Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Babou Ceesay, Adrian Edmondson, Timothy Olyphant, Adarsh Gourav, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Jonathan Ajayi, David Rysdahl, Diêm Camille, Moe Bar-El, Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Kit Young, Michael Smiley.
Alien is quite rightly considered one of the most important films to have graced the cinema and home viewing apparatus ever; a combination of science fiction and horror to which many have tried to emulate, and failed, be it by just a degree or full hearted collapse, the direction of Ridley Scott and the screen writing of Dan O’ Bannon was just too potent a force to ever truly equal.
The film came at the right time, an abundance of films set in the far reaches of space or the future of humanity’s longing for exploration had given rise to films such as Star Wars, and the big screen version of the Star Trek series, all filled with hope, with glittering futures, with heroes that could be spoken of in reverence and admiration, of dramatic instances of humanity at its most endearing; Alien turned that all upside down, pulled it inside out and scattered the remains of promise onto a pyre where humanity survived on pure adrenalin and the courage to look the monster in the eye and see that which could kill was to be destroyed forever.
Various sequels have adding mythos and drama to the story of the human battles and encounters with the xenomorph and whilst, with a couple of exceptions, have been entertainingly creepy, none have ever matched the original conception; and whilst Alien: Earth comes close, so tantalisingly near, it also finds itself coming up short in terms of portraying the darkness, the hunger, and the sheer terror of that first encounter.
What Alien: Earth does exceedingly well in though is introducing a new terrifying threat and establishing one that has always been at the forefront of the tale.
In T. Ocellus (Trypanohyncha Ocellus) humanity has found another creature to fear, its primary focus to observe and then inhabit the host, controlling its movements, feeding of images is nerve racking and almost as intimate a display of parasitical manipulation than what was seen when John Hurt’s character of Kane suffered the horrific chest bursting scene.
The other is revealed in how the Weyland-Yutani Group created the original synthetic hybrids, a fearsome creature that has all the attributes of humanity, but which will in time come to another reason why humanity is doomed. In both these creations, one of natural evolution and the other in scientific misappropriation, the union forged by the hybrid Wendy, played with creepy satisfaction by Sydney Chandler, is one of disturbing consequence as she forms an unlikely understanding, even comradeship, with the salivating, acid blooded creature.
Written and created by Noah Hawley, and with superb performances by the likes of Alex Lawther, Adrian Edmonson, Timothy Olyphant, Babou Ceesay, and Lily Newmark, Alien: Earth is dynamic, filled with tension, unease, and terrifying awakenings, this is not an invasion story, we have essentially invited the monsters in; and they will destroy our civilisation completely.
Ian D. Hall