‘Alien: Earth’ Review: FX’s Sci-Fi Prequel Brings the Xenomorphs Down to Our World in an Ambitious, Thrilling Expansion of the Franchise

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Aug 9

Timothy Olyphant in 'Alien: Earth.' **PATRICK BROWN/FX**

Noah Hawley’s ambitious prequel grounds Alien’s cosmic horror on Earth — delivering a cerebral, sometimes overstuffed, but ultimately gripping ride into corporate greed, synthetic life, and monster mayhem

When FX announced that Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) would tackle an Alien prequel series, the reaction was equal parts excitement and apprehension. Could Hawley’s stylized, cerebral storytelling merge with the franchise’s cold, visceral terror? With Alien: Earth, premiering August 12 on FX and Hulu, the answer is a resounding yes — though not without some turbulence along the way.

The series opens with a familiar tableau: a Weyland-Yutani starship, the USCSS Maginot, drifting silently in the void. The crew awakens from cryosleep, groggy and bantering in the mess hall — a rhythm Alien fans will instantly recognize. But Hawley upends expectations quickly. These familiar beats are merely the prelude to a story rooted not in deep space, but on Earth itself — specifically, in a near-future Southeast Asia dominated by the megacorporation Prodigy.

The year is 2120, just two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s original Alien. On the secluded island of Neverland, a terminally ill 12-year-old girl named Marcy (Florence Bensberg) undergoes a consciousness transfer into a synthetic adult body, emerging as “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler). She is one of several hybrid prototypes — human minds in engineered bodies with enhanced strength, speed, and near-immortality — a breakthrough that could redefine life itself, and line Prodigy’s pockets in the process.

When the Maginot crash-lands in nearby New Siam, Wendy and her fellow “Lost Boys” are dispatched on a rescue mission under the watch of Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), a stoic, classic-model synthetic. But their mission takes a deadly turn when they discover the ship’s cargo: a collection of extraterrestrial lifeforms, including xenomorph eggs and new alien species with equally inventive ways of killing. For Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), Prodigy’s insufferably smug founder, this isn’t a disaster — it’s an opportunity. His obsession with seizing the creatures sets into motion a corporate chess match laced with hubris, exploitation, and inevitable carnage.

Hawley’s storytelling is dense, particularly in the early episodes. The premiere crams in backstory, corporate politics, philosophical debate, and a crash course in hybrid-synthetic biology, all while staging bursts of stomach-turning violence. It’s ambitious, sometimes to a fault, but never dull. By the fourth episode, the pace accelerates and the tension tightens, setting up a back half that delivers on the series’ horror promise with spectacularly nasty set-pieces.

FX's Alien: Earth Sydney Chandler as Wendy. **PATRICK BROWN/FX**

Visually, Alien: Earth is immaculate. Production designer Andy Nicholson renders Prodigy’s island facilities with a sleek, sterile beauty that feels as threatening as any derelict spacecraft. The jungles of Neverland are lush yet ominous, an Earthly counterpart to the franchise’s inhospitable alien worlds. Hawley also brings a sly wit to the series’ soundtrack, pairing Black Sabbath and Tool with grotesque alien attacks, underlining the franchise’s enduring punk streak.

The creatures are the stars, of course — from classic xenomorph forms to nightmarish newcomers, including a squid-like predator with an eyeball for a head that steals the show in the “most horrifying kill” category. Hawley smartly sprinkles them throughout rather than hoarding them for the finale, making their appearances all the more shocking.

Performance-wise, Chandler impresses as Wendy, channeling both the vulnerability of a child and the unnerving precision of a machine. Her fellow hybrids — Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, and Kit Young — give each “Lost Boy” a distinct spark, their childish impulses colliding with lethal capabilities. Timothy Olyphant’s Kirsh is icy yet fascinating, while Alex Lawther brings a rare warmth as Wendy’s medic brother. Babou Ceesay imbues Morrow, the Maginot’s security chief, with a mix of ruthlessness and melancholy.

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Then there’s Samuel Blenkin’s Boy Kavalier, a corporate villain so odious you find yourself rooting for a facehugger to take him out. His tech-bro arrogance is painted in broad, satirical strokes — all bare feet on conference tables and Peter Pan monologues — making him one of the franchise’s most memorable human antagonists.

Thematically, Alien: Earth leans into the franchise’s favorite questions: What makes us human? Who gets to decide the value of a life? And how far will the powerful go to claim ownership over life itself? While Hawley’s philosophical musings are hardly subtle — android rights and corporate amorality are spelled out in block letters — they resonate in a world where tech moguls wield near-nation-state power.

The final episodes unleash the kind of chaos Alien fans live for: desperate escapes, claustrophobic hunts, grotesque deaths, and the stark reminder that in the eyes of a xenomorph, we’re all just meat. By the time the dust settles, the series has both honored the franchise’s legacy and carved out a corner of its own — flawed, yes, but bold and alive with ideas.

Rating: ★★★★☆

That’s a Wrap

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Alien: Earth

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That’s a Wrap | Alien: Earth |

Alien: Earth takes big swings, marrying corporate satire, speculative philosophy, and gnarly creature horror. Not all of it lands, but when it does, it’s the best Alien that’s been on screen in years.

-JPM