‘Alien: Earth’ Review: A Sci-Fi Exploration of Exploitation

Fans of the Alien and Predator franchises have never eaten better. Prey and Alien: Romulus surprised fans with modern returns to form for each franchise, and this year, fans get to sink their teeth into Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator: Badlands, and Noah Hawley‘s Alien: Earth. The Alien franchise has finally made its way to Earth, and thankfully, the disappointing Alien vs. Predator or Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem are not canon to the Alien or Predator cinematic universes.

Alien: Earth is also the first time the sci-fi horror franchise is presented in an episodic format, offering audiences 8 hours of content compared to the usual 2 hours a film would offer. Hawley takes full advantage of this time and crafts a well-balanced cast of characters for viewers to connect with throughout this horrific journey. Check out our review of the first six episodes of Alien: Earth below!

What is ‘Alien: Earth’ About?

Alien: Earth opens with the Weyland-Yutani research vessel, the USCSS Maginot, crash landing on Earth. The vessel features five different forms of alien species and lands on a secluded island owned by the Prodigy Corporation, run by Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). Boy Kavalier’s Prodigy is one of the five major corporations that govern the Earth, along with Weyland-Yutani, making this crash landing an immediate corporate conflict. Boy’s latest technological breakthrough is the creation of hybrids, synthetic bodies that he transfers the consciousness of dying children into. While it gives them a second chance at life, it also exploits their childlike vulnerability to turn them into invincible soldiers at Boy’s command.

The first subject in Alien: Earth‘s hybrid experiment is Wendy (Sydney Chandler), who becomes the de facto leader of the hybrids, as she immediately offers to investigate the crash on Prodigy Island, under the supervision of a seasoned synthetic Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), of course. Her ultimate motive isn’t to prove her worth, it’s to find her brother, Hermit (Alex Lawther), who happens to work for Prodigy. However, he’s under the belief that her sister is dead. What may have first started as a race to immortality through cybernetic advancements becomes a race to be the company to tame and understand these complex and violent creatures that have found their way to Earth.

A Fresh Take in a Familiar Setting for the Alien Franchise

The franchise consistently features the looming presence of Weyland-Yutani in its films, but Alien: Earth puts a face on the ever-present threat. The trend continues of the company being hellbent on being the one to master the Xenomorph. Having a majority of the main characters be children in adult bodies, all named after characters from Peter Pan, echoes the motifs of growing up too fast. They’re faced with the horrors of the situation, rather than never growing up, with their child consciousness being frozen in time. This allows Alien: Earth to examine a post-humanist viewpoint perfectly, delving deep into the boundaries of what it means to be human, showcasing that anything sentient can express more empathy and care than some human beings.

The heart of the series lies in the brother-sister dynamic between Hermit and Wendy, but the intrigue is heightened by the curiosity of Boy Kavalier and the lone survivor of the crash that kicks off the show, a Weyland-Yutani contracted cyborg named Morrow (Babou Ceesay). In most Alien films, the synthetics typically seem like villains in some capacity. However, Alien: Earth’s approach to make most of them literally part-human is a breath of fresh air to the franchise. The only real issue with the first six episodes of the series is that some side characters may feel underutilized. However, most of them are still able to make their presence felt in the series.

‘Alien: Earth’ Review: A New Evolution for Sci-Fi TV

Alien: Earth is a love letter to the franchise, but instead of a survival story centred on a select few characters, the series delivers a completely fresh tale, putting the corporations front and center as the main antagonist. Even the Xenomorphs themselves are viewed in a sympathetic light, as they’re treated as property, rather than living beings.

Noah Hawley has created the perfect organism with Alien: Earth. It’s an impressive amalgamation of sci-fi projects that came before, filled with brutal Xenomorph action, corporate tyranny, and characters that flip your perspectives within the franchise. The performances are stellar across the board and are only enhanced by the cinematic level production design and CGI that truly bring this futuristic version of Earth to life. Sci-fi fans rejoice, Alien: Earth is another incredible series to add to the collection.

FX‘s Alien: Earth premieres with two episodes on Tuesday, August 12 at 8pm ET on FX, and on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ in Canada. Follow the Agents of Fandom podcast and socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.