Alien Review

9/10

In 1979, Ridley Scott took over the scifi-horror genre forever with his masterpiece "Alien." It has been hailed for decades as one of the darkest movies ever by fans and critics alike, and it has been recognized as one of the best movies of all time.  

The introduction is one of the slowest ever, because it starts with just showing a bunch of astronauts go through their daily routine on the shuttle.  Even though this could've been potentially boring, these scenes are made up for by beautiful cinematography, and hilarious banter by the cast.  This goes on for about 40 minutes, and while I think it could've been condensed a bit, I won't complain because it only adds to the build up. 

After a while, a few of the astronauts go out into an asteroid mine, and they search around with a camera.  On this journey, they find a bunch of eggs that seem to be aliens.  One of the crew members Kane gets too close, and a "Facehugger" shoots right on to him.  This puts him in a coma, and it is found out that the alien is keeping him alive.  While this is still slow, there is a certain increase in the intensity of the film, and I really like it a lot. 

The film then really builds up after they take the alien off of Kane's face, because as he eats food, a shocking event takes place that will never leave my mind. This scene is one of the best parts of any movie, because it is so unexpected, and it has a realism to it that makes it as haunting as it could possibly be. I remember the first time I saw it, because my jaw dropped in terror.  I was about 10 at the time, and I had never seen anything like it, so it has been something special to me since. 

After this scene, the movie goes into full throttle, and the last half of the movie is one of the greatest climaxes ever. Everything becomes claustrophobic and isolated.  There are flashing lights all over the place, smoke shooting across the screen, and many people being attacked and kills.  This film is the perfect example of a great build up, because at first one doesn't expect much, but then it kicks them in the butt so hard that you freak out.  This formula had been used before and after this movie, but I really feel that this is the second most significant(behind "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"). 

I really feel that the cast keeps the film strong throughout. Every actor had a distinct personality, and they were all likable for some reason.  My personal favorite is definitely Sigourney Weaver as "Ripley."  While being a beautiful girl like many in the genre, she really set herself apart as one of the strongest women protagonists. She was so capable, and this was shown in the outcome.  This was a complete revolution in our world, and I love it. Tom Skerritt was also very likable as "Dallas," because he didn't like conflict with the others, and he was a hero of a sort. His death scenes is one of the saddest, because he knew he was doomed right away. Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto were the comic relief of the film, with their heavy sarcasm, and great dialogue. Ian Holm was the darkest actor in the role of Ash, and he gives one of the best performances in film history.  The one actress I didn't like was Veronica Cartwright, because she was very whiny, which caused me to lack any sympathy at all for her. 

Another amazing part of the movie is the sets.  Whether they are on the ship, or out in the mine, every single detail is very precise, and it is so pleasing to the eyes.  This is one of the best examples of why effects and settings were so much better before CGI, because so much care was put into the making, which created a much more impressive outcome. 

While this film has a lot of relevance to the science fiction genre, I really see it as one of the forerunners of the slasher genre.  The first reason for this is that the killer uses sharp objects on its body to kill the astronauts. The goriness and quick shot attacks really give more of a horrific feeling than most alien movies. Also, there was a certain sadistic pleasure that came off as a vibe in the attacks. This is a big giveaway of the slasher influence, because the genre is infamous for the gratified portrayal of violence. The third reason for this is that it fits the "final girl" formula with Sigourney Weaver. This is my main reason for believing it's part of the genre, because the purest of the characters was the one to live. I really love this hybrid of genres, because it doesn't make the simple formula of most slasher films, and it doesn't leave the cheesy feel of scifi.

The aliens that were created are pretty amazing looking too.  The main monster is now notorious for its big head, and black coloring. It's teeth are sharp as a shark, and it has a walk of confidence. My favorite creatures are the "Facehuggers."  There was so much detail put into the parts of its anatomy, and it is the most realistic of all the life forms. It sort of has the stature of a fuse between a jellyfish and porta bella mushroom. I can never be more gracious that the aliens were puppets and costumes, because it feels so much more authentic than special effects. 

As I said before, the last half of the movie is extremely intense, but the ending of as a safe pick in my opinion. It isn't terrible in any standards, but I wish something more sudden happened. All the happy ending did was make us ready for a sequel.  While this worked out well in the long run, I imagine people would've been pretty ticked off during the initial release. 

Overall, this movie is a masterpiece. It used techniques in cinema that have never been topped, and it's just a fun movie. I highly recommend watching it; even if you already have before. I've noticed that I find new things every time I watch it, and it's extremely cool.  Please give this film a chance, because it is an essential part of the 20th century.