FX (Hulu/Disney+)'s eight-episode saga, Alien: Earth, is another feather in the fearsome cap of the franchise started in 1979 by creators Ridley Scott/Dan O'Bannon/Ron Shusett, famous for all of its fond nods to It! The Terror from Beyond Space, Planet of the Vampires (aka The Demon Planet), Queen of Blood (aka Planet of Blood) and (though often overlooked in its symbiotic relation) The Tingler.
For the sake of this small-screen, Alien offshoot, built by Fargo/Legion's Noah Hawley, we're given another prequel, this one taking place two years prior to the founding film's events and relegated to a quadrant of Earth that becomes impacted by a crashed craft, the USCSS Maginot, which carries a variety of deadly creatures. (The jarring turn is the result of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation having reached into the vast, dangerous beyond to attain powerful predators for bio-weaponry purposes or maybe, just maybe, it's more a push to find the ironic, new means to instill A.I./human longevity. Take your pick or just blend them.)
Xenomorphs occupying Earth is nothing new, for we've seen these specimens roam our turf both within the past and "present," thanks to the Alien vs Predator set. For Alien: Earth, it's the classic Xenomorph (H.R. Giger design) that clinches the intense continuity, as it helms the extraterrestrial menagerie, from which its freakish members could (if so chosen) spawn their own movies, series, comics, novels and action figures.
However, the true, distinguishing element of this prequel is its novelty crew: sickly, Neverland Island children (lost but now found, so to speak) whose minds are implanted into formidable, synthetic, adult bodies (an Avatar-ish deal), led by a full-fledged synthetic called Kirsh, played the Timothy (Deadwood/Justified/Die Hard 4) Olyphant.
In addition to Olyphant's cool, instructional android, whose looks recall a 1960s, Italian, sci-fi groove, we're introduced to Sydney Chandler's Marcy Hermit, aka Wendy, as in Peter Pan, the story's lead and the first human/synthetic hybrid, accompanied by others of her J.M. Barrie-namesake: Adarsh Gourav's Slightly, Kit Young's Tootles, Erana James' Curly, Jonathan Ajayi's Smee and Lily Newmark's Nibs.
To accompany these pioneers, we're treated to Babou Ceesay's Morrow (a security cyborg, who survived the Maginot crash), Essie Davis' Dame Silvia, David Rysdahl's Arthur, Alex Lawther's Joe D. Hermit (Wendy's brother), Adrian Edmonson's Atom Enis and Samuel Blenkin's Boy Kavalier, the quirky CEO of the synth-bound Prodigy Corporation, one of Weyland-Yutani's high-stakes competitors. Who's good; who's bad, and for what causes and effects? That's part of the tit for tat, and the tiers should become more evident as the season closes.
As for the first two episodes launched, they hold a definite draw, but are slow, nail-biting burns with occasional attacks, more concerned with instilling the right, ominous atmosphere above all. (For the success of such, much credit goes to the production's stunning, cinematic effects; Colin Watkinson and Bela and Dana Gonzales' smoky cinematography; and Jeff Russo's Jerry Goldsmith/James Horner-influenced score). Also, by simulating the decor of Ridley Scott's original, as well as Prometheus and Covenant, with perhaps fragmentary shades of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Resurrection, Fede Alvarez's Romulus and Scott's Blade Runner, the backdrop can't help but keep the plot centered, even during those moments when a few spokes in the wheel (including a crucial, Christmas reference) are reinvented and/or contradicted. In this regard, it's seems safe to say that, even as it emphasizes its furnishings, Alien: Earth won't be the decorative dead weight that Dune: Prophesy became.
Of course, I can't say whether Alien: Earth will constitute the franchise's peak, but I've always been into this frightful universe, and the more of it, the better, I say, no matter the spin. Alien and Predator (and their tireless, mega-buck sequels/prequels/crossovers) have held up well over the decades, while other franchises have grown stale, and it's understandable why these two prevail: They're quality, monster sagas at heart, and there's always room for any and all such creepy mythologies, particularly when the new foes present themselves as old friends.
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