Alien (1979)
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
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"Alien" is a classic movie with a great story/script, wonderful acting, really good setting, and a well developed first installment of the series. Nuff' said.
Alien (1979)Details: Genres: Horror, sci-fi, thriller. Run time: 116 mins. BBFC certificates: 1979 classification: X (equivalent of today's "18" classification); 1991 re-rating for video release: 18; 2003 re-rating: 15.Synopsis: Cargo ship Nostromo receives an unprecedented signal from a nearby planet while en route back to Earth, and the crew, intrigued, investigate.Intro: Ridley Scott's B-movie about a predatory alien stalking and slaughtering hapless crew members within the confines of their own ship has become cinematic legend and has garnered a hugely pretty worldwide profit. Basically, one who goes into this experience with low expectations is a cynic.The experience: The opening credit sequence is hugely subtle, with the film's title emerging very slowly, out of symbols vaguely reminiscent of computer binary. Accompanying this is a very quiet and unsettling underlying score which sets the suspense. We're then taken to the cargo ship Nostromo, which is on its way back to Earth after a respectable spree. Following this is a quiet and ominous exploration of the ship's deserted living quarters. Interrupting that, a signal comes through on the ship's intercom, breaking the silence jarringly. The crew are hence woken from their hibernation pods, and they start investigating why they were disturbed early. Seeing the mystery signal, the crew now take a shuttle down from Nostromo to the planet the signal originated from. On the planet, they investigate and find a crashed spacecraft that they take to be the source of the signal, so they investigate its innards, finding a dead alien and a humid chamber full of structures that are ostensibly eggs.Crew member Kane (played memorably well by John Hurt) is the one to investigate this section closer. I won't give too much away about what follows, to save robbing you of the suspense, but bottom line: Kane ultimately ends up with a half-spider-half-sightless-lizard thing attached to his face, and with its tail coiled around his neck. He's taken back to the shuttle med bay, even after a quarantine order by Ripley (played well by Sigourney Weaver), and there, Ash (Ian Holm) and Dallas (Tom Skerritt) attempt to remove the alien from Kane's face, to no avail. After brief and decidedly non-professional negotiations, the crew head back to Nostromo in the shuttle and head home, even though Kane is still accompanied by "their guest". They're not asking for disaster at all there, are they? (Sarcasm oozing.)So, after the most covertly suspenseful scene in cinematic history - "I remember some...horrible dream about...smothering...?" - we now get our first proper horror scene, all after the half-way mark. Given the build-up prior to this, even the dramatic and gory detail of the scene can't detract from the fact that this ice-breaker is actually a relief from the mind-bending suspense of before. We're now left, for the rest of the run time, with the Nostromo crew trapped in their spacecraft with a highly formidable extra-terrestrial which would enjoy nothing more than to tear them all limb from limb. The alien attacks in the second-half acts are all very well done, not least because they don't unduly dwell on the gore. That may sound highly counter-intuitive coming from someone who's favourite genre is horror, but while I normally can't get enough of blood and guts in the scary films I see, I would actually call Alien a rare exception. The fact you can't quite make out exactly what the alien's doing to its victims heightens the suspense and keeps you on edge. You're left wondering, "What will I see if the alien attacks are given more screen time later in the film?"Given a premise as bleak as this, you imagine there can't possibly be a reassuring outcome, but actually, the film has a happy(ish) ending. While most films of this genre are just like, "Death-death-death-death-death - eat that, viewers", Alien is a refreshment in that it offers concluding notes of reassurance for the viewer. That acts as the icing on an already gourmet-class cake.Post-viewing analysis: Normally, sci-fi acts as a dilution to horror; but this is one of those rare finds where it not only doesn't detract from the scares at all but complements them as well. Literally, the only really graphic kill in this movie comes just after the half-way mark, and once that's done with, the rest takes place in under-lit settings which leave just enough detail for the kills to strike you, but not quite enough to make things "ridiculous". That said, the mentioned formula will only work this once, because it's heavily dependent on playing with viewers' expectations. This is why Cameron's sequel worked so well, because it totally ditched said method in favour of giving an extroverted yet epic and fresh-feeling space slasher. Proof