Alien Review

Feb 2, 2016
4 min read

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett

“I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies”

It’s the start of Xenomonth and of course the first review is for Ridley Scott’s 1979 Sci-Fi Horror classic movie, Alien. This movie is a bit of a landmark in film history and is very highly praised. At this point I would say something that would question if I liked it or not but if I’m dedicating an entire month of writing Alien reviews, I clearly like Alien. At least I can tell you why though.

The film is set on the spaceship Nostromo with a crew of 7 returning home. When the ship picks up a distress signal, the crew are woken from hyper sleep and are told by Ash (Ian Holm) that they are contracted to check out the call even if it is not relevant to their mission. They find no people on this planet, just another ship and a large dead humanoid creature. Kane (John Hurt) investigates a strange nest of eggs and ends up with an alien creature wrapped around his face and neck. When the crew tries to remove it they find out just how dangerous this creature is. Eventually it seems Kane has been freed and that he might survive but from this point onward, the situation grows worse and worse and many dark corners are turned during the almost 2 hour run time. It’s a fairly simple story at first but it builds up an intriguing world with characters and creatures you want to explore more.

Before we get more into the alien itself let’s talk about the very enjoyable characters. Ellen Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver is just iconic, extremely likable and generally smart. She's asking the real questions and trying to get to the bottom of everyone's bullshit. Kane (played by John Hurt) would be more lovable but his time on the Nostromo isn’t spent building a character, it’s more about tricking you into thinking he's the protagonist. I do really like John Hurt as an actor and he's solid here. Ash Played by Ian Holm is great, he’s a very cold and eerie character and I've always been intrigued with him. Parker is funny and instantly likable, always trying to find a way to get more money in his pocket, plus he’s a bit of a prankster and definitely the most fun character in the film.

I don't need to tell you that Alien is wonderfully directed and very effective and a lot of that comes from the amazing sets and atmosphere. it’s 1979 and the sets are just fantastic, even today. The ship’s design is somehow futuristic and also kind of nostalgic, mainly because of the computers and their chunky buttons that remind me of late 90’s PCs. Alien looks so damn pretty on Blu-ray and almost looks like a modern movie. The organic-esqe designs in the alien ship are also worth noting, because they are not only gorgeous but part of the movies iconic and unique scenery that has never been replicated outside of the franchise.

At this point in a monster movie review I would talk about the kaiju but I’ll use this space to talk about the Giger designed Xenomorph and the other creatures of Alien. Every creature is legendary in this film. Even the eggs, EVEN the eggs are fantastic in Alien. Giant organic, fleshy, bumpy eggs that are just as interesting as the creatures inside. The creatures inside being the face huggers. Ugly thick space tarantulas that bleed acid, stick to your face and impregnate you…pretty fucking scary right? I love the design. Speaking of cool designs, the Xenomorph itself (or the Big Chap in Alien) has such a timeless design. It's a very gritty, weirdly futuristic design that incorporates interesting organic and bone like structures with a phallic touch to add up to a very uncomfortable design. The dome head (along with the extra mouth) is such an iconic part of the alien design. I can’t actually think of another extraterrestrial from any movie that I like more than this emotionless creep.

I love Alien, it’s beautiful, bold and haunting and it’s one of those movies that had such an impact on horror and Sci-Fi that it will never be forgotten. There's a lot to gleam from Alien as well. You could argue that it's about sexual violence and the horror of pregnancy or you could simplify it as a slasher movie with the Big Chap taking the place of the masked killer.

Rating: *****

Better than > Predator Worse than > Not much

Main Pros

-Direction

-Design

-Creature effects

-Originality

-Scares

-Atmosphere

-Characters

Main Cons

I don’t really have any. The only problems I could talk about are nit-picky or are just not bad enough to warrant a complaint.