‘Alien: Earth’ Finds Heart & Hope in a Cynical, Scary World [Review]

Alien is a coveted franchise that spans horror, science fiction, and action that’s set an impossibly high standard for killer extraterrestrial stories that’s been difficult to top nearly five decades later. Alien has had its highs and lows over the years, but it always proves to be a versatile property that audiences want to give the benefit of the doubt. Alien never became damaged goods, but the franchise was dormant for seven years until Fede Álvarez’s recent Alien: Romulus. Alien’s prolonged absence – combined with the Predator franchise’s recent creative renaissance – raises the larger question of what people want out of Alien and what the franchise means to audiences. Modern Alien films’ inability to give every fan what they want highlights the idea that Alien is perhaps at its strongest when it’s distilled to a memory that’s a grounding device for the audience that brings them back to a time when they were truly scared – or in awe – of a killer alien.

Alien: Earth’s first two episodes are all about the persistence of memory and how it can be a guiding compass in a collapsing universe. It’s not the Alien series that we deserve, but the Alien series that we need. 

Noah Hawley has a remarkable knack for taking established properties with very distinct points of view, yet managing to beautifully put his own stamp on them while staying true to the source material. He did it with Fargo. He did it with Legion. And now he’s done it again with Alien: Earth. Hawley taps into something exciting and special here. It sometimes feels like this is Alien by way of Blade Runner and Terminator, only if this were a Succession style series focused on the corporate war between Weyland-Yutani, the Tyrell Corporation, and Cyberdyne Systems. This is a gross oversimplification of Alien: Earth and it’s still a series that’s full of bloody massacres, disturbing body horror, and harrowing chase sequences. That being said, this material almost seems ancillary to Noah Hawley and company. There’s no disdain for it and these sequences are meticulously crafted in a manner that’s on par with some of the best cinematic Alien offerings. However, this bloodshed and destruction is just the byproduct of a bureaucratic chess match between trillionaires with Peter Pan Syndrome. 

There’s a striking Xenomorph scene in both of these episodes, but it’s almost like Alien: Earth tries to eat its vegetables early so that it can claim, “See, there’s a Xenomorph! Are you happy?” before it moves on to more complex questions of cyborgs, eternal life, and playing God. These are arguably the more interesting questions that Hawley and his team find themselves fascinated over in this universe. It’s the people who seek to control and evolve these monsters who are more compelling — and evil — than the monsters themselves. Alien: Earth is a timely tale of cynicism where the end of the world is predicated by one corporation’s greedy bid to steal another’s secretive IP; it’s not warfare that unleashes the Xenomorph on the world, but industrial espionage. It’s the Alien franchise’s Andor, so to speak.

Yes, Alien: Earth is full of Xenomorph slaughters, murderous bioweapons, and a high body count, but this is all positioned around a grander technocratic war for immortality between the world’s five biggest corporations. Alien: Earth pushes this troubling idea to galactic proportions wherein companies like Weyland-Yutani own entire planets, moons, and pieces of the solar system. The shadowy company men who broker deals for these Xenomorphs have always been an important element of the Alien franchise. It’s a creative masterstroke to turn this bureaucracy into the centerpiece of it all and then build backwards. This type of story seems nihilistically relevant in a shrinking oligarchy of a world that aims to “streamline” humanity through artificial intelligence. “Which technology prevails will determine what corporation rules the universe,” is presented as sterile expository text that kicks off Alien: Earth. However, it’s hard to not view it as a scathing indictment of the path that the real world is headed down right now. It imbues this sci-fi horror series with an extra element of dread that was never this palpable in any of the films.

Set in 2120, two years before the events of Alien, Alien: Earth’s first two episodes, “Neverland” and “Mr. October,” focus on the advent of the first hybrid – a synthetic being who has downloaded a human consciousness. “Neverland” begins with a really creative device where competing conversations overlap and bleed into each other until it sounds like garbled white noise. It’s a unique approach that reflects the hazy acclimation period after these individuals exit cryo-sleep, but the same effect is later echoed when Wendy’s (Sydney Chandler) hybrid capabilities begin to kick in and interpret their surroundings. This jarring awakening, paired with the aggressive introduction that follows, conditions the audience to stay on their toes. Everyone feels expendable, which is exactly the right energy for an Alien series.

These first two episodes – and presumably the entire first season – unpack the complex theme of what it means to be alive, to give life and create, and, if we are creating, in what image are those creations? These ruminations are framed around heavy Peter Pan allusions, right down to the lead being named Wendy. Hawley loves to latch onto a particular piece of pop culture and media and use it as the rosetta stone to understand what he’s up to. The Peter Pan material is definitely a little too in love with itself, but it manages to justify it all, especially with Wendy. Wendy becomes this enlightened-yet-curious entity who is pulled between worlds who wants to be human, yet still feels artificial. “Neverland” focuses on innovation and compares the birth of the first synthetic to Neil Armstrong’s moon walk. It argues that all this pomp and circumstance isn’t necessarily about creating the strongest or “best” thing, but teaching something imperfect how to be its best self. Humanity has a desire to be challenged. We’re all just a bunch of curious David 8s who want articulate, intelligent companions. 