can be found in Scott's later Alien prequels too. Out of the two so far made, Alien: Covenant outdoes Prometheus (as much as some grumpy viewers would love to contradict), because it's less ashamed of being called a gorefest and therefore doesn't feel like a rehash from the original recipe. I gave pointers in my Covenant review too, but here, I again reaffirm that if Scott's going to get close or back to the original standards with his third Alien reboot, extra blood and gore is the medium he most needs to utilise. Even if that ends up making the movie an "18" where I am and an "NC-17" on the other side of the pond, the audience appeal will surely counteract any financial compromises encountered along the way by so securing said certificates.But back on the subject of this movie, another virtue is the sound effects. The musical compositions are especially striking, being thoroughly atmospheric. And the actors are also, collectively, not without note. The highlight there is probably Holm, as he brings such mesmerising charisma to Ash that you literally can't keep your eyes off him when he's on screen. Next in line is Hurt, who pretty much never disappoints no matter what character he's playing, so I find it hard to see why Scott decided that his character should be the first casualty! And Weaver's character, Ripley, is also not to be omitted, because she has all the drive and determination to firmly set her as the routable main lead, especially during the film's second-half acts where her bravery particularly shines through. All this said, this isn't quite a perfect movie. You do have to trawl very deep to find flaws, but there is one editorial hiccup which could potentially strike the attentive.Verdict: 5/5 Nerve-shredding suspense, astute horror, great acting and top-rate sound design all add up to make this one of the best sci-fi horror flicks ever. It can only really be second to Aliens, and even that's open to opinion. In space, no one can hear you scream (Do I never get tired of that tagline, or do I never get tired of that tagline?)The director's cut (2003)Details: Run time: 116 mins. BBFC certificate: 15.Intro: This is a criminally under-recognised re-take of Scott's original sci-fi horror masterpiece.The experience: Similar to the original cut, but a darker lighting effect has been inserted into many of the shots. But while the application of this in Scott's Blade Runner director's cut made the whole thing look second-hand, here, it actually adds to the creepy atmosphere. And the camera effects as a whole have been upped in texture, adding to the movie's already beautiful visual appeal. Also, the scene with Kane in the med bay following the face-hugger attack has now been made more outwardly intense rather than implicitly suspenseful, so the psychological tension has thus been heightened there. As well as this, one of the alien attacks has been extended, making the film feel more slasher-like. Finally, a scene which I'm dumbfounded was left out of the original cut has been inserted into this one. It features the "harvester technique" that the aliens adopt in the sequel, and the inclusion of it here makes the film feel more complete.Post-viewing analysis: Darker, grimmer, more intense, more visually appealing and more solid than the original masterpiece, if that's even possible. What more need I say?Verdict: 5/5 This re-take of Scott's legendary sci-fi slasher improves on the original cut in many ways, is literally only a razor-point's-breadth away from perfection and is a classic example of a director's cut done well. Alien deluxe.
'Alien' is a slow-burning and masterful science-fiction horror that well deserves its critical acclaim. Having never been a huge fan of the science-fiction genre, I never felt that compelled to watch it, but given the fact that this is often referred to as "one of the best horror films ever made" I decided to give it a shot - and it absolutely exceeded my expectations and I can confidently say that this is one of the best horrors I have ever seen. Every single aspect of this film is flawless, from its elaborate set design to its captivating cinematography. Scott's direction is polished and skillful, building up great amounts of tension (with the help of a fantastic score by Jerry Goldsmith) and resulting in a fantastic and terrifying climax. But what really shines in this film is the acting, with a profound and real performance from Sigourney Weaver. Weaver brings the character of Ripley to life and makes her feel like a real character. By displaying the right amount of terror and the perfect amount of badass, Weaver's character becomes an instant favorite among any horror movie franchise. The plot of Alien is nice and straightforward, as most horror films should be, leaving the focus to be on the survival of the characters. What makes Alien stand out from the rest, is its underlying metaphors that give the film depth and complexity. Overall, this was a brilliant film that can effortlessly be penned as one of the best horror films made.
