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OverviewThe 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. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Sarah Welch-LarsonPublisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers Imprint: Wipf & Stock Publishers Dimensions: Width: 12.70cm , Height: 0.90cm , Length: 20.30cm Weight: 0.163kg ISBN: 9781725283008ISBN 10: 172528300 Pages: 144 Publication Date: 25 February 2021 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviews"""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" 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 """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" Author InformationSarah 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. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |