Welcome to my series of Alien reviews! I'm going to be reviewing every film in the Alien franchise (including both Alien vs Predator movies and Prometheus) every Wednesday and Friday at 5pm PST until May 19th, which of course marks the newest film in the franchise, Alien: Covenant. Today, we'll be taking a look at the film that started it all: 1979's Alien directed by Ridley Scott who of course went on to direct another sci-fi classic, 1982's Blade Runner and, more recently, The Martian (review here!) with Matt Damon.
The original Alien follows the crew of the mining and cargo ship, the "Nostromo" voyaging back to earth after an ore mining expedition, but on the way back, they find an uncolonized alien planet, known as Lv-426. After one of the crew members, Kane (played by the late John Hurt), examines an egg he found on the mysterious planet when an alien, called a Xenomorph, attacks him and boards the ship, sending the crew on a mission of find this beast and kill it, before it kills them.
Alien is probably one of my favorite horror films ever made, right down to the opening credits. They're slow, mysterious, and kind of stupendous. Speaking of that word that so many of us dread to hear now a days, Alien is definitely a slow burn, but not in the way your friends describe every indie movie, as in it's dull and humorless until the third act. This movie is slow as in it doesn't show everything at once. They make you wait, but when the shit hits the fan, it is so very worth it. Up until that point, it's still a fun and suspenseful ride, even though I have seen some disagree with me on that. There's a few aspects that make it likable before the killing begins.
The most important thing to this effect is the cast of characters, and I love almost every member of the little crew here. You have Dallas: the captain, Bret: the wiseass, Parker: the comic relief, Ash (played by a young Ian Holms): the straight man, Kane: a scientist, Lambert: who's just kind of there, and of course, you have Ellen Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver. Not only is she extremely attractive, but she's a total badass and steals the show. I would say other than Ripley, my favorites lie with Parker and Brett. They're just having such a good time.
So Alien is a horror movie. Is it still scary? I would say so, especially if you don't know what's coming. I think Alien has some of the best moments of suspense in any movie. I also think the dinner scene is one of the best horror scenes every put to screen. Also, in terms of jump scares, this movie has my favorites, and this was long before they were overused. There aren't a hell of a lot of them in this movie, but when they happen, they hit hard. Another stupendous moment which I believe is only in the 2003 director's cut, is when the crew cuts a facehugger, which is the first stage of a Xenomorph unless you count eggs, and discover it has acid for blood. I won't spoil what happens, but it demonstrates perfectly what this group of what are essentially space truckers other than a few science officers, are up against.
What makes this space escapade as scary as it is, is the sound. Jerry Goldsmith's score is absolutely brilliant and always a good listen, but it isn't just that. All the ambiance, from doors shutting to alarms to the growl of the Xenomorph, to that beautiful, beautiful motion tracker, Alien has some of the best and most iconic sounds in film history.
The last thing I can think to talk about is the special effects. They are absolutely gorgeous and I can't think of anything in that department that is particularly dated. The spaceship Nostromo is great and has a very particular feel to it. LV-426 is such a mysterious, atmospheric environment and finally, let's talk about it. Let's talk about Xenomorphs.
The Xenomorphs is hands down my favorite monster or creature in any fictional medium, and this original film captures every stage to a tee. The egg is a frightening birth canal. The facehugger is terrifying in such a violative way. The chestburster is my absolute favorite and that dinner scene is one of my favorites ever. The drone, or fully grown Xenomorph as it was as at the time, is a master of horror and science fiction. It's design by H.R. Geiger is one of the best out there from the lack of eyes to the second mouth, this is truly a work of horror genius.
So, amazing special effects, creature design, characters, sound design and scares. Is there anything Alien does wrong? In my humble opinion, I can't think of anything. Alien is one of my favorite movies of all time and if you haven't seen it, it's required you do. It's a staple of science fiction, geekdom, pop culture and of course horror.
GRADE: A+
So, that's my take on Alien! What do you think about it? Let me know on Instagram at @mrGabeThomas, on Twitter at @GabeDamien, or email me at gabetheguy12@gmail.com to tell me your thoughts or suggestions on reviews you want to see! I'll be back here on Friday with my review of James Cameron's Aliens, same Bat-time, same Bat-place. As always guys take care and stay scared.
