ALIEN 40TH ANNIVERSARY SHORTS Plot Descriptions and Trailer Breakdown
A couple days ago, we reported that Fox was celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Ridley Scott’s Alien by releasing a sextet of fan-made shorts set in the same universe. To recap:
Back in 2018, 20th Century Fox put a call out to the Alien franchise’s fans: Create a short film set in the universe launched by Ridley Scott in 1979 as part of the Alien’s 40th Anniversary celebration. Six films were selected as winners, and Fox will be releasing them all as an anthology. When, you ask? “Soon” is as specific as we can get at this point.
At the time, we had a rather non-descript synopsis to share,
Give the plot summaries for the 40th Anniversary Alien shorts below and give Mr. H’s breakdown embedded at the top of the article. Enjoy!
ALIEN: Alone:
Written and Directed by Noah Miller –
Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has
spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall
apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken
ship in search of human life.
ALIEN: Containment:
Written and Directed by Chris Reading – Four survivors find themselves stranded
aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details
around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves
unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected.
ALIEN: Harvest:
Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell – The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space
harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion
sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in
the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been
hiding in plain sight all along.
ALIEN: Night Shift:
Written and Directed by Aidan Breznick – When a missing space trucker is
discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a
remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony
supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply
worker alone to take matters into her own hands.
ALIEN: Ore:
Written and Directed by the Spear Sisters – As a hard-working miner of a planet
mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and
grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under
mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or
defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her
family.
ALIEN: Specimen:
Directed by Kelsey Taylor – It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and
Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have
triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly
goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an
alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse
ensues as the creature searches for a host.
IGN will release one Alien short a week on Fridays beginning March 29th.
What do you think of the plot description and Mr. H’s breakdown of the Alien shorts trailer? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
