*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
In 1979, director Ridley Scott's second feature film, Alien, went on to become a science fiction classic and showcases one of Sigourney Weaver's most iconic performances. The film's title refers to a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills the crew of a spaceship. Despite the limited use of special effects and $78million budget, Alien still generates a lot of tension throughout and never fails to be anything less than a horrific yet thrilling alien invasion motion picture.
A close encounter of the third kind becomes a Jaws-style nightmare when an alien invades a spacecraft in Scott's sci-fi/horror classic. On the way home from a mission for the Company, the Nostromo's crew is woken up from hibernation by the ship's Mother computer to answer a distress signal from a nearby planet. Capt. Dallas's (Tom Skerritt) rescue team discovers a bizarre pod field, but things get even stranger when a face-hugging creature bursts out of a pod and attaches itself to Kane (John Hurt). Over the objections of Ellen Ripley (Weaver), science officer Ash (Ian Holm) lets Kane back on the ship. The acid-blooded incubus detaches itself from an apparently recovered Kane, but an alien erupts from Kane's chest and escapes. The alien starts stalking the humans, pitting Dallas and his crew (and cat) against a malevolent killing machine that also has a protector in the nefarious Company.
Back when Alien was first released in 1979, sci-fi films were really popular. The trend started with the first Star Wars film, A New Hope, which was released in 1977 and, by the time Alien was released, anything connected to space and/or aliens was guaranteed to raise interest. Because of this, it's no surprise that Alien became a huge success both with audiences and at the box office. It received over $80 million and was one of the highest grossing films of 1979.
It's not hard to understand why Alien is regarded as one of the best sci-fi films ever created. Ridley has crafted a unique sci-fi film that's unlike anything that has been seen before. Because it was incredibly dark and tense, it stood out alongside other sci-fi films that had been released such as Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, which also dealt with an alien invasion, albeit in a family friendly way. However, Alien is not suitable for the whole family. The characters featured in this film have to deal with an unstoppable alien and must beat the odds of surviving. People do die in this film in incredibly violent and gory ways. Scott shocked his audience by showing an alien burst out of Kane's chest. The violence doesn't end there, though. Throughout the film, Scott doesn't hold back and the shocking deaths made it a more memorable film. It's because of Alien that many filmmakers have tried to create an alien invasion film that's just as thrilling, however, nothing has ever come close to capturing the pure fear that Alien left you with. It's hard to believe that this is only Scott's second feature film (his debut was 1977 The Duellists). It was because of Alien and his 1982 film, Blade Runner, that Scott has gone on to become one of the most successful directors working today.
In addition to being one of the first films to blend sci-fi with horror, it was also one of the first films to feature a female protagonist. While Ripley does become a heroine in the climax, for the majority of the film, she's just one of seven crew members trying to survive this horrifying situation. Despite this, Weaver makes Ripley a brave and fierce individual who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. However, Scott initially planned a different fate for Ripley at the end of Alien. The ending shows Ripley being the sole survivor after she jettisons the alien from the spaceship. She records a message describing her traumatic ordeal and sets off to return home to Earth. While this was a great ending, mainly because it shows Ripley ability to defend herself, Scott had planned a much more darker ending where the Alien kills Ripley by biting her head off and, in the escape shuttle, sits in her chair, and then starts speaking with her voice in a message to Earth. Apparently, the production company, 20th Century Fox, wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending, and only allowed the additional scene if the Alien would die. In my opinion, I'm glad that this wasn't the ending as I think that it might have had a negative reaction on audiences. Having Ripley as the hero of Alien was an interesting twist. In 1979, viewers automatically assumed that Skerrit's Captain Dallas would fill that role. Not only because he had top billing but mainly because he was a man.
Despite Weaver gaining most of the attention and being the stand-out performance, there are still some solid portrayals from the cast. The two most recognisable names are John Hurt and Ian Holm who both went on to have successful careers in film. Despite having his on-screen appearance being limited, Hurt still makes the most of his role. For the chestburster sequence, Hurt stuck his head, shoulders and arms through a hole in the mess table, linking up with a mechanical torso that was packed with compressed air (to create the forceful exit of the alien) and lots of animal guts. The rest of the cast were not told that real guts were being used so as to provoke genuine reactions of shock and disgust. It's one of Hurt's most memorable roles purely due to this scene. Holm's character is Ash, who is the ship's science officer and, later on in the film, is revealed to be an android. Despite the Alien being the main protagonist, we see a darker side to Ash towards the end of the film. It's a great performance that features a twist I don't think anyone saw coming.
Performances aside, the design of the Alien is impressive. It doesn't take long for the Alien to grow into a towering creature and its razor-sharp teeth are enough to provoke fear in anyone. Because computer generated imagery was very limited in the late 1970s, Scott opted to find an actor who would fit in the Alien suit and that was Bolaji Badejo who, at the time of filming, was a graphic artist and was discovered at a pub by one of the casting directors. He was 7 foot 1 inch tall with thin arms which is just what the directors needed to fit into the costume. He was sent for Tai Chi and Mime classes to learn how to slow down his movements. A special swing had to be constructed for him to sit down during filming as he could not sit down on a regular chair once he was suited up because of the Alien's tail. The creature is never filmed directly facing the camera due to the humanoid features of its face. Scott, determined at all costs to dispel any notion of a man in a rubber suit, filmed the beast in varying close-up angles of its ghastly profile, very rarely capturing the beast in its entirety.
Scott has successfully crafted a blend of science fiction and horror that works exceptionally well and has lead to it becoming the biggest alien invasion-based franchise ever created. This is truly a dark film that never fails to grip us and isn't anything less than intense. It's because of this, and Weaver's strong leading performance, that it's gone on to become a classic.
This is a must-see for those who are fans of science-fiction, horror and films that involve an alien invasion.
Overall, Alien blends science-fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.
8/10
A close encounter of the third kind becomes a Jaws-style nightmare when an alien invades a spacecraft in Scott's sci-fi/horror classic. On the way home from a mission for the Company, the Nostromo's crew is woken up from hibernation by the ship's Mother computer to answer a distress signal from a nearby planet. Capt. Dallas's (Tom Skerritt) rescue team discovers a bizarre pod field, but things get even stranger when a face-hugging creature bursts out of a pod and attaches itself to Kane (John Hurt). Over the objections of Ellen Ripley (Weaver), science officer Ash (Ian Holm) lets Kane back on the ship. The acid-blooded incubus detaches itself from an apparently recovered Kane, but an alien erupts from Kane's chest and escapes. The alien starts stalking the humans, pitting Dallas and his crew (and cat) against a malevolent killing machine that also has a protector in the nefarious Company.
Back when Alien was first released in 1979, sci-fi films were really popular. The trend started with the first Star Wars film, A New Hope, which was released in 1977 and, by the time Alien was released, anything connected to space and/or aliens was guaranteed to raise interest. Because of this, it's no surprise that Alien became a huge success both with audiences and at the box office. It received over $80 million and was one of the highest grossing films of 1979.
It's not hard to understand why Alien is regarded as one of the best sci-fi films ever created. Ridley has crafted a unique sci-fi film that's unlike anything that has been seen before. Because it was incredibly dark and tense, it stood out alongside other sci-fi films that had been released such as Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, which also dealt with an alien invasion, albeit in a family friendly way. However, Alien is not suitable for the whole family. The characters featured in this film have to deal with an unstoppable alien and must beat the odds of surviving. People do die in this film in incredibly violent and gory ways. Scott shocked his audience by showing an alien burst out of Kane's chest. The violence doesn't end there, though. Throughout the film, Scott doesn't hold back and the shocking deaths made it a more memorable film. It's because of Alien that many filmmakers have tried to create an alien invasion film that's just as thrilling, however, nothing has ever come close to capturing the pure fear that Alien left you with. It's hard to believe that this is only Scott's second feature film (his debut was 1977 The Duellists). It was because of Alien and his 1982 film, Blade Runner, that Scott has gone on to become one of the most successful directors working today.
In addition to being one of the first films to blend sci-fi with horror, it was also one of the first films to feature a female protagonist. While Ripley does become a heroine in the climax, for the majority of the film, she's just one of seven crew members trying to survive this horrifying situation. Despite this, Weaver makes Ripley a brave and fierce individual who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. However, Scott initially planned a different fate for Ripley at the end of Alien. The ending shows Ripley being the sole survivor after she jettisons the alien from the spaceship. She records a message describing her traumatic ordeal and sets off to return home to Earth. While this was a great ending, mainly because it shows Ripley ability to defend herself, Scott had planned a much more darker ending where the Alien kills Ripley by biting her head off and, in the escape shuttle, sits in her chair, and then starts speaking with her voice in a message to Earth. Apparently, the production company, 20th Century Fox, wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending, and only allowed the additional scene if the Alien would die. In my opinion, I'm glad that this wasn't the ending as I think that it might have had a negative reaction on audiences. Having Ripley as the hero of Alien was an interesting twist. In 1979, viewers automatically assumed that Skerrit's Captain Dallas would fill that role. Not only because he had top billing but mainly because he was a man.
Despite Weaver gaining most of the attention and being the stand-out performance, there are still some solid portrayals from the cast. The two most recognisable names are John Hurt and Ian Holm who both went on to have successful careers in film. Despite having his on-screen appearance being limited, Hurt still makes the most of his role. For the chestburster sequence, Hurt stuck his head, shoulders and arms through a hole in the mess table, linking up with a mechanical torso that was packed with compressed air (to create the forceful exit of the alien) and lots of animal guts. The rest of the cast were not told that real guts were being used so as to provoke genuine reactions of shock and disgust. It's one of Hurt's most memorable roles purely due to this scene. Holm's character is Ash, who is the ship's science officer and, later on in the film, is revealed to be an android. Despite the Alien being the main protagonist, we see a darker side to Ash towards the end of the film. It's a great performance that features a twist I don't think anyone saw coming.
Performances aside, the design of the Alien is impressive. It doesn't take long for the Alien to grow into a towering creature and its razor-sharp teeth are enough to provoke fear in anyone. Because computer generated imagery was very limited in the late 1970s, Scott opted to find an actor who would fit in the Alien suit and that was Bolaji Badejo who, at the time of filming, was a graphic artist and was discovered at a pub by one of the casting directors. He was 7 foot 1 inch tall with thin arms which is just what the directors needed to fit into the costume. He was sent for Tai Chi and Mime classes to learn how to slow down his movements. A special swing had to be constructed for him to sit down during filming as he could not sit down on a regular chair once he was suited up because of the Alien's tail. The creature is never filmed directly facing the camera due to the humanoid features of its face. Scott, determined at all costs to dispel any notion of a man in a rubber suit, filmed the beast in varying close-up angles of its ghastly profile, very rarely capturing the beast in its entirety.
Scott has successfully crafted a blend of science fiction and horror that works exceptionally well and has lead to it becoming the biggest alien invasion-based franchise ever created. This is truly a dark film that never fails to grip us and isn't anything less than intense. It's because of this, and Weaver's strong leading performance, that it's gone on to become a classic.
This is a must-see for those who are fans of science-fiction, horror and films that involve an alien invasion.
Overall, Alien blends science-fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.
8/10
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