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Review of Alien: Romulus (Benjamin Wallfisch)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you continue to appreciate Benjamin Wallfisch's tendency to approach franchise scores with intelligence, this entry adapting old and new ideas into one of the concept's more compelling film scores.

Avoid it... if you cannot accept any dose of the composer's highly grating electronic manipulation for horror applications, the chasing and confrontation moments in this work completely unlistenable.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Alien: Romulus: (Benjamin Wallfisch) Judging from the critical and audience response to 2024's Alien: Romulus, there appears to be no diminishment in the public's desire to see Facehuggers and Xenomorphs do their needlessly unpleasant routine. In this case, the story takes place between the first two films of the franchise and involves the wreckage of the initial movie's ship and a group of civilians that become involved in its destiny by trying to escape the control of the evil Weyland-Yutani Corporation for seemingly unrelated reasons. In attempting to secure supplies from that company's supposedly derelict space station, they can ditch their soulless work contract for a better life. Of course, that station is connected to the prior ship of fame and contains all sorts of shit that no sane person will want involved with. Thankfully, there are still androids in this franchise, and the one that serves as the partner for the heroine in this entry is ultimately tested in its allegiances. With great care, the production, which was guided by Ridley Scott himself, resurrected dead actor Ian Holm to serve as another android (evil, of course) in the plot. Sadly, Alien: Romulus does not involve the Xenomorphs attacking the Romulans of "Star Trek" fame, which would have made a more interesting picture. The Alien franchise has rotated mercilessly between composers during its long history, its music never following any linear path other than its frequent dwelling in dissonant horror shades of the most challenging nature. Generally, the public's interest in these scores waned as time went on, their awards consideration dwindling along the way. For Alien: Romulus, some had speculated that director Fede Álvarez would continue his collaboration with Roque Baños from the 2010's, but the assignment ultimately went to ascendant horror and action composer Benjamin Wallfisch. One of the greatest benefits of Wallfisch's involvement in a franchise like this is his typically intelligent handling of a franchise's prior musical identities. That tact was disturbingly absent from his Twisters sequel score just prior to this one, but enthusiasts of the Alien films' music will be pleased that his approach to Alien: Romulus is much better connected to the concept's past.

With Wallfisch often comes two important assets to major film scores: a highly intelligent blend of thematic development and orchestration on one hand, and an outstanding mix of its recording on the other. Thankfully, both of these habits by the composer are in full force in Alien: Romulus, the quality of the narrative and instrumental layers quite superb. And, as usual, the score sounds vibrant and alive, a circumstance of tasteful reverb and excellent balance between the instrumental groupings. That doesn't mean that everything in this recording is particularly pleasant, because it's an Alien film, after all. But the equation is all highly recognizable for the composer's collectors, the tone of the work generally a combination of The Invisible Man and The Flash. Orchestrally, there is much to like in the suspense, fantasy, and action corners. Wallfisch has a knack for incorporating a harp better than most in this era, and his string usage is layered extremely nicely in several cues, including "The Hive" despite synthetic intrusion. There is excellent symphonic action akin to highlights from The Flash in the brief but engaging "Elevator Shaft Attack." Listeners can expect some surprisingly tonal expressions of drama at times as well. Then, however, come the egregious, thrashing chase and killing cues that use metallic scraping noises and obnoxious manipulation for the pure horror element. That's not new for Wallfisch; the electronic dissonance here is very similar to the abrasive parts of The Invisible Man and Mortal Kombat. This mode is insufferable in some places, as in portions of "There's Something in the Water," the second half of "XX121," and the rambling thumps with voices and synths in "He's Glitchy." Though understandably irritating, the percussive experimentation and manipulation in "The Offspring" is an awful experience, one so bad that it becomes funny in its imitation of groaning beast noises. These techniques continue into "Collision Warning," but such outrageously intolerable moments, as with The Invisible Man and Mortal Kombat, don't define the score. Perhaps the most intriguing addition to the palette for Wallfisch in this work is the diverse choral usage that reminds of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the suspense element, highlighted in the second half of "The Chrysalis." Usually, though, the choir is restrained to its typical, attractive duties in support of fantasy resonance.

