All the easter eggs in Alien: Romulus, explained 

Alien: Romulus is another addition to the expansive universe that began with the 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien. The franchise has seen a mix of some great and decent films over the years, with a notable shift toward action after James Cameron's 1986 film Aliens.

In Alien: Romulus, however, the makers have tried to bring back the horror and suspense that made the original film iconic. Set 20 years after the events of Alien, the film focuses on a bunch of characters who somehow end up on a derelict space station.

Throughout the film, fans of the original franchise would be intrigued to find references to the other films. From the opening credits to the face huggers and the shocking body horror scenes, Alien: Romulus would keep the viewers engaged till the final moments.

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Exploring all the easter eggs in Alien: Romulus

After a few underwhelming attempts at replicating the magic of the first two Alien films, Fede Alvarez, the director of Evil Dead (2013) and Don't Breathe, is back with Alien: Romulus. The film is set 20 years after Ridley Scott's Alien and 37 years before James Cameron's Aliens.

The film takes heavy inspiration from the original films in terms of tone and treatment and provides several easter eggs for the franchise fans.

Alien (1979)

At the beginning of the film, the opening credits and the technical equipment are similar to Ridley Scott's Alien. Additionally, there is a scene featuring the eating bird toys in one scene from the movie. Another similar element is the involvement of Rook in the storyline.

Aliens (1986)

The mining colony of Jackson's star appears like Hedley's Hope from James Cameron's Aliens, as does the Alien nest that Rain and Andy discover. Aliens is also famous for iconic lines like Ripley's 'get away from her you bit*h.' The same line is said by Andy in Alien: Romulus.

He also reacts to being called a synthetic with, 'I prefer the term artificial person,' which is exactly what Bishop said in the original film. A character can also be heard calling the face-huggers 'busy little creatures' like Yarn.

Aliens 3 (1992)

While David Fincher's Alien 3 is not put in the same category of greatness as the prequels, Romulus gives a nod to the film by similarly fading the 20th-century fanfare at the beginning of the movie.

Prometheus (2012)

The Z-01 goo that the crew finds in the lab is from Prometheus, the film that serves as the prequel to all the other films and explains the birth of humanity as well as the xenomorphs. In a disturbing scene in the film, Elizabeth Shaw, played by Noomi Rapace, gives birth to an alien. A similarity can be drawn with Kay giving birth to an Engineer-Xenomorph-Human mutant in Alien: Romulus.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Kay's mutant baby appears similar to the hybrid born aboard the USM Auriga in Alien: Resurrection. Also, Navrro's chest-bursting scene is similar to that of Purvis's.

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The cast of the film explored

The Alien franchise is revered for featuring a strong female lead in the form of Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley. Continuing the tradition, Cailee Spaeny is leading the cast of Alien: Romulus as Rain, an orphaned mine worker at Jackson's Star. She is accompanied by her android brother Andy, played by David Jonsson.

Other members of the crew who face the alien horror are Archie Renaux as Tyler, Rain's ex-boyfriend, and his sister Kay, played by Isabela Merced. Other cast members include Spike Fearn as Bjorn, Aileen Wu as Navarro, and Trevor Newlin as the xenomorph.

• Cailee Spaeny as Rain
• David Jonsson as Andy
• Archie Renaux as Tyler
• Isabela Merced as Kay
• Spike Fearn as Bjorn
• Aileen Wu as Navarro
• Trevor Newlin as the Xenomorph
• Rosie Ede as WY Officer
• Ian Holm as Rook (facial and vocal reference)
• Annemarie Griggs as the voice of MU
• Soma Simon
• Bence Okeke
• Viktor Orizu

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Is there an Alien: Romulus post-credit scene?

Breaking from the recent trend in franchise film tradition, popularized by Marvel, Alien: Romulus does not feature a post-credit scene. The film ends after the credits roll, leaving viewers in awe of the suspense and anxiety they just endured.

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Alien: Romulus was released on August 16, 2024, and is currently playing in theaters.