Alien: Romulus - Alternate Cut (v2) Less Callbacks! New Cuts! New Cues! Still NO ROOK!
Hello again!
This is the updated (and for all intents and purposes, *final*) version of this Alternate Cut of *Alien: Romulus;* an attempt to restore some scenes back to their original pre-release/test screening versions, reduce some of the more egregious franchise callbacks scattered throughout the film, and - most importantly - **remove the character of Rook from the narrative completely**.
*Alien: Romulus* \- Alternate Cut is an attempt at maintaining a tighter narrative focus on Andy and Rain, brother and sister - sometimes brother *vs* sister - and the (rapidly-dwindling) group of orphaned kids on a literal dead-end colony, trying to escape Weyland-Yutani's corporate cruelty and discovering they had no idea how deep it could go.
If you already checked out this cut's first version about a month ago, the revision is pretty subtle: The source has been replaced, and despite there being an okay amount of alternate takes made available, only one line of dialog from them actually made it back into this cut. Otherwise, there's been a minute or two's worth of additional trims and rearrangements of shots/scenes; as well as some edit fixes, audio enhancements and new score additions (including thematic elements from *Alien: Isolation* and *Alien: Covenant*).
Thanks to everyone that gave their feedback, it was very, *very* much appreciated, and helped greatly with this revision. [If you missed the first version of this](
https://www.reddit.com/r/LV426/comments ... s_can_you/), well, this one's better anyway, so you got here at just the right time! If you *did* get the first version, though: this v2 revision has *replaced* the original at the same link, so if you still have those links, just re-download, and there you go.
Since this is a revision (completion, really) the edit is *already* listed on Fan Edit Central, and **if you would like to check it out yourself, feel free to direct message me here as well, or send an email** to straightcutsnochaser at gmail.
**1hr, 47m**. 1080p, 2:40:1, 23.976fps, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. English Subtitles. Chapters.
**CHANGELIST:**
* Replaced 20th Century Fox Fanfare with remixed version of 20th Century Fox Fanfare (Based primarily on Eliot Goldenthal’s *Alien 3* Version)
* Removed Scott Free logos
* Removed premature reveal that Tyler, Bjorn, and Andy are in a 3D printing lab for Facehuggers
* Intercut Navarro’s discovery of X-Ray Torch w/ Rain’s module recovery
* Cut Rook’s jumpscare during Rain’s removal of his module
* Added partial “It’s Here” cue from *Alien: Isolation* behind everyone trying to figure out what’s stuck to Navarro’s face, and deleted Andy’s “for what purpose I do not know” line, to underline Rook’s module changing him for the worse (and to also blend the removal of upcoming Rook scenes more cleanly).
* Cut Rook out of Navarro’s Facehugger removal completely - Andy never points him out, nor do they ever plug him in. Instead, Rain comes up with the solution to getting it off Navarro's head after the initial scuffle between Bjorn and Andy.
* After Navarro wakes up, Andy now moves to the front of the room instead of comforting Navarro, and refers to his *new* “One Directive” strangely, and then expands on it; which alarms Rain and confuses everyone else, before crossing the room to intercept Bjorn and prevent Navarro from leaving.
* After the Corbelan crashes into Romulus station, Andy is already with Tyler and Rain as they reach the Facehugger infested hallway, there is no detour to meet with Rook anymore.
* Kay’s hallway sneaking from the crash is now intercut with Rain/Andy/Tyler’s hallway sneaking towards Kay
* Kay’s struggle to find the key is shortened, and a continuity error involving the Alien's emergence from the cocoon is removed. Kay's fall happens quicker, and her landing starts the Facehugger chase faster.
* Added partial “Alien Reveal” cue from *Alien: Isolation* to Kay’s abduction.
* Removed mention of Rook in the abduction aftermath, Andy clarifies his new “One Directive,” that "what is required of him" is now simply to “Do what’s best for the company.”
* Removed all mention of Rook and his mission from Andy & Rain’s elevator conversation; now the scene is just Andy reminding Rain that *everyone’s* original plan involved abandoning him on the station.
* Removed Rook (and all mentions of him/orders from him) from Romulus Beta Lab scene.
* The pathogen is explained mostly through visuals and music - *Alien*, *Prometheus*, and *Alien: Covenant* themes have been pushed forward in the mix over shots of the pathogen being extracted from face huggers and being injected into the rat. Andy explains the experiments are meant to combat the miners weaknesses, and that he will be taking the pathogen back to the colony for that purpose.
* Andy’s delivery of “This is a much needed, and overdue upgrade for humanity” from an alternate/deleted version of the lab scene has been restored to the Romulus Beta Lab Scene over a shot of the rat being resurrected.
* Removed Andy’s ADR’d “Busy little creatures” line as they discover the hive below the lab.
* Removed the shot of multiple aliens converging on Tyler due to their disappearance from the scene once he is killed - they never reach his body and they never drop down during Rain & Kay's escape either. They've just completely disappeared in any reverse angles and follow-up shots despite full-on sprinting at him just seconds earlier.
* Removed explicit shot of Kay injecting herself with the pathogen by using match-cut transition from Kay’s arm holding pathogen canister to Rain’s arm unlatching gate to go back for Andy.
* Removed Rook taunting Rain and Andy on monitor at end of blocked hallway
* Removed Rook “seducing” Kay on the monitor in the Corbelan.
* Removed “Get away from her… you b-b-b-bitch.”
* Removed Rook on video screen as Rain and Andy board the Corbelan, Rain gives control to MUTHUR, and they escape the station
* Removed the flight to just above the planetary rings so Andy and Rain can betray Rook. The ship escape/station crash is now one continuous sequence.
* Manipulated shots angles/shot timings to increase focus on Kay’s neck post-cryotube malfunction, to make it clear she had injected herself, and mixed *Alien: Covenant* cues into the score to underline the pathogen’s usage.
* Removed the “Cryosleep Log” since the ship is stolen in the first place so there’d be no reason or point for anyone to log anything or anyone to check for a log.
* Re-edited the "Get Away from Her" music cue originally tracked into the end of the film, both to account for the "Cryosleep Log" removal and to fix the noticeable time-stretch effect applied to it
* Removed the ending Title card
* Removed the Rook credits (kept animatronic credit, and thanks to Ian Holm estate)
* Replaced the End Title track with a new End Title symphonic suite from Wallfisch’s score, using the cues “Andy,” “Prometheus Fire,” “XX121,” and “Searching”
* Added credits under “Songs” for Thematic Elements used from *Alien 3*, *Alien: Covenant*, and *Alien: Isolation*.
