Right from the first frame, Alien: Earth nails the atmosphere. The ships feel lived-in, the costumes scream late-70s sci-fi grit, and that whole “cassette futurism” vibe is alive and well. It almost tricks you into thinking you’ve been dropped into Ridley Scott’s original universe. The problem? While the visuals keep you glued to the screen, the script doesn’t quite carry the same weight, leaving chunks of the story scattered and incomplete.

The series splits its focus between a reckless space crew hauling alien specimens back to Earth and a girl whose consciousness gets transferred into a synthetic body on a billionaire’s island. On paper, both arcs sound intriguing. But when they collide in the second episode, it feels forced like two puzzle pieces jammed together just to keep things moving. Characters end up thinly sketched, and motivation often feels like an afterthought.

Here’s where it gets strange. Instead of leaning fully into the dark, claustrophobic world that makes Alien work, the show throws in cultural nods that don’t fit at all. References to Peter Pan and even Ice Age feel jarring, almost parody-like. Instead of pulling you deeper into the universe, they yank you right back into our own. It’s clever in theory, maybe, but in practice it undercuts the mood.

Atmosphere-wise, yes. Those dim corridors, the sense of something lurking just out of sight it’s all there. But then a handful of baffling character decisions ruin it. Sending six soldiers to deal with an alien outbreak in a city? Really? Moments like that break the tension, because when the people on screen don’t act believably, the danger feels less real for the audience too.

After two episodes, Alien: Earth is a mixed bag. It looks gorgeous, and parts of it capture the gritty magic of the franchise. But the story is shaky, the pacing uneven, and the characters haven’t given us much to care about yet. There’s potential, sure, but right now the show feels like it’s leaning too heavily on style while hoping substance will catch up later.