Alien: Romulusis one of the most successful horror films of 2024 owing to its original take on a classic horror movie franchise. Through its innovative new plot that builds off the tension and scares that madeAlienandAliensso great, along with some stellar performances,Alien: Romulusreinvigorated theAlienfranchise. This is attested to by its positive reviews and current80% critics' score onRotten Tomatoes. However, while its obvious connections to the franchise’s past helpedAlien: Romulusbecome a box office success, the movie also featured some more subtle nods to its heritage that audiences may have missed,
Alien: Romulusfollows the characters Rain and her brother Andy, an android, who attempt to escape their planet LV-410 with their friends Tyler, Kay, Bjorn, and Navarro. The group attempts to steal cryostasis gear from an abandoned space station, but are attacked by alien xenomorphs, echoing the events of multiple previousAlienmovies. While details like Ian Holm’s Rook are obvious callbacks, one understated reference shares a connection with one of the series' most famous lines – Bill Paxton’s “Game over” improvised speech.
The Line Can Be Heard Early In The Movie
ThoughAlien: Romulustakes place between the events ofAlienandAliens, the movie contains a fun reference to an iconic quote in the latter. The line “game over, man” can be heard inAlien: Romulusnear the beginning of the film when Rain and Andy go to meet their friends at the ship.Bjorn is playing a game, and, when he loses, the device says “game over, man”,subtly imitating Bill Paxton’s famous line.
Bill Paxton supposedly improvised the line based on the message that appeared after losing in a video game, making Bjorn’s game tie-in inAlien: Romuluseven more fitting.
The now iconic line appeared in James Cameron’s 1986Aliensduring a scene in which the team’s drop-ship crashes into LV-426, stranding them. While Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley begins thinking of a way to escape, Bill Paxton’s Hudson starts to panic, leading to his iconic assertion, “Game over, man! Game over!” Even more interestingly, Bill Paxton supposedly improvised the line based on the message that appeared after losing in a video game, making Bjorn’s game tie-in inAlien: Romuluseven more fitting.
It’s Difficult To Notice Alien: Romulus' Bill Paxton Easter Egg Without Subtitles
The Hidden Reference Is Very Subtle
The “game over, man” line is fairly quiet as it is not the focal point of the scene. Like any good Easter egg, it is slightly hidden. Because of the lowered volume of the device Bjorn is using, the line can be hard to distinguish at all for viewers without subtitles, meaning that many viewers may have missed it.
8 Key Details About The Offspring’s Design In Alien: Romulus You May Have Missed
Alien: Romulus introduces a terrifying new villain known as The Offspring, but its creepy design actually has a lot of connections to the franchise.
Despite its subtlety, the homage to Bill Paxton’s iconic line fits in withAlien: Romulus’s return to the creative action and horror aspects that were diluted in several previousAlienfranchise installations. Moreover, listening closely to hear the famous line just gives fans ofAlien: Romulus, and theAlienfranchise more generally, a good reason to rewatch the movie.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez 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.
