This week, we discuss Alien: Romulus, the latest instalment of the space-epic franchise. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, who, along with a group of friends climbs aboard an abandoned spacecraft only to find some very familiar murderous aliens. Is this new entry an evolution of the series or does it simply play the hits? And what do we want out of sci-fi franchise films? Guest host Topher Forhecz is joined by FT Weekend senior editor Horatia Harrod and political columnist Stephen Bush.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Our review of Alien: Romulus by Danny Leigh is here: https://on.ft.com/46VyElE

– Stephen recommends the album Bad with Names by corto.alto

– Topher recommends Magnolia, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Here’s an interview with the director from 2018.

– Horatia is on X @horatiaharrod, and Stephen is @stephenkb

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Culture chat: ‘Alien: Romulus’ is all horror, no guts

Life and Art from FT Weekend