ALIEN Review
SCIENCE FICTION is defined by the 70s-That decade rightly called the last great age of film-making.Although every film genre owes quite a lot to the films made between 1970 and 1979,nowhere is it more obvious than in the much ridiculed genre of science fiction.
Sci-fi came into its own in the 70s with titles ranging from the intelligent misunderstood cult hits like Silent Running and Andromeda Stain to the highly enjoyable commercial behemoths in the form of Star wars and Close Encounters.The decade was ending and people were warming up to the education and entertainment they had been experiencing with “new age” sci-fi.Thus rightfully so it Was in the summer of 1979 that ALIEN was unleashed on the public.
It would change the perception of outside life being sentient inquisitive visitors forever!This Is the kind of first contact people have nightmares about.Alien would be the anti
The director of Alien is Ridley Scott(or Sir Ridley Scott) who wasnt a novice by any means but was no veteran eitherwhen he made the feature.He had directed
The Duellists prior to Alien and was known as a director of visual flare, and watching Alien one of the first things you as an audience notice is how beautiful yet scary the set designs are.This Was Scott’s first foray into science fiction and he would go on to direct Blade Runner(another seminal classic) after this.To This day most fans relate scott’s name to either of the two films and not the ones he made later on despite the fact that some of them are masterpieces of their categories-Goes to show the impact Alien would have on his career.
Alien’s plot is basic-On it’s return to Earth,commercial towing vehicle Nostromo intercepts an SOS signal from a remote planet and the crew are under contractual obligation to investigate despite their reluctance. Three crewmembers leave the ship to explore the area. At the source of the transmission they discover a derelict spaceship, laden with a cargo of alien eggs.By means of an unfortunate(and silly)mistake one of the eggs is bought upon the Nostromo unaware to the crew.
Then comes the famous “dinner scene” which is one of te most famous horror scenes till date and has been spoofed in countless other mediums.Even If you haven’t seen Alien,chances are you must be aware of this scene-If you have no idea what I am talking about,consider yourself a lucky SOB. This scene gives us the first look at one of the most iconic movie monsters ever put on screen.
The Xenomorph(the scientific term given to these ETs) is a triumph in every sense of the word-Mean and horrendous with an organic streak to it-Nobody would wanna see it from far let alone killed by it.Oh,and it has acid for blood so its pretty badass as well.wHAT follows next is a terrifying game of cat and mouse where our bold miner-asronauts are pitted against the Alien and try to bring it down.Its a chiller wherein the audience will hardly get time to catch their breadth.The last twenty minutes or so is in my opinion a mastery of every craft involved.Its a visceral thrill in sharp contrast to the slow pace of the first half of the film and while we are on the topic….
One of the first things you will notice about Alien is how slow and atmospheric it is.The film takes its time to unfold and the slow first half(which is never a bore by the way) is necessary for the build-up and the tour de force second half is only complemented by it.The very first scene of the film has the camera moving around the empty halls and pathways of the Nostromo which makes you want to go and explore the ship but also be alert enough as to not to get lost.I could only imagine how awesome the opening scenes would be in 3D!-All kudos to the production design team led by Michael Seymour.Its a spaceship but more like a planet in itself-A place you HAVE to explore.
And then their is the Alien itself-The creation of swiss surrealist H.R Giger.Calling it scary would be an understatement and as mentioned earlier,the creature is meant to evoke emotions inside you.Giger worked again in Hollywood most notably in films like Species and Dune but like Scott his name is associated with Alien.Name me one movie monster as un-nerving and spine chillling as the Xenomorph-and the funny thing is this is no computer animation,just basic old-school wizadry.
The acting is great allround with veterans Ian Holm and John Hurt leading the way with great performances.Sigourney weaver is the standout and would become a superstar with this film and have her career always associated with the monster.Dallas(Tom Skeritt) the no nonsense captain,Brett(Harry dean stanton) and Parker(Yaphet Kotto) the cribbing technicians,Kane(John Hurt) the executive officer,Ash(Ian Holm)the science officer,Lambert(Varonica Cartwright) the navigator and Ripley(Sigourney Weaver) the warrant officer are beliveable to the T.They are everyday people who happen to work on this spaceship in the future.
One of the things you notice outright is how old and “seasoned” everyone is which is atypical of horror films.This gives Alien a “real” feel.We know these guys are tired and we know they are not supersoldiers or genetically enhanced beings-Just average joe’s wanting to get back home to Planet Earth.Its been metioned many a times that most of the dialogues were improvised and you can sense that on the screen-as I said before,it gives a real feel to the movie,so unlike a hollywood blockbuster.
Most thinkers out there also find subtle meaning behind the appearance of the Alien and how it interacts with the female crew-It has sexual overtones which although not apparent during a casual view will come across if you look deeper into it.
And of course Alien’s role in the feminist approach in mainstream cinema is very well known.How many films actually had a female heroine before alien?I believe this was the film that paved the path for the like of Tomb Raider and The Terminator-Strong female characters who evolve and come into their own as the film progresses-Alien started it.
There are some very minor flaws one of which being that the additional subplot of Jonesy the cat can get a bit irritating at times.I do understand her being a distraction but the obvious way in which it guides poor brett to his doom is quite blatantly obvious and you can see it coming as soon as brett sees the moulted exterior skin of the baby alien,or maybe we have as audiences become accustomed to this cliche which wasnt a cliche when the film was made!Either ways its a minor flaw.
Looking back its hard to imagine its been 30 years since Alien came out.By the looks of it,the film could easily pass on for a 1995 feature.Everything except maybe the computer models have stood the test of time and that is understandable.Most recent films featuring state of the art equipments become dated in half a decade but old school VFX
Alien became a huge success and spawned a franchise of its own consisting of 3 other movies(which deteriorate in quality as they progress) and other ventures such as video games and toy figures-Very much like Star wars and Star trek alien became a part of pop culture in its own way and its easy to see why-There are very few films which are flawless and this one is pretty close top being one in my opinion.Take a beer,turn off the lights and watch Alien the way its meant to be seen-Quietly and with patience.This is movie magic.A cinematic masterpiece-
Alien is a 10 on 10!
