Alien: Out of the Shadows

When it comes to enduring science fiction franchises, Alien is hard to beat. Ever since the iconic 1979 movie was released, Alien has produced a cult following that has renewed itself across at least three generations of sci-fi enthusiasts. Its success is a combination of outstanding storylines, a great collection of talents and an antagonist, the xenomorph, whose design makes it the near perfect embodiment of a futuristic killing machine. Few fictional characters have succeeded in reducing humans to mere prey as efficiently as the xenomorph. As a species, it is invasive, very powerful, highly resilient, and utterly ruthless.

Considering the above, it can easily be assumed that Alien will reach its 50th anniversary, in 2029, in a very strong position. This argument is supported by the franchise’s capacity to find success in various art forms which are linked to the Alien movies, but which have their own distinct features. These art forms are mainly novels, comic books and, more recently, audio dramas. It is the latter which are the focus of this article with one production, Alien: Out of the Shadows, singled out as the best among the Alien audio dramas that have been released so far. Before you read any further, please note that this is a personal opinion and that you might consider other Alien audio productions as being superior to the one mentioned.

Audio dramas are nothing new. Ever since the radio became a household staple, they have been great sources of entertainment and, in many cases, important educational and cultural resources. The evolution of audio dramas is not as scrutinised as that of the film industry, but they have come a long way in terms of quality and diversity. The arrival of the Audible platform was certainly a major breakthrough in that respect. It is important to remember that an audio drama is not the same thing as an audio book that is read by a single person. An audio drama is built around a voice cast, sound effects, a production team and a lot more. With the obvious exception of images, an outstanding audio drama can rival a great movie. The intelligent and creative use of sound can produce equal, if not higher, levels of emotion through gripping storylines and compelling characters. Alien: Out of the Shadows certainly delivers in these departments.

At its core, Alien: Out of the Shadows as an audio drama is an adaptation of the novel written by Tim Lebbon. The plot will sound somehow familiar to Alien fans. Following the horrifying events on the Nostromo, Ellen Ripley programs her escape shuttle called the Narcissus to take her back to Earth and enters a state of hyper sleep during the journey. Unknown to her, the rogue android Ash uploaded its artificial intelligence consciousness into the Narcissus and took control of the vessel. Thirty-seven years later, the shuttle picks up the distress signal of the Marion, a ship tasked with extracting minerals on Planet LV-178. The Marion is facing an alien invasion and Ripley once again finds herself in a nightmare battle against the xenomorphs and android Ash.

The character Ripley deserves special attention in this production. Some critics have argued that her presence spoiled the story since she was guaranteed to survive no matter what. This is certainly true, but I would argue that Alien: Out of the Shadows would have been less impactful as an audio drama had Ripley been left out. For one, Laurel Lefkow, the voice actress who played Ripley truly did justice to the character. Her performance, from an audio perspective, was as good as it gets when it comes to portraying a charismatic protagonist such as Ellen Ripley. It is important to highlight this point since Alien fans are obviously very attentive to this kind of detail. Besides, the inclusion of Ripley in Alien: Out of the Shadows certainly benefited anyone who discovered the franchise through this audio drama. Logic would dictate that the movies should be watched first but what made sense ten years ago is not necessarily true in 2022 when so many choices are available.

One of the most solid qualities of Alien: Out of the Shadows is the well-constructed interaction among the characters. There are twelve voice actors involved in this production and it takes some serious skill to communicate the images of the scenes to the listener’s mind in the absence of…well images. Some effort is required from the listener as well but this far easier to accomplish with the help of a brilliant voice cast which faced the challenge of expressing the suspenseful atmosphere of a futuristic world in a fictional spaceship. Fear, desperation, the struggle to find solutions in life threatening situations, the fights against the xenomorphs…these building blocks of the story transpire with ease while the voice actors make sure that the listener is not burdened with needless details.

The only disappointment of Alien: Out of the Shadows might be the portrayal of the xenomorphs. The ferocious creatures do not, and perhaps cannot, have the same impact as they did in the movies. This is, in my opinion, the single biggest limitation of the audio drama. It almost requires the listener to have prior knowledge of the Alien franchise. Remember: the xenomorph is one of the most terrifying fictional creatures ever created in the sci-fi universe. This fact is not entirely apparent in Alien: Out of the Shadows. Does this lessen its overall quality? Well, yes, but only if you insist on a strict comparison between the movies and the audio drama.

The best way to conclude this article is to invite the readers to listen to Alien: Out of the Shadows so that they can draw their own conclusions. The ten audio chapters are each thirty minutes on average. Yes, this is longer than the typical movie but if you are a fan of the Alien franchise, you will certainly want to give it a go.

Good luck,

Ashley Boolell | www.ashleyboolell.com

Alien: Out of the Shadows | Trailer