Alien: Earth (FX)

[Geoff D]

Seen the first two and yeah, not sure what to make of it. It's pretty much nonsense, but enjoyable nonsense. I see a few gripes that the Beast is so played out that they're doing all this other stuff with it re: synths, cyborgs and kids (oh mai) but isn't that exactly what Sir Ridley did as well?

[Stanis]

The third ep is tedious I must say. There is just something off about this series so far

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by Kylo_Ren

Why do folks keep saying that David "created" the xenomorph?

I think the mural in Prometheus made it abundantly clear that these creatures or ones with that type of genetic background already existed way before David got his hands on that black goo.

Either the Engineers created the xeno and the mutagen that creates it OR they derived that mutagen from these already existing creatures and used their DNA to create this bioweapon.

When David was experimenting with the black goo mutagen, he was just a cook tinkering with an already established recipe.

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

I've been down this rabbit hole with Prometheus but ultimately it's just a scuffed film that breaks down if I try and connect it to Alien but I always thought that mural was the shark thing that came out of the engineer at the end and it had never actually popped out of humans until David so he may have created the version in the Alien films but it's a stretch since the crashed ship in Alien couldn't have been from David unless he went back in time somehow.

Originally Posted by Stanis

The third ep is tedious I must say. There is just something off about this series so far

Because streaming shows suck and continue to suck no matter what, this is just another cash in on a good name.

[Prog5000]

I watched episode one & I won’t be watching this nonsense any further.

[EvaDK]

Originally Posted by Kylo_Ren

Yes, I know the quote that you are referencing. EvaDK also provided it above. It was in an interview when they were promoting Covenant.

To me, from how Scott worded it and what happens in the actual film, it seemed like he was talking about that specific xenomorph being "made" by David, not necessarily that David completely "created" the xenomorphs from scratch in general. The mural from Prometheus which is still canon disproves the latter being the case. For reference, Scott said:



Going off the films and taking Scott's quote directly, they took a "different direction" with Covenant meaning no Engineers (except for a flashback), but that does not undo what we saw earlier in Prometheus or that the black goo is a mutagen which gives organisms xeno properties and precedes David.

Again, David made that particular xeno in Covenant as Scott says. But he is not the Creator of them as a whole. Either the Engineers made them, or they came from somewhere else, and the Engineers used these creatures to make the mutagen.

That is how I have always interpreted that quote from Scott.
This is what Prometheus shows us, and David's actions do not really change that.

The interviewers question and Ridley's train of thought that leads into his comment that David created him - quite obviously talks of the Xenomorph monster in general and how the audience missed seeing it in Prometheus. He's not talking about one specific Xenomorph.

You may disagree with Ridley - I may disagree with his opinion as well - but he says what he says and there's no way to claim that he doesn't say what he says in that interview.

[saxomaphone]

Originally Posted by Stanis

The third ep is tedious I must say. There is just something off about this series so far

Yeah, this shit is taking too long to get interesting. Just make it a 2-part movie and skim the fat. Not a fan of what's happening with the Wendy character.
And the brother definitely has plot armor.

[Show spoiler]Alien taking his sweet time taking him out, yet takes out those renaissance party people in mere seconds

[EvaDK]

Originally Posted by Jeyl

But here's a much more broad point I'd like to make when it comes to the 'mystery' of it all. There's a big difference between the concept of 'mystery' and the 'unknown'. Mystery is what drives the story. The 'unknown' is the story's flavor. ALIEN was not about solving the 'mystery' of the Space Jockeys or the Xenomorph. It was about surviving something that was unknowable. That Derelict ship could have come from anywhere, millions or billions of years ago. Their entire society and race might be long gone. The eggs could have been a weapon, a by product or something unexpected even for the Jockey. Heck, the Jockey could have come across those eggs from somewhere else and one got loose. Is that what happened? I don't know, and we'll likely never will. And I'm ok with that.

Mystery isn't scary. The uknown is.

Exactly. I agree 100%.

Originally Posted by morris_schaffer

But in the hopes of mellowing the waters somewhat, I hope some of you get the David closure you seek and maybe crave. I'm not opposed to it, but don't need it.

I'm not opposed to Ridley or someone else doing a sequel to Covenant either; but personally I don't need one. I'm fine with David doing his own little adventure somewhere in the Galaxy and we'll never know about it.