Wendy, as the first hybrid, has the freedom to not just be human, but whatever she wants to be, as well as the power that comes with this independence. Alien: Earth frequently presents this world as big and scary, but it’s also not without its beauty. Sick children with expiration dates get the chance to become “forever people.” The “giving of life” sequence is captured through a beautiful continuous unbroken shot that’s like a magic trick in itself. Wendy is already a fascinating character who is trapped in a unique state of arrested development. Chandler offers a nuanced take on Wendy, who feels very Amber Midthunder– or even Mary Elizabeth Winstead-coded when it comes to Hawley’s previous female protagonists. Wendy is a long way from Ripley or even Romulus’ Rain Carradine, but she’s constantly interesting. 

The brother/sister dynamic between Wendy and Joe/Hermit (Alex Lawther) is Alien: Earth’s beating heart, which is necessary in a series where cold, heartless corporations literally own the universe. Wendy is forced to watch Hermit from afar, knowing he exists, but unable to communicate with him. It’s not unlike Wendy Darling and Peter Pan. This lends itself to a moving story that’s developed through absence that establishes the bond between these characters in a single installment. Wendy and Joe’s bond is the strongest, but there’s really effective chemistry and character dynamics across the board in these first two episodes. There’s a real sense of camaraderie between the scattered cast. Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, a synthetic who looks after not just Wendy, but a whole team of fellow synthetics, is a lot of fun. He’s not given a ton to do in these first two episodes, but he makes every moment count.

Beyond any narrative decisions, Alien: Earth is a series that just looks immaculate. There’s a rugged and gritty aesthetic to the set design, costume, lighting, and make-up that genuinely makes certain frames look like they’re ripped from right out of Alien, Blade Runner, and other Ridley Scott ’70s sci-fi classics. To this point, it’s also fascinating how Alien: Earth uses old children’s media and stories as mankind’s way to feel human and connect with the world, whether it’s Peter Pan or Ice Age, as if they’re The Iliad or The Odyssey. Jeff Russo’s score also provides a haunting, retro quality that taps into the ideal uncomfortable atmosphere for this story. 

Alien: Earth effectively plays with expectations and tension in really inspired ways. The series presumes that anyone who is watching is well aware of the Alien franchise and where all of this is headed once a character begins to examine a conical egg. However, “Neverland” and “Mr. October” take advantage of these assumptions, where the danger lies, and just how everything falls apart. Wendy’s need to connect with her sibling dovetails with a spaceship crash, which uses this disaster as an excuse to reunite with this lost family member. Alien: Earth uses an incredibly human catalyst as the reason that Wendy and Joe/Hermit are left in the belly of the beast. 

These episodes present a stark transition from claustrophobic space opera and playing God in an orphanage to the futuristic utopia of New Siam’s Prodigy City. This results in some major whiplash, which helps establish the scope of this universe. Prodigy City looks beautiful and has such a different feel than what’s present in “Neverland’s” first-half. Alien: Earth establishes an epic scope that feels like it can sustain years of storytelling. There’s a tremendous set-piece where a huge spaceship crashes that basically plays out like Prodigy City’s version of 9/11. It works in Alien: Earth’s favor to first feature life on this world before it’s all thrown into chaos. The sense and scale of destruction during this harrowing set-piece truly goes for broke. It’s some of the most grandiose material that Hawley has ever directed. 

On top of everything else, Alien: Earth’s opening installments will still please those who just want Xenomorph carnage and vicious monsters that are on the loose. “Mr. October” includes a tense Xenomorph chase, fight, and kill. While there’s some restraint in the premiere, it still doesn’t take very long for the series to actually get to the aliens. This isn’t some situation where the series plays coy and doesn’t deliver with its signature creature until the season finale. Even the advent of this two-episode premiere guarantees that audiences at least get a little Xenomorph and are left satisfied by the end of these episodes. It’s gratifying that Alien: Earth once again treats the Xenomorph like the perfect killing machine that it’s supposed to be. It’s treated like a true behemoth here. There’s also a glorious Sam Raimi-esque set-piece that involves a melting cat and a spider eye creature that matches the madness of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, while it still carries the standard Hawley visual flair that’s full of creative touches. The camera briefly shifts to the monster’s frantic POV and there will hopefully be more evolving madness in this vein as Alien: Earth continues.

Terrifying set-pieces aside, some of the most beautiful moments from these first two episodes are when characters — human or otherwise — experience memories. They’re comforted by the warmth of nostalgia, whether that’s a Dreamworks animated movie or an autographed baseball. Memories are what connect us, keep us alive, and make us who we are, even if we’re in someone else’s body. Alien: Earth is full of impressive special effects, but the best magic trick to come out of these first two episodes is that two people are able to find a genuine connection in this sterile, cynical, infinite world. It’s a really powerful angle for the start of the series, particularly when it comes to Wendy and Joe, but there’s also an added layer of depth due to this being a series that’s steeped in an IP that’s over 45 years old and is naturally going to elicit memories of the past and people’s relationship with this series.

“Neverland” and “Mr. October,” directed by Noah Hawley and Dana Gonzales respectively, establish a strong foundation for Alien: Earth that’s already bravely forging forward into unexplored and underdeveloped concepts from the franchise. As exciting as it is to be in space, the terrestrial setting breathes new life into the franchise. Not because it necessarily unleashes a Xenomorph on Earth, but because it gets a chance to examine this universe’s movers and shakers and what their world looks like on the other 364 days of the year. These first two episodes are both patient and busy, while they introduce many disparate players and set up even greater mayhem to come. “Neverland” and “Mr. October” give a brief taste of this world and its many dangers, but these episodes are never too bogged down in expository table-setting and forced character development. Alien: Earth is off to an enjoyable, unpredictable start that’s already so much better than some paint-by-numbers Alien series. When all these scorpions under glass finally strike it will be well worth the wait.

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