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Alien: Earth | Review by: Gal Balaban


 Noah Hawley’s small-screen dive into one of the most iconic film franchises lacks the urgency, terror, and fascination of the best Alien films. The production design of this franchise always stands out and is the highlight of this show. However, the story is so dull and loses the essence of what makes Alien so great.


Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, and Essie Davis are all giving competent performances, but their material lacks thematic urgency, down to the dialogue they’re given to work with, and many supporting characters are irritating. The look of the Xenomorph also feels… off here.


One of the reasons the series didn’t work for me is that I feel Alien is inherently not built for a small screen long form of storytelling… or weird rock-n-roll needle drops. The slow build of the lore here doesn’t compare to the simplicity of human beings with almost nothing to protect them and the vast void of space facing off against the most terrifying killing machine in the universe. That requires the ticking clock of the pace and thrills of the cinematic experience. Even Alien: Covenant did many of these ideas way better.


2.5/5


Review by: Gal Balaban 


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