Becoming Alien: The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction's Most Idiosyncratic Film Franchise

by Sarah Welch-Larson

The Alien films are perceived to be a fractured franchise, each one loosely related to the others. They are nonlinear, complicated, a collection of genre movies ranging from horror to war to farce.

But on closer examination, the threads that bind together these films are strong and undeniable. The series is a model of Catherine Keller’s cosmology as a cycle of order out of chaos, an illustration of her concept of evil as discreation.

When viewed through the lens of Keller’s Face of the Deep , the Alien films resolve into a cohesive whole. The series becomes six views of the idea of evil-as-exploitation, its origins, and its consequences. Each film expands on the concept of evil set forth by its predecessors, complicating that conception, and retroactively enriching readings of the films that came before.

Genres: Film, Science Fiction, Theology

119 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2021

About the author

Sarah Welch-Larson is a film critic interested in feminist theory and theology, sad men in space, and stories about agency, creation, and androids. Currently, she is a staff writer for Bright Wall/Dark Room and a co-writer of the Seeing & Believing newsletter (formerly a long-running podcast).

Welch-Larson's writing has appeared at RogerEbert.com, Tor.com, and Think Christian, and occasionally her voice can be heard on the Think Christian Podcast. Her first book, "Becoming Alien: The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction’s Most Idiosyncratic Franchise," was published in 2021.

Sarah lives in Chicago with her husband, their dog, and about three dozen houseplants.

Reviews

[Dave Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating book, author Sarah Welch-Larson uses the framework of Dr. Catherine Keller's theology of creation/discreation and evil as an application to the alien film franchise (minus the Alien vs Predator movies). The result is an enlivened understanding of the Alien movies and also an introduction for many readers to Dr. Keller's ideas. There is a focus on the first two verses of Genesis, the watery chaos that God was forming and from that chaos comes possibilities in the universe including of good and exploitative evil.

Welch-Larson walks through the 6 cinematic installments with compelling film writing as well.

If you have not seen the Alien movies or haven't watched them in a long time, this book will make you want to visit them while applying this framework.

[John Mannion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This assessment of the Alien films through a theological lens ends up being surprisingly coherent. The films are seen as reactions to the vastness and chaos of the universe and the morality of characters depends on whether they can accept their place in such a scheme or be tempted to control, exploit or reductively over-simplify it

[Justin Nickels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very illuminating and a great dissection of one of my favorite film series. It’s nice to read thoughtful works from someone who also holds all six films in high regard.

I’ve never read any of Keller’s works, but I don’t feel like that was to my detriment in reading this piece.

Purchased from MZS Press.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how each film is analyzed and they connect to the theological argument.

[Javin Mather · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Utter control denies the freedoms—and by extension, the personhood—of others. It engenders the desire to use others as tools, to discreate them down to their most basic parts, and to use those parts as pieces in one’s own creations. Control, which despite the illusion that control could affect the outcome of a given situation, leads to a flattening of others, a denial of the plurality of experience, a preference for one hegemonic viewpoint. It leads to stagnation, which ends in nothing."

Evil defined as attempts to control pre-existent chaos that already serves a defined and even beautiful purpose, and defined as choices, actions, and interactions that ultimately deny personhood is conceptually enthralling and so well conveyed in this book, let alone through a highly analytical, theological lens aimed squarely at one of science fiction's most important and beloved franchises.

Welch-Larson's adoration for the works of Catherine Keller's feminist/womanist theological perspectives are likewise engaging, both intellectually and theologically, such that I'm also interested in checking out her work, and the ideas and concepts passionately elaborated upon layer themselves wonderfully over the timeless character of Ellen Ripley. That these levels of analysis and critique can be achieved in regard to a film series, let alone one in a genre still shown some disrespect to this day, had me persistently circling back around to one thought: This is cinema.