Originally Posted by Cremildo

What effed everything up was the studio's refusal to make an Engineer-centric sequel to Prometheus (Covenant feels a bit like the third in an unfinished four-movie series where the second one doesn't exist)

Yep. They abandoned the Elizabeth Shaw storyline and character completely (her established quest of finding out why the Engineers wants to destroy humans on Earth) in favor of turning it into the David-centric storyline we got. The Engineers and Shaw were key to the sequel storyline when it was still titled ALIEN: Paradise Lost. Not anymore.

To underline what you're saying about feeling that we're 'missing a film' in between Prometheus and Covenant, they actually released a short story on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMVrnYNwus

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

To underline what you're saying about feeling that we're 'missing a film' in between Prometheus and Covenant, they actually released a short story on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMVrnYNwus

I'd still love to see the rest of that deleted prologue (it's supposedly 10+ minutes).

[Fat Phil]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Seen the first two and yeah, not sure what to make of it. It's pretty much nonsense, but enjoyable nonsense. I see a few gripes that the Beast is so played out that they're doing all this other stuff with it re: synths, cyborgs and kids (oh mai) but isn't that exactly what Sir Ridley did as well?

My experience started with a hard eye roll as soon as the cyborg/synth/hybrid explanation blurb came up on screen at 0.1 seconds and finished mid-way through episode one when I started to fall asleep during said children --> hybridy synthy shenanigans.

I was a little salty and tired from a long day's graft, though so i'll jump back in fresh this evening to give it a fair shake.

But from what i've seen thus far, I suspect it's going to lack what I love so much aboot Aliens-es 1 - 3, which is clarity of purpose. I'm not convinced long-form storytelling is what the doctor ordered for the Alien universe, which has mostly thrived on focused bursts of tension and terror. Mostly.

Anyway, a strong black coffee and back in we go for round two.

At least Timothy Olyphant's hair is alluring...

[morris_schaffer]

Originally Posted by Fat Phil

But from what i've seen thus far, I suspect it's going to lack what I love so much aboot Aliens-es 1 - 3, which is clarity of purpose. I'm not convinced long-form storytelling is what the doctor ordered for the Alien universe, which has mostly thrived on focused bursts of tension and terror. Mostly.

I see what you did there.

[Steel76]

Not only is the show terrible, but so are the Xenomorph itself.
It just looks cheap, like from a fan film, with the rubbery look.
And the way they shoot the creature, and the way the actor move, it's the most obvious "guy in suit", I've seen from the franchise. The Xenomorph should be kept in darkness, and not a well lit room or hallway.
I'm getting tired of most of the mayhem happening off screen, and we're just left with the aftermath. If one Xeno, could wipe out an entire group of people, within seconds (like that dinner party), then the creature should have been able to have done the same with the entire crew, in Alien and Alien 3.

There is not a single character in the show, that I care about.
Three episodes in, and there have been zero moments of suspense.

And what is it with TV-shows, featuring songs in the soundtrack?
I'm a metalhead, but I don't want Metallica in the end credits, as it just doesn't fit.

Not sure I will bother with the rest of the show.
They should have made it a mini-series event, of three episodes.
Too much filler and nonsense, and barely any proper Xeno action.

Huge disappointment...

[MarcelS1]

I'm two episodes in and unfortunately not as excited as I hoped I would be. I won't give up yet though.

[Portista]

Yep, this show is absolute garbage. I wasn't a fan of Romulus or the Scott prequels but they are light years better than what's being served up here. Another IP in the Disney crapper.

[JMDiaz718]

I’m honestly just enjoying Timothy Olyphant. I can watch him admire and dissect alien lifeforms all episode. The rest of the characters are boring and super annoying, especially the child like synths. Boy Cavalier is kinda interesting, but he needs to meet a horrible end, by the end of the season. Hopefully, he becomes plant chow.

It’s a beautiful looking show but it’s too talky, and most of the characters are not interesting enough, to listen to them talk endlessly. Olyphant is the one carrying the show for me.

[nico87]

Wow, just finished with Ep3

I second that the best thing (maybe the only good thing) is Timothy Olyphant. Seems he's the only one there with charisma and whose character belongs there.
The series really has AvP vibes, but then again does thing even AvP would not dare.

[Show spoiler]
The 1v1 between Wendy and the Alien, seriously?
The Alien backing down for no reason in the container, getting itself stabbed, smashing the container like the T-Rex in the Lost World, then the thing with the hook as if it's just a big dog... urgh...
Then she decapitates it after just getting thrown around a bit (off-screen of course, would not want that to look ridiculous!)

The acting and dialog of the robot kids and the scene with Morrow is painful to watch.

