Alien: Alone

Such a good start with such a bad ending. At least visually looks great.

This short film in the Alien Anthology isn't among my favorites. The story leans more toward the style of Prometheus, which took the saga in a direction I never really cared for. While the execution is solid and the xenomorph designs are impressive, the idea of someone petting a facehugger just doesn't fit what I'd expect from an Alien story. I'm also not a fan of the lengthy monologue the film relies on. That said, I still appreciate it as a contribution to the broader Alien universe.

The worst of all the alien shorts. Poorly directed. Zero atmosphere (excuse the pun). Bad acting. Every opportunity at suspense is ruined. At 12 minutes it feels more like 45. Even with all it's set pieces, and shot changes, it's amateur hour. I actually felt sorry for the production designer and set dressers who obviously had a lot to do with a limited budget. There just wasn't the need for so many setups. With a decent director it might have worked. Embrassing. An insult to the Alien universe.

From all the Alien 40th Anniversary short films, this is definitely the most interesting one, as it is just not a re-thread or recreation of the elements and atmosphere of the honoured movie. And although being very cheap looking in its execution, it compensates with its original idea.

The idea of a lonely android who sees in the alien not fear but companionship is an interesting alternative look at the original threat. In fact, when you see the android approach the facehugger as it was a small dog, you feel a sense of confusion, as you know it's supposed to be a scary being, but the protagonist and the camera treat it like a loveable one.

If there's something I would criticise, it would be the fact that the android is slowly approaching its end, only because it takes a bit from the urgency of the alien's life expectancy. Nevertheless, as the android needs it to keep it company during the remaining journey, its quest to find human life to prolong the alien's life is in itself a natural step to this short's original idea and, again, a bold and worth-it variation on the tropes the 1979 movie created.

I can't name single thing I could like about this short movie and I'm huge fan of Alien series.