Alien (1979) Review

Written by: gabs1515   

Often imitated, NEVER duplicated. Paragraphs with the ** hold spoilers. Alien is one of those movies that damn near changes your life.  I have seen the films dozens of times, and still to this day it terrifies me.  Sometimes knowing what's going to happen is almost as bad as NOT knowing whats going to happen.

Alien is as suspenseful as it is creepy.  For a film made in the late seventies, its insight into the future is more plausible than any other interpretation.  Star Trek paints a pretty picture for humanity where I Am Legend (recently comes to mind) shows a more grim future.  It's a group of workers aboard a space ship doing their job for the company, constantly bitching about money.  Sound familiar? Well its basically what I do everyday, and what I'm guessing the majority of the population does.  They work for a higher power.  In this case they stumble across an unknown creature that quickly takes shape and kills most everyone aboard.

The settings in the film are amazing.  If anyone has ever held glimpse to any kind of refinery or similar venture you'd know that it tends to be a creepy place.  Not much room for sunshine and flowers when there's work to be done.  The ship itself is built just the same.  No lights or happy sayings on the wall to give anyone pleasure.  Just steel grate floors and endless tubes that line the walls and ceiling.  Except for where they eat, there's at least a hint of humanity in that room.

Now we come to the Alien itself.  Simply put....the most terrifying thing you'll ever see.  You show anyone in their pre-teens this film...guaranteed to give them nightmares...but its almost necessary as to desensitize them to the genre.  I remember as a kid having horrible dreams about that creature.  Still to this day I'm sure I'll have a dream or two regarding that thing.  Its so perfect, and so scary that it just etches its way into your brain.

**The only problem that I hold against this movie is the ending.  One can hardly mock the special effects.  Some of it does look pretty bad, like the scene with Ash's head, or the terribly outdated computer equipment, but you can hardly hold it against the film being it was made in the late 70s.  I find it disturbingly accurate actually.  I'm sure they were on a tight budget, but sometimes making something outta nothing is more precious then the opposite. 

**Back to my rant on the ending....early on the film, Ripley was willing to sacrifice her coworker for the good of the rest of the crew, but in the midst of the most pivital time in the movie while they are trying to escape....she spends all her time looking for the damn cat.  I have a cat myself, and I love her sooooo much....but if a 6-foot alien is on my ass, goodbye.  Not only that, I really didn't understand why the alien just sat there in the bulkheads watching Ripley dress and slowly make her way to the console.  I'd think that thing woulda been all over her from the first time it heard her.  Maybe it was full, or comfortable, I don't know....but I didn't like it.

All in all though, Alien is a film that every fan of horror needs to see.  It put a massive stamp on the genre and created an entire SLEW of imitators.  If you like the film in anyway, I recommend the entire series.  Some argue that 3 really blows, but I actually think it's one of the better ones.

Alien (1979)

Directed by Ridley Scott (American Gangster)
Written by Dan O'Bannon (The Return of the Living Dead)
Key Actors: Sigourney Weaver (The Alien Quadrilogy)
Tom Skerritt
Harry Dean Stanton (Down Periscope)
John Hurt (Hellboy)
Ian Holm (The Fifth Element)

My Personal Feelings on the Film

Characters - 8/10.  Some kinda went hay-wire (literally) but for the most part I liked everyone.  Not bad for a 7 person crew.

Setting - Space ship Nostromo.  Very creepy place.  It's home to them, but its so dark and eerie to an outsider.  Probably the worst place for an alien to slip aboard.  If everything was white, it'd be easier to find.

Gore - It wasn't any over gory film.  A few cool shots of the alien taking a chunk out of a guy.  Plenty of blood, but nothing gross really.  Just pure scares here.

Nudity - None...damn...and Ripley was looking so good in her underwear too.

Shock Level - 9/10.  Even after seeing it a dozen times, I still jumped a little.  I knew it was coming, but I couldn't remember exactly when.  Plenty of scares throughout the movie.  A+

Humor - A few lighthearted comments here and there at the beginning, but after that its all Alien.

Realism - It was actually quite a convincing future.  It makes sense that this is what human kind will be doing in the future.  Mining for ore on other planets, working for the weekend (or in this case the end of the year).

Ending - 6/10.  Come on, it could've been a little more climactic than that.  I wasn't pissed about it, but I would've liked something more...exciting.   I suppose they wanted a semi-happy ending so I understand.

Interest Level - 10/10.  There is ALWAYS something new around the corner.  First a new planet, then a thing, then a new thing, then the thing grows, then its killing everyone.  Great great great.

Classification - Futuristic Alien movie.

Sequel - There are 3 sequels that follow this one....Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection.  Then the spinoff of AVP: Alien vs Predator.  and the up and coming AVP:R - Aliens vs Predator: Requiem.

If you've read this entire review, I want to point out if you haven't read my post that this entire week I will be watching the Alien and Predator series and writing a review for each.  So please check back, let me know what you think.  I like criticism.  Thank you and Enjoy!