'Alien: Earth' Review: Earth-set Series Combines Character Development and Bloody Suspense

Whatever your preconceived notions of Alien: Earth may be, this FX prequel series, set two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien, is simultaneously more horrific and restrained than you might think. Creator and showrunner Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) spins a familiar (and bloody!) yarn about individuals who realize they’re out of their depth when they encounter an extraterrestrial killing machine known as the Xenomorph. It all seems like something we've seen before — except that the narrative takes place on Earth instead of within the confines of a spaceship. Yet, while Alien: Earth delivers the chest-ripping carnage one might expect, it also maintains a remarkably intimate scale, giving us reasons to care about its entire roster of characters so that when the heads begin to roll, we feel a sense of the stakes. With the luxury of a full-length series (each of the eight episodes runs an hour or more), Hawley and his crew can shift this franchise into a different gear, allowing for a greater exploration of themes around the intersection of identity, corporate power and the forces of nature while also offering face-melting spectacle.