And then, in the same episode, they tell you everything the kids see or hear is monitored and recorded, yet Indian kid has his radio conversation with Morrow, the red-headed with the weird face is clearly having a meltdown, or Wendy hears Alien voices, yet it's fine no one bats an eye? Top notch writing there.

And what about Wendy "hearing" Aliens? Yet another "that girl is the key to everything".

Oh and now we have the Alien tadpole AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Ironically enough the other alien species are enough to keep me interested, but the treatment of the Alien here is frankly sad to see.

[KcMsterpce]

This show is boring, trite, terribly written, and completely fails to understand that "imitation" is not the same as "comprehending the reason it is imitated".
Awful, forced exposition. Nonsensical reasoning to place characters in places they need to be for the story to happen ("contrivances" and "plot conveniences"). Attempts to throw in Philosophy 100 concepts (not even Philosophy 101 level) out of nowhere, leading nowhere, with strands of a beginning argument that has no resolution or purpose... further expressing how incompetent the writing team is. This doesn't bring thought, complexity, nor levity to the project. It's just embarrassing.
And the plot armor... oh my, so bad. I hate it when someone sees something, they have a rifle in their hand, and yet don't use it. I also can't stand when someone should have died 10 times in a row, yet for no discernible reason still lives.
Finally, the alien isn't smart, lurking in the shadows and playing a game of stealth. It just hides in plain site and happens to be in the spot where people walk by when (again) it's time to do the Thing the writers want to do.

Worstly, it's soooo boring. Editing, pacing, and cinematography are jilted and incongruent.

I will have to step away. So tired of being tricked into giving a classic franchise a chance, only to just be fed buckets full of crap down my throat.

Positives: It looks pretty. Sets are nice some of the time.

[SleazyForWeasley]

Originally Posted by KcMsterpce

Positives: It looks pretty. Sets are nice some of the time.

When you can actually make any of it out from all the darkness.

[The hitcher]

Originally Posted by Naiera

You can just not watch it.

This is now my Disney+Alien policy.

Heck after trying to watch Encanto etc, I think it's safe to throw Disney in the cooler for another decade. The Emperor's New Groove was a looooong time ago.

[LexInHD]

Originally Posted by Stanis

The third ep is tedious I must say. There is just something off about this series so far

You are not alone in thinking that. The reviews from people who have seen the whole season, say that the show is best appreciated as a binge and not bit-by-bit, as it is being released.

[saxomaphone]

Originally Posted by nico87

Wow, just finished with Ep3

I second that the best thing (maybe the only good thing) is Timothy Olyphant. Seems he's the only one there with charisma and whose character belongs there.

Yeah, Timothy Olyphant is definitely the saving grace of the series. Or as Kevin Smith calls him Timothy Olyphantastic!
But can we get a Hitman sequel with Timothy back in the role? Hitman (2007) WAS THA BOMB YO! Or at least a 4K release.

Originally Posted by LexInHD

You are not alone in thinking that. The reviews from people who have seen the whole season, say that the show is best appreciated as a binge and not bit-by-bit, as it is being released.

That doesn't surprise me. Definitely one of the pitfalls of a TV series format. A good comparison would be buying a soda drink at a fast food chain, and it's like 70 percent ice, 30 percent actual soda.
Because it's so much more alluring to sell you on the idea of 8 FULL episodes of Alien goodness, even though for budget reasons and need to stretch it out, nothing really happens in the majority of the episodes. But you do get 8!? Subscribe to Hulu and stay subscribed for a least a solid two months to see 'em all!

Another example would be the Alien "playing" with the synth and her brother in the freight container (we still using those 100 years in the future? lol). We've always seen the Alien with having the intent to kill. But since they gotta draw out runtime, he's gonna not kill the brother at every opportunity it gets and do some kind of psychology warfare on 'em? like zuh?

You can draw out a TV series like Fargo where it's drama/talking-based but a horror thriller/action based franchise is abit more difficult. So we getting alot of Something something Human greed corporation-y . Do androids dream of sleep? sera sera jibber jabber.
Which is why I think Prometheus and Covenant are great. It's a good balance. But those movies could be longer where as this TV show can be shorter.

I dont do Fan-edits but I would fan-edit the **** out of this show. First time reaction vids on youtube to franchises that span the course of over several decades fascinate me. Except Star Trek, that franchise is excessive in content.
Would love to see someone's genuine first time reaction to the Alien franchise including this series in chronological order. But there are so many fake "first time reaction" vids on youtube. Very tempted to find authentic person who never seen one Alien movie and pay them to watch and record. Good stuff.