Alien - Film Review

This one's taken me a very long time to get out, but the holidays have been slowing me down a bit more than I expected. Although I may typically prize story/plot more than some of the other usual suspects, this remains one of those films that demonstrates audio, set design, and story can work in horrific harmony.

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Where You Can Find It: I saw this on Amazon Video where it is available for rent/purchase.

General Information 
Alien is a science fiction horror film that was released on 25 May 1979. It was directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon. It was produced under Brandywine Productions and distributed through 20th Century Fox. Academy Award winning musician, Jerry Goldsmith, provided the scoring for this  with Derek Vanlint handling cinematography and photography. It is the first entry in the Alien franchise, which is now made up of six films (not counting the AVP: Alien vs. Predator spin-off series). In 2002, it was selected for preservation within the U.S. Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Additionally, it won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects (led by H.R. Giger) and was nominated for a second Oscar (Best Art Direction) at the 1980 Academy Awards. Financially, it was massive a success as it raked in nearly $79 million at the box office (with only a budget of $11 million). It holds an impressive 89 Metascore on Metacritic and a spectacular 98% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Beyond the film franchise, Alien has an extensive merchandising catalogue that ranges from video games and comic books to plush toys and key chains. The novelization by Alan Dean Foster is pretty good, and it even includes a couple of smaller scenes that aren't featured in the film. I also just recently tried the board game, which is surprisingly simple and fun. Most of the franchise's video games are more affiliated with this film's sequel, Aliens, however I highly recommend Alien: Isolation to gamers that enjoyed this film. It follows the story of Ellen Riply's daughter, Amanda Ripley, and it perfectly captures the atmosphere of the original film. I also bring this up as its "Crew Expendable" downloadable content actually lets you play part of the original film's story as one of three of the original protagonists (Ripley, Dallas, or Parker). 

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Here's my own personal adventure aboard the Nostromo

The Story

The commercial towing spaceship, the Nostromo, is on its way back to Earth when its crew are awakened from hyper-sleep to investigate a strange signal emanating from a deserted planet. Beneath the ruins of some strange structure, a dormant horror has bided its time in preparation for when a new victim would stumble across it. It doesn't take long before the crew of the Nostromo find that they're locked in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse where escape is all but impossible.

A characteristic that fans of Scott's films will undoubtedly see in this is that he likes to take his time when it comes to storytelling. Alien perfectly encapsulates this approach as it's a bit of a slow-burn, however this methodical approach is intentional as it builds to increasingly desperate heights as the Nostromo crew try to outmaneuver their quarry. Like Jaws, this film helped pioneer the idea of "less is more" when it comes to movie monsters, which only makes the few times we see the creature all that more memorable.

Another element I really enjoy is the level of character depth. The crew of the Nostromo act like they've been stuck in space with each other and I really enjoyed their banter and overall blue-collar style. With the exception of Ash (Ian Holm), there's no other scientist aboard and even by the end of the film, we still lack a definitive picture of what the creature's capabilities are or what it even wants (something Life would fail to properly execute decades later). It's particularly refreshing that this lack of comprehension is made abundantly clear by how the crew repeatedly fumbles with how it tries to defeat the life-form. 

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The crew of the Nostromo aren't Ivy League geniuses, but they're far from incompetent

The sharing of screen-time hides the presence of a main protagonist, which helps viewers get attached to everyone (perhaps with the exception of Veronica Cartwright's Lambert). There's no Laurie Strode aboard the Nostromo for viewers to immediately point to as the hero-figure. It also helps that everyone has nuanced motivations in spite of wanting to get rid of the monster. Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) is willing to take brazen risks to stop the creature, while Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is much more cautious. Engineers Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) and Parker (Yaphet Kotto) mainly just want to get paid, and Ash seems to be the only one remotely interested in understanding the monster.

 

Special Effects/Atmosphere

Although a great deal of credit is owed to H.R. Giger's incredible designs of alien lifeforms and architecture, I think it's equally impressive to note on the set design of the Nostromo's interior. There are some really incredible pieces of scenery here that arguably still outshine some of Scott's own later works, as well as that of the entire sub-genre of science fiction horror. I absolutely adore Scott's depiction of a "lived-in" future where things look worn and exhausted while still presenting a credible sense of futuristic possibilities. We'd see this approach again in Blade Runner, however it is usually abandoned for a sleeker and more shiny design like in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies.

