Every once in awhile, someone comes along who is such a devastating talent that you question all predecessors. David Johnson's performance in Alien: Romulus is one of those shining moments. It even inspired me to start this entire website. I needed a place to express my admiration for his work among a bunch of other things that I felt compelled to write and David is my watershed.
We've seen actors portray synthetics plenty of times in the past; Alien fans are all too familiar with the obligatory synthetic on any Weyland Yutani manifest. None, however, have seen a David Johnson portrayal of a synthetic until Romulus. I'll obviously never be the same again, thanks David.
Spoilers//
At first, David's Andy comes off as neurodivergent, or maybe I was just slow to recognize him as a synthetic until shortly before some white blood seeped out during an establishing scene. I figured it out, okay? Eventually. Anyway, Andy is a dated model and he often glitches and needs assistance to reboot - not in an annoying way. It's in a definitely believable, "oh shit, is he gonna be okay?" kind of way because David is the goat.
Andy's relationship with the protagonist, Rain, is one that evokes an even greater sense of empathy. She's an orphaned human and she's his caregiver, akin to an older sister. Andy maintains such a kind demeanor and concern for Rain's safety that it would be difficult not to care dearly for him, despite being slightly more useful than a toaster. Before venturing into Xenomorph territory, they were surviving together within a terribly exploitative mining colony - a much crueler and insidious monster.
If you're aware of the woes of unregulated capitalism, the military industrial complex, and our tiny ant-like participation in it all, then you definitely relate to Rain and Andy on a molecular level. They begin their journey in an inescapable predicament which is easy to imagine. It's also easy to ask yourself, 'what level of risk would I be willing to take for a precarious shot at freedom?' With that, we are emotionally invested in the story.
Emotional appeal aside, David Johnson exerts extraordinary control over the muscles in his face. His micro-expressions are so robotic and believable that I'm doubting myself in writing this because what if it was just really great CGI and I'm just naïve? No, impossible, CGI sucks and they made it a point not to use it for Romulus.
Then, his prime directive changes.
You could tell, just barely. He was menacing but with the same caring face. This man understands screen acting like no other. The camera captures subtlety and subtlety was absolutely vital in portraying this change.
Is our lovably flawed Andy still living in this cold, humanoid shell? That is a common trope, isn't it. The idea that human feelings can root themselves somewhere within the hard-drive of a synthetic being and/or they inexplicably override their programming to save a loved one. Yet another reason to appreciate Romulus. Instead of relying on that trope, Rain must outwit Andy's malevolent program to reset him. He cannot do it alone which maintains the logic of the situation rather than relying on some miracle.
And there it is. There's the beauty. In the midst of greedy directives, enslavement, destruction, and lies aimed at benefitting so few, Rain and Andy stand together selfless, caring, resolute. We wouldn't feel it without their performances... especially without David's.
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