The thematic tapestry in Alien: Romulus is extremely tight, Wallfisch keeping his three main new identities extremely close in relation. The interplay between the three variations on this primary theme is compelling in "Wake Up," "Searching," and "Guns v Acid Blood," and "Entering Nostromo," which especially masterfully explores the theme in all its purposes, often in a structural struggle with each other. On top of this trio of ideas is a general, ascending fantasy motif typical to Wallfisch's methods and used throughout. These passages most closely resemble the allure of the evocative portions of The Invisible Man. As for the actual three variants of the main theme, the composer uses the same five notes overall but changes or inverts their ordering in the major and minor keys to represent the lead heroine, Rain, her android, Andy, and the Xenomorphs. It is somewhat surprising that Wallfisch chose a strategy of so closely connecting these three characters given that they have nothing in common in a general sense, and the tactic may ultimately cause some listeners to simply lump all three variants together as one identity for the movie. Unlike with Twisters, though, the five note combinations here are better enunciated throughout the whole story to really drive home their presence, regardless of the variation of the moment. Those variations are provided fairly equally, starting with the Rain theme. In its five notes, the middle three are ascending in a usual Wallfisch yearning sense. This idea consolidates on brass at 1:06 into "The Chrysalis" and builds out of the composer's usual undulating phrases of mystery at 0:46 into "That's Our Sun" with several guises for the theme nicely lacing the ambient tonal intrigue of the cue. The Rain theme follows the Andy version early in "Entering Nostromo," including a nervous rhythmic statement, and emerges from Wallfisch's fantasy motif nicely in the middle of "Searching." It opens "The Hive" in near sadness but then substantial curiosity, proceeds with horn and cello resolve at 1:06 into "Andy," is plucked at the start of "Gravity Purge" multiple times as it builds steam, and guides the massive action of "Elevator Shaft Attack." Rain's theme then dominates "Get Away from Her," majestic with choir at 2:16 and on solo horn at 3:13, both those big renditions missing an ascending note in the phrase. The idea finally morphs into a giant, timpani-pounding climax in "Raine" with somewhat grand heroism before struggling in hopeful suspense during the middle of "Sleep."

The variation of Rain's theme for her android, Andy, is subtle in Alien: Romulus, the first note ascending instead of descending and the rest of the theme remaining the same. Really, the difference between the Rain and Andy themes is not significant enough for most people to notice, especially given the fact that the divergent first note of the idea is sometimes clipped off the phrase anyway. Because the android is reprogrammed partway through the film to give him an evil personality loyal to the corporation (more akin to Ash from the first film), Wallfisch establishes this theme as a benevolent though slightly mysterious offshoot of the Rain theme until shifting Andy's renditions into the minor key when the machine takes on different priorities. This version's distinct opening to the five-note phrase stews at 0:45 into "The Chrysalis" in a unique variant and opens "Entering Nostromo" with multiple strained renditions. It follows the Rain version in the tentatively beautiful portions of "Searching" but turns menacing after the main Goldsmith Alien theme's performance in "XX121," and that mode continues in the minor key early in "Prometheus Fire" with a little melodrama. Andy's theme returns at the start of "Guns v Acid Blood" and again in full form at 0:42 into that cue, becoming lightly melodramatic by the middle of "Andy." With its major mode back in sight, the theme turns redemptively tonal at 1:25 and retains cyclical form at 3:45 into "Get Away From Her," and it meanders with some slight discomfort early and at 1:17 into "Sleep." Meanwhile, Wallfisch handles the uniquely discourteous Xenomorph race with a true inversion of Rain's theme, though sometimes only in that theme's latter four notes. Most listeners will recognize this variant simply by its descending nature, whereas the Rain and Andy themes are majority ascendant identities. For the Xenomorph theme, a nervous rhythmic version follows similar treatment of the Rain theme in "Entering Nostromo," then hinted in the only tonal moment during the middle of the otherwise untethered "There's Something in the Water." This Xenomorph variant is cyclical in the romping action at 0:56 into "Guns v Acid Blood." It is very well-handled multiple times in "Get Away From Her," allowed an appropriately big statement at 1:15 and informing the subsequent climax. The idea stomps briefly at 2:13 into "The Offspring" and 1:22 into "Collision Warning" with almost cartoonish machismo, and a choral confrontation for the theme highlights a moment at 2:14 into the latter cue.