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There's something sinister and twisted from H.R. Giger's artwork and it's a treat all in its own to see

One of the most remarkable features of H.R. Giger's work on this film is the striking uniqueness of it all. Everything from the creature's appearance and life-cycle to the ruins of long-past civilizations look so uniquely alien (pardon the pun) that it all adds to the tried-and-true fear of the unknown. It hearkens back to H.P. Lovecraft's musings of the malevolently absurd. Although the film's titular monster is highly recognizable today, it's easy to imagine how terrifying it must've been when viewers saw it for the first time in 1979.

The Acting

For a relatively lower-end horror film, it's impressive to see how well everyone performs in this. Yaphet Kotto is arguably my favorite due to the sheer range we see from him. For being such a large and powerful-looking man (he was a Bond-villain!), he was able to go from making jokes about the ship's food to hollering in horror. I still kick myself over the fact that I never saw him perform in Homicide: Life on the Street, and his performance here only makes me more interested in seeing his other works.

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Yaphet Kotto brings a down-to-Earth approach to an otherworldly story

It's hard to imagine the Alien franchise without Sigourney Weaver, however I don't think viewers will see her at her best until the sequel: Aliens. Without a doubt, she does a solid job in this and I really enjoyed seeing her increasing levels of anxiety as the tension ratchets up; however, Veronica Cartwright arguably beats her in the acting department on this occasion as Lambert's panic-filled hysteria was downright infectious! Hearing her shriek over the radio when the group investigates the Nostromo's ventilation ducts puts me on edge every time.

 

A final mention is Ian Holm's portrayal of Ash. There's a quirkiness to the scientist that Holm does an impeccable job of portraying, which seemingly only escalates as the plot continues. Beyond that, Holm makes Ash's composed and calculating expression practically unsettling. There's something terribly wrong with the Nostromo's science officer, and Holm does a fantastic job of conveying that without even saying anything.

The Best of the Best: H.R. Giger's incredible set design.

The Worst of the Worst: Breaking quarantine.

Calhooey Score: 10/10 - Outstanding

Would I Recommend?

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Brace yourselves, folks

Alien is a masterpiece in regards to both science fiction and horror. It's atmosphere and set design remains iconic nearly half a century since it came out. This is required viewing for any horror film fans, while those that love science fiction will also enjoy it. 

Spoiler Comments

• I totally get that Kane was curious, but was it really necessary for him to stick his face directly in front of the alien egg? I don't want to come off as insensitive, but he kind of got what he deserved.
• Geez, I thought Ian Holm was creepy in Fellowship of the Ring, but Bilbo's got nothing on Ash.
• Speaking of Ash, one of my favorite things about his reveal as a traitorous android was that many of his actions in the first and second acts could entirely be misconstrued as incompetence. It was really fascinating how this seeming ineptness was actually a cover for ensuring the xenomorph's survival.
• I'm not necessarily saying Jonesy is evil, but he does seem to essentially act as a harbinger for death in this film. Are we sure he isn't an android as well?
  
• I've always been curious about what would've happened if Ash had succeeded in his mission to kill the rest of the crew. Would the xenomorph view him as a threat or as potential prey?
  

References

(1) Alien. (n.d.). Alien film image. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/.

(2) Calhoun Expendable. (14 December 2020). Calhoun Expendable (Alien: Isolation) [video]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1GygJg9Ok0.

(3) Alien Covenant. (2017). Nostromo crew image. Alien Covenant. Retrieved from: https://www.alien-covenant.com/topic/44918.

(4) Alien Covenant. (2019). Space Jockey image. Alien Covenant. Retrieved from: https://www.alien-covenant.com/topic/49087.

(5) McAndrews, M. (n.d.). Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto image. FSR. Retrieved from: https://filmschoolrejects.com/alien-movie-labor-exploitation/.

(6) 20th Century Fox Entertainment. (n.d.). Sigourney Weaver Aliens gif. Giphy. Retrieved from: https://giphy.com/gifs/foxhomeent-alien-aliens-l1KVbDmfq8e9JqJos.