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For a show that has seemed to have covered a lot, when I take a step back and try to take stock of what I've seen, I'm not sure where we are?

The action sequences are top notch; it's so hard to do Alien without just a rehash of what we've seen in the movies, and in general it's been well done. The introduction of the new species (especially the eyeball alien) has been a needed freshness the franchise has been looking for.

The characters are a bit all over the place. Marrow is the strongest and most interesting, followed by Kitch. But after that, it's a bit of a drop off - Marcy/wendy is ok, but she and the entire "kid" cast are hampered by exactly who they are - children in robotic bodies. The thing that makes characters interesting is the baggage they bring with them, and the children just don't have that baggage to make them relatable to the viewer. Kid cavalier is a bit too stereotyped in the show and the character so far lacks any depth or true examples of narassism that may make him more interesting.

Which leaves the last and most important part of this review - the story. What is this story, exactly? Is it the rushed technology of the hybrids? Is it the invasion of alien lifeforms on earth? Is it the relationship of the 5 corporations (which we meet only 2 and even their interaction seems strange)? It's hard to know where this is going ... and maybe that is the point? To quote a famous line from a silly movie "and we are all dumber for having listened to that."

That's how I feel- not any smarter about what this show is half way in.

Still, the ride so far has been mostly a fun one. I'm not nearly as frustrated with alien earth as I have felt with other shows (for example, house of the dragon). I'm excited to see how the second half of this season goes... but like most viewers, patience wears thin unless I really like characters, and alien earth hasn't done enough with its characters to make me want to hang out with them doing nothing for another 4 hours.

This movie is painful to watch in 2025. Perhaps back in 1999, pre 9/11, this was more bearable from a plot standpoint, but these days it's just not worth the time and effort.

The plot tries to be very Hitchcock like, but it lacks believability even in the 1999's day and age of internet, cell phones, etc. The contrivances required to have this plot are well beyond believable.

The acting is no better- in hindsight, I get Jeff bridges' choices of being completely over the top in 75% of his scenes, but as the movie progresses, it's cringy acting. Strangely, as a really good actor, this may be the worst role I've seen him in.

The rest of the cast is no better, but it's not as much a problem with the acting as it is with the screenplay. The lone exception is Joan Cusack, who always plays this type of role well.

Some movies don't age well- this is a clear example of that.