“ALIEN: Romulus” is a well-crafted miscellany of the ALIEN franchise’s greatest hits……

******SPACE STATION-SIZED SPOILERS!****** After my deep disappointment with the last two installments of the ALIEN franchise (“Prometheus,” “Covenant”) another ALIEN movie has burst from the chests and brains of director/cowriter Fede Álvarez. Like “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “ALIEN: Romulus” (2024) feels conspicuously designed for a younger audience (as is most everything these…

Diving into Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element,” 25 years later…

*****SPACE CRUISE SHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!***** Acquired Taste. I remember seeing teaser trailers for French filmmaker Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element” in early 1997, along with a dramatic TV spot during the Super Bowl (which, over time, has become more famous for its ads than the actual game). “The Fifth Element” promised an epic space opera, a…