After watching the two prequels and revisiting the original, I still had very low expectations for this one. The Alien series is very interesting yet inconsistent. The 1979 classic is obviously the one that started it all, but its sequel Aliens came seven years later and was almost just as good. But not a single one since has hit those heights. So I was wondering how this would fit into the timeline, and what they would do with it this time.

This sets place between Alien and Aliens, and ties together the timeline in a way that makes sense and works. You have new characters who come together to scavenge in the remains of the ship from the original, and you have a whole lotta references to many of the other films in the series. While there were plenty of similar plot beats to the original, it worked and didn’t feel like a rehash. There was enough that was done differently that just made it all click well with the parts that were familiar.

Plenty of good acting all around as well as fantastic practical effects is what added and made this feel good overall. The visuals were stunning to look at, and the aliens looked great. And there were a few gore scenes that were so well done that they reminded me of a Cronenberg film. And while most of the cast did good with what they were given, David Johnson impressed me the most. I have never seen him in anything before, but I look forward to seeing more with him in the future. The way he played two different kinds of robots and was able to pull off both sides of the coin and it was impressive as much as it was odd and scary.

Is this as good as Alien? No.
Is it as good as Aliens? No.
But is it better than anything that has come in the series since 1986? Oh, yeah. It’s not a perfect movie, but I really enjoyed it and it was well worth the watch.
Grade: B