[Thor Joachim Haga]

What I dig is how the films (especially the first) communicate so much via visuals and sound alone — the whole Freudian landscape that lingers in the subconscious, creating terror. In fact, subtext + auteur stamps are what attract me to them, and what sets them apart from all other franchises of its kind. Everything about motherhood and how that is explored in ALIENS (both Ripley and the queen), faith and redemption in ALIEN 3, science ethics and morals in RESSURECTION. All the intellectual (historical, literary) references in PROMETHEUS and COVENANT that add to the sheer experience aspect of it.

It’s mainstream food for cineastes.

That’s why ROMULUS was a relative disappointment. All surface value, no auteur stamp. There are some bits I liked, but it was basically a very expensive fan film.

ALIEN: EARTH shows more promise. Hawley brings his unique style from things like FARGO and LEGION (slow dissolves, extreme close-ups, meaty colour palette etc.). And the Peter Pan/eternal kid/android approach was a neat idea. It’s not on the level of the pre-ROMULUS films yet, but hoping it will continue to cement itself in the coming episodes.