One of the most distressing trends to emerge in Hollywood in the last several decades is the notion that every filmmaker with a breakout hit independent film is destined to take on the reins to a massic franchise project from one of the major studios. Occasionally, this is a strategy that works out; such was the case when Ryan Coogler was able to direct Creed and Black Panther after the success of his Sundance darling Fruitvale Station. On the other hand, Josh Trank seemingly had something special with Chronicle but got stuck making a disastrous Fant4stic film and a Star Wars project that never came to fruition. When compared to these other “rising star” directors, Fede Álvarez is unique in that he has directed three films from major franchises. Although his original film Don’t Breathe was a hit among horror buffs, Álvarez has been best known for directing and co-writing the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, the soft reboot The Girl In The Spider’s Web, and the recent semi-prequel Alien: Romulus.
In all fairness to Álvarez, the three specific franchises he was tasked with revitalizing were no longer at their peak; indie filmmakers brought on to direct superhero movies have a very clear path of success, but Álvarez was tasked with retooling franchises on the brink of collapse. Between revamping Evil Dead generations after Sam Raimi’s original films became cult hits, introducing a new Lisbeth Salander shortly after Rooney Mara earned an Academy Award nomination for the same role, and offering a new Alien story after the divisive responses to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the director and writer certainly had his work cut out for him. Álvarez may have been able to bring these franchises back into relevance, but he’s not making the type of bold decisions that will make them last in the long run.
Fede Álvarez Takes a ”Back to Basics” Approach for Franchises
The term “soft reboot” has often been used to describe sequel films that are technically continuations of the same chronology, yet ostensibly serve as loose reimaginings of where the franchises had already been. Álvarez has utilized the “soft reboot” approach to help introduce a new audience for each of his franchises. 2013’s Evil Dead is almost identical in narrative to Raimi’s 1981 original film but features a new cast of characters and a far more sinister tone. The Girl In The Spider’s Web essentially assumes that audiences who saw The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo are already familiar with the character’s backstory, and moves forward as a new sequel starring Claire Foy. Alien: Romulus may technically take place between Alien and Aliens, but the notion of “young people trapped with a xenomorph in an enclosed environment” is a hallmark of every entry in the franchise thus far.
The issue with Álvarez’s simplistic approach is that these franchises were in desperate need of a radical reinvention, and not a ploy for nostalgia. While each film in Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise had progressively taken the story in a weirder new direction as it followed the continuing adventures of Ash (Bruce Campbell), Álvarez seemingly thought that it was the “cabin in the woods” itself that audiences had fallen in love with. The Girl In The Spider’s Web, while operating as a perfectly entertaining espionage thriller, did not explore the depth of female trauma in the same way that David Fincher’s film had only a few years earlier. The “return to the roots” approach to Alien: Romulus felt particularly upsetting in the aftermath of the release of both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant; while Ridley Scott’s two prequel films were divisive, they did seek to expand the franchise beyond its horror origins and dig into more existential themes about the origin of mankind. Many of the critical ideas that Scott came up with, such as the notion of the Engineers and their role in the development of life in the universe, are entirely absent in Alien: Romulus; Álvarez seems content to simply tell another confined slasher story that barely touches on the context of the broader Alien universe.
Fede Álvarez Is a Master Craftsman, But Not an Innovator
Although he is certainly not the type of original writer who has brought a new flair to these beloved properties, Álvarez is still a visionary storyteller who can direct perilous sequences of paranoia and suspense. Evil Dead isn’t the most profound or well-acted installment in the beloved cult horror series, but it’s certainly the gnarliest; in fact, the blood-soaked finale of Álvarez’s 2013 remake is so gory that even Raimi himself may have to tip his hat out of respect. The Girl In The Spider’s Web certainly pales in comparison to the work that Fincher did in his 2011 film, but it does address the changing nature of technology in order to provide a compelling portrayal of what a female vigilante would look like. Alien: Romulus has been particularly praised for its jaw-dropping third act, which took the idea of the alien/human hybrids introduced in Alien: Resurrection and turned it into a walking, breathing nightmare.
The larger issue is that Álvarez has not given any of these franchises room to grow. Despite mildly positive reviews for Evil Dead, none of the characters really popped, which left New Line Cinema to develop a completely different legacy sequel with Evil Dead Rise only a decade later. The Girl With The Spider’s Web didn’t hit with audiences or critics in the way that it was intended to, as the franchise is set to be rebooted once more as a television series. The fate of a potential Alien: Romulus sequel remains up in the air; while it would be easy to see Álvarez and Cailee Spaeny returning for what one would imagine to be his version of Aliens, but the larger Alien franchise has often worked when allowing unique auteur filmmakers like David Fincher and James Cameron to steer it in a new direction. Considering that Alien: Romulus has received some backlash for its “birthing” sequence, it might be nice for the franchise to finally hire a female director.
Álvarez Should Go Back to Stand-Alone Horror Movies Like ‘Don’t Breathe’
Álvarez is clearly a very talented craftsman with an interest in making innovative setpieces, which makes it all the more disappointing that the majority of his efforts thus far have been made on previously established intellectual property. In the last decade, inventive sequels like Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and War for the Planet of the Apes have succeeded by digging into the thematic ambiguities that were only hinted at in previous films — a quality that is sadly absent in Alien: Romulus. It’s easy to forget that Don’t Breathe was a well-reviewed, very popular original hit horror film that was successful enough to inspire a sequel of its own. Álvarez may have paid his dues, as Alien: Romulus has been wildly successful at the box office thus far, so it’s time for him to go back to making the original horror films that put him on the map in the first place.
Alien: Romulus is in theaters now.
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