What to watch: High-level popcorn thrills in robot-heavy Alien: Earth
The new expensive-looking TV version of the Aliens movie franchise has some cool actors - including a Kiwi - doing some interesting things.
Acclaimed TV writer Noah Hawley (Fargo) brings the Alien movie franchise to Earth in this new prequel series with more than just aliens on its mind.
In the future – but before the events depicted in Alien (1979) - a spaceship with various alien samples on it crash lands in “New Siam” and the various corporations that control the world vie to recover the potentially lucrative intellectual property inside.
Alien: Earth is a very expensive looking series with some cool actors doing interesting things. Timothy Olyphant plays a “normal” android, and rising star Sydney Chandler plays a “synth” i.e an android body that has had the mind of a human child placed inside it. There are various characters of this nature, which presents something of an acting challenge: an adult-looking person with the mind of a child. Some of these performances are reminiscent of John C. Reilly in Step Brothers.
Viewers sometimes criticised the Alien film franchise for being overly concerned with robots, and less with aliens, and that criticism applies to what I've seen of Alien: Earth so far. Not necessarily to the show's detriment, however, as the android threads here are pretty interesting.
Creator Noah Hawley (Fargo) is generally a philosophical writer who likes to have his shows be about things in a sometimes slightly esoteric way - in this case the quest for immortality and questions around what makes us human.
A scene from Alien: Earth – pictured (l-r) Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Kit Young as Tootles, Erana James as Curly, Lily Newmark as Nibs.
Patrick Brown/FX
But there are some some high level popcorn thrills in here as well. The Alien action has the chance to ramp up in the second half of the season, but it has been rather perfunctory so far.
New Zealand actor Erana James features in a supporting role, and appears to be using her Kiwi accent, which is nice.
A tempered recommendation.
Don't watch it if... phallic monsters with acid for blood scare you.
If you like Alien: Earth, what should you watch next?
Andor: Another thoughtful TV series adapted from an iconic space movie. (Disney+)
Fargo: Noah Hawley's previous series, adapted from the Coen bros' darkly comic 1995 crime thriller. (Neon)
Foundation: Very expensive-looking science fiction drama adapted from Issac Asimov's iconic books. (Apple TV+)
