Ridley Scott kicked off the Alien franchise in 1979 with the eponymous Alien. Since its release, the hit sci-fi film received several sequels, two crossover films with the Predator franchise, a prequel, and a spinoff with the successful 2024 film Alien: Romulus.
After the critical and commercial success Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus had, the sci-fi franchise continues with Alien: Earth. Ahead of the show’s official premiere on FX and FX on Hulu on Aug. 12, Alien: Earth debuted with a stellar 90% score from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The early score came from 30 reviews, but it was enough for the series to receive a Certified Fresh badge. While the score is likely to fluctuate as more critics share their opinions online, the initial reaction is encouraging to the sci-fi franchise’s future. Since Alien: Earth won’t be available to stream until Aug. 12, there is no audience score yet.
Collider‘s Ross Nonaime notes how all the previous entries brought something to the franchise in one way or another, allowing the sci-fi series to explore different ideas and storylines. However, the review notes, “As Noah Hawley successfully proves with Alien: Earth, this universe works best when all of its possibilities are rolled into one captivating, thrilling, and heady experience.”
Variety‘s Alison Herman praises the focus on the characters, writing, “Hawley turns to Wendy and her fellow synthetics, thrilled and terrified and in some cases destabilized by their new lease on life. They’re not as flashy as the voracious monsters, but they prove a richer vein to mine.” The Daily Beast‘s Nick Shager called Alien: Earth “A devoted fan’s dream come true, staying faithful to the franchise’s lore while expanding it in horrifyingly inventive ways.”
CBR‘s own Jamie Parker believes, “Alien: Earth is the ultimate sci-fi series for fans of Alien. The series feels as if it perfectly embodies all the best parts of the original film, while still embracing and expounding on new concepts to make the franchise feel fresh and new.” The review also praises the inclusion of several elements from the original, while taking some risks “in terms of world-building, Xenomorph lore, and character decisions,” praising the performances and character development.
Among the negative reviews, SlashFilm‘s Chris Evangelista argued, “Ultimately, the greatest sin Alien: Earth commits is that it ends up being boring. No matter what flaws some of the Alien sequels have, I don’t think anyone could ever accuse them of being “boring.” The Seattle Times‘ Dominic Baez shares a similar thought, explaining that, “Unfortunately, Alien: Earth gets the balance wrong. The prequel series, set two years before the events of the first Alien, spends too long setting up a story that only barely gets going by the time the eight-episode season comes to an end.”
What Is Alien: Earth About?
Alien: Earth is a prequel series created by Noah Hawley. The show is set in 2120, two years before the events of the 1979 film. Alien: Earth stars Sydney Chandler as Wendy, the first hybrid, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav.
The official logline reads, “When the space vessel Maginot crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s biggest threat.”
Alien: Earth premieres on Aug. 12 on FX and FX on Hulu.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes