAlien: Romulus, Andy is beaten down on the streets, and Rain is forced to carefully repair him as a result -this immediately presents the character as fragile and brittle, helping to explain why Rain is so eager to go scavenging later in the story.
Both Andy and Rook are the two most damaged and vulnerable characters in this story, which is a clear comment on the futility of corporate greed in this capitalist universe.
Theandroids inAlienmoviestend to be the strongest and most intelligent of all the characters, butAlien: Romulusflips this on its head.
Both Andy and Rook are the two most damaged and vulnerable characters in this story, which is a clear comment on the futility of corporate greed in this capitalist universe.
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Rook has been damaged because of his commitment to the corporate mission above his own safety, andAndy keeps glitching because his planet wont pay Rain enough to buy the partsto repair him.
Andy’s Glitches Connect To His Backstory & Rain’s Father
The Late Engineer Is No Longer There To Fix Andy’s Glitches
Alienmovies have always had some political undertones, but the treatment of androids and their relationship with social class inAlien: Romulusis one of the films' most interesting works.Andy represents a brand of society thats repressed and ignoredbecause hes not viewed as quite as important as the wealthier residents of the planet, which is a clear attempt from director Fede Alvarez of drawing an analogy for todays real-life situation.
Andys glitches repeatedly display this aspect of Andys backstory, presenting him as broken by the injustice on his planet.
Andys glitches also draw attention to the absence of Rains father, whos described as a talented engineer who programmed Andy in the first place.
If he were still alive, their father would have been able to rewire Andy and presumably fix his glitches, but instead, they serve as a reminder that hes gone.
This places the responsibility onto Rain to step into her fathers shoes and protect her adopted brother, first from the injustice at home, and later from all theXenomorphs on the Romulus space station.
Why Rook’s Module Stops Andy’s Glitches
The Weyland-Yutani Android Has Advanced Software
Towards the middle ofAlien: Romulus,Andy is given a new module chipthat resets his original programming and gives him a new primary detective.
While this is bad news for Rain and her friends (as it overrides Andys previous orders to protect them), it simultaneously upgrades Andys AI and seemingly fixes the glitches.
Andys changing directives play a huge role inAlien: Romulus, giving the film space to explore the ethical complexities between Weyland-Yutani and its employees.The company androids essentially exist only to make the most profit for the company, as they dont have the same self-survival instinct that humans do.
They will always make tough decisions that benefit the company rather than the employees - Andy is different, however, as hes been programmed out of a fathers love for his daughter.
In theending ofAlien: Romulus, Rain manages to replace Andys chip with his original module, restoring his primary directive while ensuring that his updated AI keeps the glitches at bay.
Its a win-win for all parties involved, but more importantly, it represents the films central message thattechnology should not merely be used for profit.
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Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise.
The movie is directed by Fede Alvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs.
Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
