'Alien: Earth is the best the series has been in ages - but there's one glaring problem'

Alien: Earth has finally landed with the first two episodes now available on Disney+ - or FX on Hulu for those across the pond - and fans of the franchise are keen to see how it compares to the rest of the series.

With impressive production values, a stellar cast of both established actors and fresh faces, and Fargo's Noah Hawley at the helm, all the elements are in place for this new prequel to be a roaring success.

Personally, I'm a massive enthusiast of the Alien franchise, having seen the initial two films numerous times, even once having the privilege to watch Ridley Scott's 1979 classic that kick-started it all on the big screen.

I also have a soft spot for the often-criticised prequel Prometheus, which I've viewed perhaps five times - such is my affection for this slimy, grotesque and enigmatic sci-fi saga.

Fellow Alien devotees will be delighted to hear that the critical reception to the new series has been outstanding so far, currently holding a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, reports the Mirror.

I largely concur with the consensus - the first six episodes of the eight-part season I had the chance to view are as dynamic and bloody as any Alien chapter should be, while taking some unexpected eerie turns that hint at a spectacular finale and, hopefully, several more seasons to come.

However, there's one minor issue I have with the series thus far that I'm hoping will be resolved by the finale, or addressed in a potential second season.

The renowned body horror series has experienced its fair share of highs and lows over the years, with the first hiccup being the contentious Alien 3 in 1992. Despite launching the career of auteur filmmaker David Fincher and being packed with intriguing concepts, it was generally considered a bit of a shambles.

This was followed by the progressively disappointing Alien: Resurrection and the two loosely related Alien vs. Predator films before Scott himself made a comeback to the franchise with the divisive prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Both are underrated, in my view, although they were somewhat overloaded with existential musings and deviations from the original series that deterred most casual viewers.

Then came last year's Alien: Romulus, a sort of compilation of the best bits of the Alien franchise which helped get things back on track but was ultimately too indebted to Scott's masterpiece to offer anything new and thrilling.

With Hawley's interpretation of the franchise, you still get a blend of all the best elements the franchise has to offer, but with far less of Romulus's nostalgic pandering and much more bravery to remix and reinvent Alien's most iconic imagery.

Much like the original film, which remains the gold standard for the franchise, Earth is more engrossed with ethical dilemmas and biological terror than cheap thrills. The gruesome horror is still present in abundance, but after a cataclysmic opening two-parter, the pace slows just enough to allow Hawley's chilling exploration of biology and human psychology to take centre stage.

The series takes its familiar themes of artificial intelligence a notch higher by questioning the validity of transferring human consciousness, exemplified by Sydney Chandler's literally child-like 'Wendy'. This proves far more captivating than Romulus' heroic android Andy (portrayed by David Jonsson), who seems to be there mainly to crack poor jokes and rehash old one-liners.

However, fans are also drawn to the 'Alien' itself, the legendary Xenomorph that has been haunting spaceships for over four decades. Regrettably, this is where the show falls short.

Despite the creature being as horrifying as ever, brought to life primarily through a practical costume and on-camera trickery, its role in the first season has been somewhat downplayed and it doesn't quite feel like the unstoppable force from previous instalments. In this series, the Xenomorphs can be neutralised more easily than ever before, by both humans and synthetics, making them some of the least menacing adversaries in the franchise yet.

To counter this, a number of brand new lifeforms never seen before in the Alien universe have been introduced, but these are also a little hit-or-miss. In contrast to the Xenomorph, they're disappointingly reliant on CGI and their own methods of tearing humans apart from the inside aren't nearly as memorable as the now iconic facehugger-to-chestburster lifecycle that has since become ubiquitous.

Hopefully Hawley has something up his sleeve to remedy this but, until we get to see those final two episodes, so far Alien: Earth is still a fantastic watch, even if it's lacking a little bite.

Alien: Earth continues Wednesdays on Disney+.

For a limited time only, witness the first stage of the life cycle of the Xenomorph up close with a thrilling new display at London's Natural History Museum.

Visitors can touch real pieces of the solar system at the Museum's blockbuster exhibition, Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?, and discover more about one of pop culture's most iconic and frightening creatures just by the entrance until Friday, 22nd August.