Alien (1979) - Review | Sci-Fi Movie Page
STARRING: Sigourney Weaver,          John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm,          Tom Skerrit
1979, 124 Minutes, Directed by: Ridley Scott
Description: A      landmark of science fiction and horror, Alien arrived in 1979 between Star      Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a stylishly malevolent alternative to      George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's It! The Terror      from Beyond Space, this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering      richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a      flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo fall prey      to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had      gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. — Amazon.com
Science          fiction is a handy genre: it is possible for people who doesn't really          know much about it to transpose another genre (western, horror, detective)          unto it, look cool in the process and make a bundle at the box office.
It is seldom that a "pure" science fiction movie gets made without          all kinds of genres transposed unto it - take Star Wars for example, which is a pastiche of every      movie genre known to mankind. It is not one movie, but      all movies, thus falling perfectly under egghead Umberto Eco's definition of      a cult movie.
"Despite the plot's limitations, director Ridley Scott pulls it all off          with amazing visual aplomb . . ."
Alien is a horror flick set in outer space. The old haunted house is the giant          space ship Nostromo. The monster is a vicious (a truly original) alien          designed by Swiss artist HR Giger.
The teenagers in the old house are          the ship's crew: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, et al. Predictably the alien          kills them all off until only a lone female crew member remains.
Much has          been made of the Alien movies being feminist. This is true to an          extent, in that its female protagonist Ripley (Weaver) doesn't wait and          hang around to be rescued by a male. Instead she does the Rambo thing herself - particularly in the first sequel ( Aliens )          - and blow away those alien mothers herself! But          the plot device in the first Alien movie is one that has been done          the year before by Jamie Lee Curtis in Carpenter's Halloween horror          movie and every subsequent slasher movie from Friday the 13th to Nightmare on Elm Street.
However, despite          the plot's limitations, director Ridley Scott pulls it all off with amazing          visual aplomb - having made his debut in the advertising business, Scott          has got that 1980s "look" to all his movies.
This film is no          exception: first there is the stunning designs by Swiss artist HR Giger.          His stuff is like the Surrealists on a really very bad day.
Giger and          Scott creates a sense of unease by placing human protagonists against          an alien and surreal backdrop - one of the basic ingredients of sci-fi.
Both the Nostromo and the alien world where the alien gets picked up are          strange and unforgettably original. Claustrophobic, the Nostromo is grimy          and dark - continuing the tradition set by Star          Wars and 2001 of giving the viewing public          space ships that look like they might actually work!
Add to this          stunning special effects and an alien brought to life by special effects          wiz Carlos Rambaldi (who later designed E.T. !),          brooding music by Jerry Goldsmith (Oscar winner for The Omen) and          it is not difficult to see why the movie has achieved both the cult status          and box office success it did . . . a hit with both horror and sci-fi          fans, it spawned three sequels: Aliens (in 1986), Alien          3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997).
(The screenplay          is by Dan O'Bannon. As a student O'Bannon also collaborated with Carpenter          on the cult classic Dark Star - from which he borrowed liberally for          Alien. O'Bannon later wrote Total Recall and Screamers - both based on Philip K.          Dick short stories. Sometimes he appears to be the only person in Hollywood          who actually reads sci-fi in his spare time!)