The overall narrative of these themes leads to an obligatory false conclusion of relief. Descending lines from the Xenomorph theme echo in the horror crescendo that closes "Sleep," because no good film or score in this franchise could end without some reminder that Facehuggers await even the most diligent civilians and warriors in future films. The most pleasant surprise in the score for Alien: Romulus comes in the employment of previous musical motifs from the franchise. Of particular note is Wallfisch's loyalty to Goldsmith's Alien, which makes sense given this plot. He extensively utilizes Goldsmith's mystery motif, descending pairs of echoing woodwind notes that are teased almost immediately in "The Chrysalis" and faint at the start of "Wake Up" amongst Wallfisch's own ascending fantasy motif. But this legacy mystery motif is more formally stated by flutes at 1:09 into "XX121," later fleeting at 1:28 into "Prometheus Fire" and on disjointed flutes at 0:07 into "Andy," Wallfisch slightly deconstructing the motif. This idea faintly informs the middle of "Gravity Purge" and briefly influences at 3:36 into "Get Away From Her." While Wallfisch didn't need to use Goldsmith's echoplex of the 1970's, the technique lives on well in this score. And then there's Goldsmith's main theme, conveyed fully on trumpet early in "XX121." The backing for this theme actually starts peeking through in the latter half of "Searching," and these performances are highly satisfying. Later, Gregson-Williams's life theme from Prometheus receives a distinct reference at 2:03 into "Prometheus Fire." No other completely obvious reference to the prior scores makes such a prominent impact in Alien: Romulus. Elliot Goldenthal's style is definitely referenced in the pounding timpani and choral finale in "Raine," but you never hear a true tribute to James Horner's Aliens or the other franchise scores with similar clarity. Instrumental and rhythmic applications may remind of these other composers, but nothing will compete with the clear influence of Goldsmith. On the whole, the score is among the better to grace this franchise, and a solid twenty minutes of highlights could consolidate the tonal fantasy portions into a very attractive experience apart from the film. The brash electronics and abrasive horror techniques are necessary, perhaps, and Wallfisch enthusiasts have heard (and skipped past) most of that before. An extended album available only on vinyl a few months after the main album's release is a travesty wasted on monied people foolish enough to pay ridiculous sums for vinyl in the 2020's. Send Facehuggers after those responsible for such a disservice to 99% of film music collectors out there.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 55:15

• 1 The Chrysalis (2:38) • 2. That's Our Sun (2:55) • 3. Wake Up (1:40) • 4. Entering Nostromo (2:52) • 5. Searching (2:55) • 6. There's Something in the Water (2:49) • 7. XX121 (3:37) • 8. He's Glitchy (4:27) • 9. Run! (2:47) • 10. Prometheus Fire (4:19)

• 11. Guns v Acid Blood (1:33) • 12. The Hive (1:41) • 13. Andy (1:38) • 14. Gravity Purge (2:13) • 15. Elevator Shaft Attack (1:22) • 16. Get Away From Her (4:31) • 17. The Offspring (6:07) • 18. Collision Warning (3:35) • 19. Raine (1:09) • 20. Sleep (2:06)

NOTES & QUOTES:

There exists no official packaging for this album.

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