The Alien franchise has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years. It’s reinvented itself, heralding mixed receptions from viewers. Now we have Alien: Earth, which is the best we’ve seen from the franchise in a long time. This review is spoiler-free.
Whether you’re a fan of the raw, suspenseful space horror of the original Alien movie, or you preferred the heavy world-building of Prometheus — Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth takes all the best elements of the franchise and blends them together, whilst adding fascinating new angles to the Alien world and mythos.
Alien: Earth is very much the brainchild of Noah Hawley, the esteemed creator of FX’s Legion and Fargo. Hawley is an enormous fan of the franchise; for years he wanted to get in on the action. And now that he’s had the chance, he’s taken the opportunity to not only deliver another tense and bloody instalment, but he’s also carving out an entirely new, unexplored chapter of the mythos. The series introduces viewers to Prodigy City in the year 2120, where the Weyland–Yutani ship — the USCSS Maginot — crash lands, setting loose the titular Xenomorph and other alien denizens onto our planet.
The level of world building on display is immense, as is the complexity of each character. The world feels fleshed out in a way previous Alien movies, notably Prometheus and Romulus, tried hard but couldn’t achieve. This is largely thanks to the serialised format; it allows for more intricate and focused moments to naturally build out the story. The pacing is just right. It’s a slightly slow burn at times, but suspenseful scenes and brutal action sequences are never far away. From the lingering score to the gloomy atmosphere — it’s always building up tension.
Despite doing horror very well, Alien: Earth often feels more in the family of Star Wars shows, namely Andor, than it does with the tone of the original movies. But when the horror elements do take the forefront, there’s no mistaking where its origins lie.
Timothy Olyphant and Babou Ceesay deliver exceptional performances, but Sydney Chandler’s Wendy — a young girl whose consciousness is infused into a synthetic adult body — is the standout performer.
Overall, Alien: Earth is a fantastic new entry in the franchise; it’s the best in a long time. Hawley’s vision is fresh and new, but undeniably Alien at its core. Sleek, sprawling, and terrifying — Alien: Earth is the franchise at its absolute best.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
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