Alien

Happy Alien Day! For those who aren’t aware April 26th is Alien Day in honor of LV-426, the planet where the crew of the Nostromo first discover the derelict spaceship and the terror waiting inside (as such, it’s also the main setting of the sequel). In light of that, what other film could I cover this week?

Alien was written by Dan O’Bannon (Return of the Living Dead) and directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner). Alien was made on a budget of $11 million, made $3,527,881 upon opening, and went on to make $106,285,522 worldwide. Alien was released on May 25th, 1979 to initially mixed reviews. However, over time the film has received acclaim from audiences and critics alike and is considered a classic in both the Horror and Science-Fiction genres.

Alien follows the crew of the Nostromo, a space freighter, who intercept a mysterious signal. While investigating, Kane (John Hurt, The Elephant Man) is attacked by a parasitic creature. Eventually (as I’m sure you already know), a vicious alien creature is born from Kane and begins to stalk and kill the crew of the Nostromo.

Alien is, frankly, one of my favorite films of all time. Everything about the film just clicks. The script is tight, the characters are engaging, the atmosphere is chilling and the alien itself is absolutely terrifying. 

We’ll begin with the biggest strength of the film (and the entire franchise), its star Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) as Ellen Ripley. Although she isn’t more overtly badass until the first sequel, Ripley still rocks here in the first film. These days Sigourney Weaver is the most recognizable face in the cast (having been catapulted to fame by this very film) but her unknown status must have made her a very surprising hero. Weaver is fantastic and she makes Ripley a hero that the audience can root for.

The supporting cast is also great, particularly Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings) as the android Ash. The film benefits from having a human (or human-ish) antagonist, instead of just an alien one. Having Ash around raises the stakes and also gives us the first glimpse of the Weyland-Yutani Company, who will continue to be a threat during the next two films. John Hurt is also great in his small role as the first onscreen victim of a facehugger and chestburster. 

The other star of the film is, of course, the alien itself. H.R Giger’s (Species) design for the creature contributes so much to the film’s success. The alien is sleek and terrifying. Few movie monsters continue to be frightening once the audience gets a good look at them, but Giger’s design proves the exception to the rule. Anyone who is a fan of the film should look into The Book of Alien, which is a very interesting behind the scenes look at the making of the film and goes into a lot of detail on how Giger came up with the design and includes many earlier designs.

The design of the creature isn’t the only great design in the film. The Nostromo is a fantastic set. It is creepy, isolated and there are plenty of places for the alien to hide. I’ve heard Alien described as a haunted house movie in space, and I think that’s an extremely accurate description. Scott makes great use of the dark corridors and the confined spaces. Brett’s (Tom Skerrit, The Dead Zone) death scene is a particularly well-directed moment. 

The climax of the film is very exciting. Ripley’s escape from the Nostromo is a nail-biting experience and I am always startled by the alien revealing itself to Ripley in the escape pod at the end, despite knowing that it’s coming.

Basically, I love everything about Alien. Ripley is a fantastic character and Sigourney Weaver shines in her breakout performance. The alien design is quite frightening and the atmosphere and direction are all chillingly effective.  It’s simply one of the best films of all time, horror or otherwise.

Rating: 5 facehuggers out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Jonesy the Cat outlives most of the humans in the film. As well he should.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: A lot of contenders, but Ash’s attack on Ripley is particularly brutal and horrifying.

• Alien has one of the best taglines in film history. “In space, no one can hear you scream”.

• Not only is the design of the alien frightening, the life cycle of it is terrifying as well. No matter what stage of life the creature is in, from egg to adult, it is deadly.

Next Week: Originally I was planning on covering Island of Lost Souls, however it is no longer streaming anywhere and I won’t be able to get the DVD from Netflix in time. That, combined with some personal commitments, I’ve decided to give myself the week off. However, I’ll be back in two weeks with Dawn of the Dead (2004) and will return to Island of Lost Souls later on.