IR TV Review: ALIEN - EARTH - EPISODE 1 (“Neverland”)[FX]
The perspective of the "Alien" franchise is making it feel monolithic while respecting where it came from. With the pilot episode of "Alien: Earth" called "Neverland" coming to FX, what "Fargo" mastermind Noah Hawley has done is create an interesting bridge bringing (at least the beginning) back to the feel of the first film inherently while still making it feel modern with our technology. The timing of when it takes place is key and of course will figure in later into the series. The tech and the way it plays out while not retrofitting some of the CG is a tricky balance but from the first 20 minutes it really feels right. There is a certain juxtaposition of jump cuts so it makes sense in terms of the story being told. The pilot also spells out the corporations a bit more in a way than the movies do. The Alien universe in a certain way is about commerce and this places it into that. The main side story which of course retreats a bit into the David mentality from "Prometheus" in the melding of human and machine (per se) and what constitutes a soul.
Sydney Chandler plays Wendy, a new character and (as one can tell from the episode title) there is a correlation to the Lost Boys and the concept of Neverland. It is a wonderful way to bridge something like "Alien" with classic storytelling which both informs the story but also doesn't take away from the greater mythology. Jonathan Ajayi plays another character who comes in at various points but really rachets the series whereas, at least at this point, Wendy is the heart which is undeniably ironic. Timothy Olyphant plays Kirsch who is a mysterious figure to be sure but obviously is key to the proceedings (at least on a micro-scale). The pilot feels very cinematic both mirroring certain scenes from "Alien" but also the slow push moves and a wonderful score. Hawley wrote and directed the pilot so it has his fingerprints all over it. Hopefully it can maintain that tone and pace depending if the duties are split up. But as a starting point, it is a phenomenal piece of work that balances both sides...and even more than "Romulus" (which was great in its own right) brings "Alien" into a new world while satisfying new and old fans. The key though is that most of the faces (save for Olyphant) are pretty new in a way as well' so people can project their dreams, thoughts, fears and apprehension onto them which really ups the ante and connection. A
By Tim Wassberg