Alien is one of my favorite movies. In fact, it might even be my #1. There's three movies that are pretty much tied for my #1 spot and Alien is one of them and not just because I'm a fan of science fiction and science fiction horror. This might be THE best science fiction movie ever.This is a very unique movie and I can't really compare it to any movie outside the Alien franchise. The idea of an alien monster growing inside your body, planted there by what they call a facehugger that has acid blood that attaches itself to your face after jumping out of a giant egg-like spore is so unique and fascinating. I'll get back to that, but for now let's analize some the other elements of the movie.The cinematography of this movie is amazing. The lighting is flawless. When they're exploring the ship that sent the distress signal it might be too dark to see things clearly, but it makes for a realistic setting because the only light in this location is coming from thr crew's lamps. The pseudo-sexual imagery on the walls of said ship adds a creepy feeling to the scene. But the truly fascinating ship is the one our crew is using to return to earth, especially the inside looks great and it looks like a real environment that people actually live in. It looks so polished but used up at the same time. The editing in this movie is great as well, there's so many times we cut to the next shot at the perfect time, which basically happens throughout the entire movie.The acting is top-notch, especially the performance by Sigourney Weaver deserves a lot of praise. There's not a single dull moment of acting, not one. I also really like the characters. At first I thought the subplot that Ash is a robot wasn't really necessary, but his "death scene" made for a very scary moment and his last lines gave a lot more depth to his character. I also like the fact that all of the characters are individual people and not just "the team", which leads to several argument scenes that I really like and you always side with Ripley, because she's the reasonable one who tries to keep everyone safe. What I like most about Ripley is that she's highly aware of her responsibilities and that she's fearless. Even though Alien is the superior movie by a tidbit, she's even better in Aliens.I said I'd get back to the spores, facehuggers and xenomorphs and I am getting back to them right now. Each of these creatures, and they get unveiled in the order I just named them is more mysterious and menacing than the previous one. The spores, especially with their slimy inside are gross in a great way and intriguing, so you understand why Kane is so curious about it and touches one of them. The facehugger is menacing. We're stuck with it for a considerable time of the movie and it makes us as the viewers concerned with the characters, especially with Kane. Its design is awesome and it works well as a "character" because it's an unknown entity to our human characters. I think that the fact that it has acid blood was added in order to fix the plothole that the crew could just kill it, but it doesn't come off that way because it makes the facehugger even more creepy and gross and because it turns the facehugger into an actual dangerous object. But the best creature in this movie is the xenomorph. That thing is so perfect! The way it gives birth is disturbing, it's an incredible antagonist, and obviously the xenomorph doesn't have a single line, but considering that it's one of the best antagonists to ever be put on screen without saying a single line just shows how well it works. The design is hands down without a doubt the best Alien design I've ever seen in a movie, it looks incredibly unique, slimy and most of all, extremely fear-inducing, menacing and SCARY. Speaking about scary, the first scene where we see the xenomorph emerging from Kane is scary as hell, even though the xenomorph is just a baby in that scene, even though it only makes two or three sounds and even though we only see it for a few seconds until it disappears. The next time we see it it's grown to its full scale and the scene is scary, too, and again, we only see it for a couple of seconds, later we get one very good shot of it that lasts less than a second. The fact that the xenomorph is hardly in the movie creates so much suspense and it keeps us waiting for the big reveal. All of those amazing short scenes and I didn't get into all of them build up to the finale which I absolutely love. The score highlights this incredibly suspenseful movie even more. This is a have-to-see movie, check it out as soon as possible if you haven't!