Is 'Alien: Earth' Really Scary? My Thoughts After Watching

I have to admit, I went into Alien: Earth expecting a terrifying return to the legendary Alien universe. With a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80% audience rating, I imagined suspense, tension, and the kind of horror that defined the franchise.

But after watching the first couple of episodes, I realised the reality is very different. Alien: Earth promises thrills, yet what I get is a slow, uneven sci-fi story that mixes futuristic visuals with an inconsistent narrative.

Alien: Earth Shifts From Intimate Horror to a Menagerie of Aliens

For me, the series was supposed to be a prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, set just a few years before the Nostromo’s story. I expected minimal, suspenseful horror.

Instead, Alien: Earth opens up a futuristic Earth in the vein of Blade Runner, complete with a zoo of alien species. I felt that this instantly undermined the tense, claustrophobic horror that made the original Alien films so effective.

The Hybrid Heroine and Her Guide in Alien: Earth

The main story follows Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a human-alien hybrid with a synthetic body and human consciousness. I watched her navigate a ruthless corporate system where lives and bodies are traded like stock.

She is accompanied by Kirsch (Timothy Olyphant), a synthetic with a sarcastic, weary edge. Even he seems aware of how scattered the story is, which made me notice the inconsistent pacing even more.

Pacing Issues and Tonal Shifts Undermine Alien: Earth

For me, pacing is the biggest problem. Some episodes feel stretched, containing too little story for their runtime, while others cram in too much. The tonal shifts also bothered me: one moment it leans into grotesque horror, the next it tries serious reflections on transhumanism and ethics.

I found this erratic rhythm made it hard to stay immersed in Alien: Earth.

Stunning Visuals Can’t Save Alien: Earth

I can’t deny it — visually, Alien: Earth is spectacular. The FX, set design, and lighting all feel cinematic, especially the ship crash in the metropolis — a scene I wish I could have experienced in a theatre.

Yet, after the initial awe, I realised that curiosity replaced genuine fear for me. The xenomorphs barely feel threatening, and the story’s twists don’t deliver the tension I expected from an Alien project.

Verdict: Alien: Earth Has Potential, but Horror Is Lost

Ultimately, I think Alien: Earth is a curious experiment. The actors do their best, but the story never decides whether it wants to be horror, sci-fi, or philosophical drama.

While the ideas are intriguing and the potential is there, the horror that made me excited to watch is buried beneath slow pacing and inconsistent storytelling. For me, the scariest element is the pace of the episodes themselves.

Would I continue watching? Right now, my enthusiasm is low. But maybe later episodes will surprise me. For now, I’m left asking: where did that 93% rating come from?