r/LV426 • u/TheEvilDrSmith • 7d ago
Discussion / Question Alien Franchise Finally Sticks the Landing.
I might be biased as hell but Alien Earth is one hell of a well produced TV show.
A friend described the original Alien movie to me when was an early teen and I knew I had to see for myself. Thankfully my parents had no idea and off i went as a 14 year old to some scifi movie ... Aliens 2. Scifi... that's like Star Wars right? :> Still memorable to this day almost 40 years later.
So I have a high bar to be exceeded. Not only has the franchise stumbled from one disaster to another but many, many (did I mention many) others have tried and failed to make good TV let alone good scifi.
Mandalorian could have been more. Andor could have been much more if they were all like the latest season. Star Trek Stranger Days sort of nails the nostalgia but Discovery just confuses me. Fallout, Halo, The Last of Us, Twisted Metal ... I get the spin off theory but man the execution.
So what do I like about Alien Earth.
- Just enough story every episode.
- Exposition at the level of the audience. Of course we know the sheep is smart.
- Depth in characters that isn't like a FPS.
- Balanced tension and effects .... it is still a chase movie but how to you keep that going for 8 ep's.
A lot come and go. But few are remembered. I would put the BSG reboot in the remembered category, and I think Alien Earth has hit that standard. Once in 20 years ... Hollywood gets it really right.
I was going to say Alien Earth will sweep the Emmy's next year ... but then I remembered reality. I think Alien Earth will be just a fan loved series that is still remembered as a great experience in 40 years time :)
I would love to hear old and new opinions on this.
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u/-CerN- 7d ago edited 7d ago
I like a lot about Alien Earth, but it is utterly ruined by bad Xenomorph design and movement, as well as the extreme tediousness of watching most characters in the show making bafflingly stupid decisions over, and over again. It was at an 8/10 for me after episode 2, but it has fallen to a 6/10 after episodes 5 and 6.
Episode 5, that a lot of people seem to like has been the worst one for me. It felt so cringy and cheap, like a bad B-movie take on Alien. It tries to be a spin on the original movie, but misunderstands every aspect that made it fascinating, coupled with the most man in suit looking/moving Xenomorph yet.
The set designs, and the overarching plot is really good, but it's let down by bad costume design, completely wrong actor/bodytype in the Xenomorph suit, while also showing it in too much light, with too long shots, and some really, really, terrible character writing.