Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” is as shallow as it is thrilling. While previous “Alien” films — both classic and reviled — ponder the mythos of creation, “Romulus” takes audiences on a blood-soaked rollercoaster ride.

There’s nothing wrong with the cheap thrill nature of “Alien: Romulus.” In fact, it is probably the film’s greatest feature. The movie’s major set piece moments are loud and over-the-top violent, acting as peaks on the coaster track before audiences plummet to the troughs of watching the characters converse for a while.

While the action-heavy moments are genuinely a blast to watch, everything in between leaves much to be desired.

The two lead characters, orphan Rain, played by Cailee Spaeny, and Andy, played by David Jonsson, have a unique dynamic.

Although Andy is an android, the pair share a sibling-like relationship. Andy has been programmed by Rain’s father to do whatever is best for Rain. So, when Rain is offered a chance to escape their bleak living conditions on a corporation-owned mining planet, Andy helps her.

Unfortunately for the siblings, Rain and her band of scrappy, young thieves plan to break into an abandoned spaceship and steal its cryosleep pods for safe transportation across the galaxy to a utopic planet. This abandoned spaceship, unknown to the crew, has been ripped apart by aliens.

The setup of the film is much more compelling than what unfolds midway through. The story of an oddball group of scrappers desperate to escape harsh living conditions as a result of capitalistic fascism at the hands of a futuristic megacorporation has the potential to explore relevant themes.

All sense of story is quickly thrown away, though, when a computer-generated recreation of actor Ian Holm from the original 1979 “Alien” movie enters the story. Holm posthumously plays an android named Rook, who conspires to sacrifice the thieves to the aliens per company policy.

From here, the movie descends into relentless fan service, becoming the most expensive fan film ever made at a budget of $80 million.

Every practical set piece and action sequence is a direct emulation of a scene from a previous movie. There’s an explosive shoot-out like that in “Aliens,” a tense chase like the one in the original film, and a particularly disturbing scene involving gross space goo and an alien pregnancy.

“Romulus” feels like a compilation of greatest hits of the “Alien” franchise, seeming to forget to establish its own identity and instead relying on audiences remembering cheesy one-liners from an ‘80s movie.

It’s still a fun ride, but its mostly forgettable fare doesn’t live up to the legendary status of the series.