[Terry Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian theology and the Alien Movie Franchise seem strange bedfellows, but Sarah Welch-Larson adeptly navigates these waters and has produced an interesting and engaging study. This short book is part movie review, part film criticism, and wholly a love letter to the franchise--she is unabashedly a fan. The excellent introduction is worth the price of admission alone: Welch-Larson’s argument that “Science fiction provides a useful framework for considering issues from our own world in the context of another” is sound, apt, and proven as she offers analysis of all six movies in the Alien Franchise. The issue considered in this work is evil as a religious concept. She uses the theology of Catherine Keller--specifically her work, Face of the Deep--as a framework for understanding evil as presented in the film series. After the introduction, each movie is given its own chapter full of summary and analysis. At times the analysis seems a bit repetitive, but Welch-Larson’s writing is so clear and her insights are so interesting, that it never feels quite redundant. The shortness of the book and its chapter’s help, too. Using a single theological framework to think about a single concept on what is essentially a single text can only be stretched so far; this book goes just deep enough to be significant without becoming unbearably academic.

[Benedict · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I read this to prep for an interview with the author on comicbelief.podbean.com.

Sarah Welch-Larson has Alien well in hand, and takes it, film by film, through a powerful lens of feminist theology from Dr Catherine Keller's Face of the Deep, describing a richer relationship between chaos and creation, the masculine urge to order and the feminine capacity to engage what is beyond the reductions of that ordering. Rather than choose favorites, Welch-Larson lets the films respond to each other, and even finds a clear voice to celebrate the ways endings get subverted, drawing us back into an engagement with the monster, corrupted humanity, and a universe that refuses to be tamed.

The chapter on Alien gives one of the best deep dives into Ripley's transformation away from policies and procedures that are no longer designed to protect her that I've ever read, and the chapter on Alien Resurrection as a parody in which the joke is on us (drawing from Keller's work on the Biblical book of Job) provides a way of holding that movie up that is much more fun than I'd had with it in a long time.

Happy to recommend this, and looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

[Tom Bain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this one. There's some sharp analysis in here, especially of the less critically discussed films in the Alien series (Resurrection, Prometheus, Covenant) that shows Welch-Larson's capability. She's great at articulating the distinct role played by each film while also tying them together as part of a thematic whole. But I think she self-sabotages too often by choosing a single critical framework - a theological one which sticks closely to the ideas of Catherine Keller - and outright dismissing other readings in her introduction. Obviously this is a very conscious approach, but I don't think it justifies itself; Becoming Alien becomes quite repetitive, often an exercise in comparison rather than truly pursuing or developing the connections between the Alien series and Keller's thought. It feels disappointingly undergraduate at times.

[Zach Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

a short interesting exploration of Evil (as defined by Catherine Keller’s cosmology in Face of the Deep) in the Alien films.

a bit academic and slow even for its length at times but arguably one of my fave takes of the series as a whole and specifically Alien3, Resurrection, and Covenant. worth it for any die-hard Alien fan but probably not many more

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being familiar, at all, with Keller's Face of the Deep, referenced almost on every page, is a slight hinderance, but the brief synopses of her ideas mostly get the job done. Enjoyable essays on each Alien film, and I'll be curious if this book helps me engage more with some of the movies I didn't really like as much on my first watch a few years ago.

[Michael Allhands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at one of the best series of science fiction films. It makes a strong case for the thematic linkage between films that initially appear extremely different. I look forward to viewing them again with a new perspective.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, quick read. I am a big Alien nerd, so was looking forward to this, but it didn't nail the landing for me. Maybe in part because I don't view the aliens as evil--they're just trying to live, man.

[Chris Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, philosophical and theological dive into evil in the Alien franchise. One of the most insightful readings I've come across on these movies, giving serious consideration to even its most maligned entries. I want to re-watch these movies soon.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book utilizing theological texts to bring together the Alien series as a meaningful whole.

[Mike Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

23 this book should have been titled ALIENSYNOPSES.

[Christian Holub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really excellent film criticism here, an illuminating analysis of the Alien films (both individually and as a whole) that also has a lot to say about the world we live in and the belief systems that drive it. Now I want to read “Face of the Deep”!