Becoming Alien: The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction's Most Idiosyncratic Film Franchise
Ebook
Overview
The Alien films are perceived to be a fractured franchise, each one loosely related to the others. They are nonlinear, complicated, convoluted: 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.
“Sarah Welch-Larson’s Becoming Alien does something the
cinematic series itself couldn’t entirely manage: offer a cohesive
thematic and aesthetic vision, in this case one rooted in a
theologically provocative understanding of origins and evil. After
reading Welch-Larson’s book, you’ll immediately want to watch all
six Alien films again, appreciating the elements she
perceived that you likely missed.”
—Josh Larsen, author of Movies Are Prayers
“Few monsters are as iconic as the Alien, spawned from a franchise
as changeable as its creature’s various forms. In this provocative
volume, Welch-Larson hugs a theological through line that, much
like Ripley, enables her to find grace, hope, and possibility
bursting from the films. Both of my jaws were on the floor.”
—JR. Forasteros, author of Empathy for the Devil
“Alien fans remember the villain who calls that malevolent
monster a ‘perfect organism . . . unclouded by conscience or
delusions of morality.’ In Becoming Alien, we watch Sarah
Welch-Larson achieve something like the opposite: Guided by
conscience, she illuminates this shape-shifting series with moral
vision. As she surgically studies an epic battle of good versus
‘discreation,’ her insights flare like Ripley’s flame-thrower. And
you can tell it’s personal. Let’s call it ‘perfect
criticism.’”
—Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Through a Screen Darkly and
Auralia’s Colors
- Title: Becoming Alien: The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction's Most Idiosyncratic Film Franchise
- Author: Sarah Welch-Larson
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781725283015, 9781725282995, 9781725283008, 1725283018, 1725282992, 172528300X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781725283015
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-11T01:29:52Z
Sarah Welch-Larson writes about aesthetics of science fiction
and character-driven narratives in film. She is interested in
feminist theory and theology, and in stories about agency and
creation, particularly regarding cyborgs and androids. She lives in
Chicago with her husband, their dog, and about two dozen
houseplants.