WE’RE heading into the dog days of the “Summer Blockbuster” season, and that leaves just the one big release to come to cinemas this week, along with a possible ‘all time great’ sports documentary from Australia’s own shores.

Alien: Romulus is the first film in this horror franchise to be produced under the new headship of Disney Studios, after their acquisition of Fox Studios in 2019.

Taking a ‘getting back to basics’ approach to the movie that they hope will reinvigorate the franchise, the story follows a group of young (and pretty) opportunists who travel into space to salvage what seems to be a derelict space vessel.

If you’ve seen any film of any kind before, you already know that they discover more than they bargained for.

If you’re a fan of any of the Alien films, then the only real question is ‘will this one live up to previous entries in the saga?’.

Critically speaking, the entire franchise has been very mixed, though when films have been good, they’ve been groundbreaking classics.

I don’t think that particular case can be made for this one, but filmmaker Fede Álvarez was tasked with the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, and managed to translate a 30-year-old film into a modern sensibility – retaining the original’s inherent and visceral qualities while utilising his unique cinematic voice.

The result was a solid film that may not have the lasting legacy of the original, but was a worthwhile entry into the film canon, and this fresh effort for sci-fi’s number one space monster is likely to make the same impact.

The Blind Sea is an Australian documentary by filmmaker Daniel Fenech who follows four time para-surfing World Champion Matt Formston on his quest to set a new world record at one of the most intimidating ‘big wave’ surf beaches on the planet, at the town of Nazaré, Portugal.

Formston has grown up with severely impaired vision since the age of five due to Macular Dystrophy.

His disability has clearly never been something he has perceived as a genuine setback however, being an Olympic silver and gold medal winner in cycling.

Sports documentaries have always had an inherent advantage in cinema as the subject matter always deals with an element of conflict or competition.

Surf documentaries have a fantastic tradition, given that the ocean in full swell is a breathtaking cinematic visual.

This film is shaping up to be a truly stunning and moving depiction of a man striving to overcome all odds, not just for personal glory, but to show the world around him that truly anything is possible.

If you’re part of the surfing culture, gather your tribe and find a place to watch this because it will be spoken about for years to come.

By Lindsay HALL