Alien Earth: Neverland and Mr. October Review

 Overview

When I had first heard of Alien Earth, It quickly moved up to the top of my most anticipated shows and movies. And after watching the debut episodes I can say it sure as heck doesn't disappoint. Alien Earth's first 2 episodes capture the Alien theme and the Sci-Fi Horror of the iconic franchise.

Plot

The first episode's Plot is extremely well done, and this carries on into the second. The beginning of the episode is placed aboard a Weyland-Utani Science Vessel transporting, you guessed it, dangerous specimens. This part is mostly setup and semi-explains what happens to the crew on this doomed vessel. Episode one is a lot more plot focused then overall horror. 

The Hybrid Wendy at the Neverland research facility.

The backstory of each character is also interesting. One of the main focuses of the plot is the "race for immortality" with Synths, Cyborgs and Hybrids all playing key parts in this series. Morrow is an interesting character who is the only survivor of the Weyland-Utani mission, and Wendy is the main Hybrid character whose brother also plays a key part. The main cast of characters are all very interesting and the plot is very high quality in the first 2 episodes. The new creatures are also pretty interesting. Obviously they aren't going to overshadow the legendary Xenomorph, But the new creatures are interesting introductions to the Alien universe.

Wendy reunites with her brother.

There are a ton of unanswered questions that I have after episode 2 and so far the plot of this series is one of the strongest I've seen in a while.

Execution

You can't have an Alien show without Aliens. And Alien Earth delivers. Alien Earth's debut episodes have tons of Xenomorph action. But both episodes also have more of the new creatures. Of these is a new leech-like creature, a strange plant like creature, but the most interesting is what I have dubbed the "Eyehugger" Which attacks in the same method as the Facehugger but, you guessed it, goes for the eye.

The "Eyehugger"

The Xenomorph is also very well done. The movements of the Xenomorph and the overall look of the creature is outstanding. The special effects of this show are extremely well done. It is clear so far that the visual design of the new creatures, as they are extremely smaller, has nowhere near the amount of effort put into it as the iconic Xenomorph.

The Xenomorph attacks Joe

There is one scene that I didn't like in episode 2: the whole "French Dinner Party" thing felt dumb and kind of thrown in. It seems just like an excuse for more violence and was out of place in episode 2. It also seems like it just showcases human stupidity even more than usual in this franchise, and we all know how stupid people can be in Alien movies. But even if it is out of place in this universe, It still has some of the best Xenomorph action of the series so far.

Characters

The characters are very well done in Alien Earth. Each main character is extremely interesting. "The boy genius" as he's called is an interesting character as he seems so immature, you wonder how he became a leader of a multi-trillion dollar company. Wendy is easily the most interesting of the Hybrid group. Which is to be expected as she is literally the main character. Wendy has some interesting character development thorough the first 2 episodes. As this is a 8 episode series, its obvious the character development will be significantly slower, but more intricate.

The Cyborg Morrow aboard the crashed ship.

The mysterious Cyborg Morrow is also a very interesting character. He is the only Weyland-Utani member present at the crash and ends up being the only one who can outsmart the Xenomorph. He causes the deaths of multiple characters and is very similar to Ash from the original movie. It will be interesting to see how Morrow progresses throughout the show.

Wendy's brother Joe shortly after arriving at the crash site

Wendy's brother Joe is a combat medic in the search and rescue unit. Joe has a good bit of character development early on in the show, but until he meets up with Wendy, he's mostly running for his life from the Xenomorph Drone. He has a lot of potential, If he's not killed off. Another interesting character is the only full Synthetic: Kirsh. Kirsh is a prodigy Synth who we don't see too much of in the opening episodes, but he too has potential.

Verdict

Alien: Earth is off to an extremely strong start with it's opening episodes. These episodes capture the Alien universe and theme perfectly (Some moments aside) And already Alien Earth is one of the best shows I've seen in years.

Acting: 96

Each of the main characters play their roles extremely well and even the sub characters are well acted.

Soundtrack: 90

The creepy Sci-Fi horror theme is nailed by this soundtrack.

Looks: 95

The Xenomorph and the new creatures all look amazing.

Execution: 89

Everything falls in to place perfectly for these debut episodes, with a few things aside.

Plot: 92

The plot of Alien Earth is extremely good.

Neverland Score: 89 🌠

Neverland gets off to a slower start, but sticks the landing with it's great home stretch. 

Mr. October Score: 90🌠

Mr. October is a action and terror packed episode with a heck of an ending.

Alien Earth's debut episodes are perfect tone-setters for the rest of the series and I can't wait to continue this show.