Review of Alien (1979) by Brett C — 25 Jul 2014

I remembered the first time I watched Alien. It was when I was 15, and that was an experience I wasn't going to forget. 5 years, since I first watched it, I have been coming back to this almost every 2 months or so, and not in one of those times did it ever disappoint me. The film that started out as just a horror/sci-fi film has become a franchise with 3 sequels and a prequel. It also generated spin-offs and merchandise that celebrates the franchise. Who knew back then that this would be commercially successful? I think the people working on it already knew that they were making a good film, but just didn't realise its full potential.

Alien was written by Dan O'Bannon, who has also written other science fiction films like Total Recall and Dark Star. He has written a marvellous screenplay that not only updated the use of horror in films but also create a great story that has so many layers of details that isn't found on many within the horror genre. What I admire about the film is that it doesn't rely on quick fixes or introductions so the film would move along hastily. Instead it spends the first hour introducing the characters and the ship, in order for the audience to connect with it and have a total vision of how the structure and function of both aspects work. The film allows these characters, and the audience, to explore the concept of the Alien's beginnings, creating questions that don't let themselves be answered because it wants to be left for interpretation and remain its focus on the second half of the film which is about survival. The main reason why this film doesn't seem to just be a total rip-off instead of an inspiration is that it creates this beast that we never could have ever thought of, ergo building our curiosity throughout. The film slowly explains its characters, as both the audience and our characters start to learn more on the Alien's anatomy and function. The deaths of these characters feels original and I was happy to see that none of it was caused by an entirely stupid decision, even if there was, it came off as a moment of being outsmarted. The film contains a few twists that I never really saw coming, and had me widening my eyes because of how shocking it was. During the time of release, there have been notable signs of strong and smart female characters, for example Star Wars and Halloween. They seem to know how to make the most out of a situation and will do whatever they can to survive. Ripley is a great example of that, which is a blend of the willingness and toughness of Princess Leia whilst attaining that grounded vulnerability found in Laurie in Halloween. Though Ripley may come off as the main character of the film, due to future franchising of the character, she isn't actually the star here. Each character seems to share the same amount of time in the beginning of the film, and never truly establishes which one is clearly the most important. This approach had me caring for each and every one of them, and the thought of them being expendable made me feel sorrowful as each one gets picked off. The dialogue in this film was quite pleasant to listen to. Each character seems to have their own distinct personality, which is rare in films like these. The banter back and forth whether it would be about the mission, the technical specs of the ship, their rewards, kept me engaged the whole way through.

Alien was directed by Ridley Scott, who has created notable films since his debut film. This film would be his second film. Scott has created great films over his career, and one of them won Best Picture, but out of the entire pack, I think Alien is his best work. Scott was able to blend both horror and science fiction, which had been done before but nothing this intimate. Alien plays out more of a slasher film, having characters be picked off one by one, and Scott has definitely taken influences from films similar to its nature like Halloween, Jaws and Psycho. The focus in creating this horror is more on its atmosphere rather than the creature itself. The film creates this slow pace, which requires a bit of patience, as Scott wants the audience to be really invested in the world and its characters. If the movie rushes itself then it would have simply been just a good time and never to be revisited again. This pace allows the scares to build up and to have enough space in between to recuperate ourselves. Scott has taken the same approach that Spielberg used in Jaws, which was to not show the creature until later on the film. This approach allows the film to feel more suspenseful and frightening; because it is always more fearful when we don't fully understand the thing that's hunting us. Scott allows the film to be violent but is very careful in not stepping on the lines of gore, because that would have retracted the survival concept of the creature. Gore in films can be a sign of indulgence, which is a trait that our creature doesn't possess. The bursting scene at the table was still one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. The creature used in the film is quite impressive, as the concept is original and also practical. No part of the creature feels unnecessary as it contains a specific function in its survival. This principle of practicality is also found in the film's special/visual effects. All of the effects of the film feel realistic and useful, not just for the flashiness like found on Star Wars and Star Trek. These are items we have all seen before, it just has a new coat of paint and a new design, but its function stays the same. Scott allows the innovative technology and unfamiliar environment to be explored whilst not sacrificing the focus on the story. This is the reason why Ridley Scott is great at making mainstream films, as he shows ambition and uniqueness whilst still using a story that is accessible and entertaining.

The film's director of photography was Derek Vanlint, who doesn't have a long filmography and Alien was his first work on a feature film. Vanlint has done a wonderful job here as he has successfully captured the tension and eeriness that Scott had visioned. In order to do this, he wanted the film to move at this slow pace, so the film was filled with slow moving tracking shots and leisurely pans and tilts of the camera. It also created this feeling of fear of corners. Though the film is mainly known for its still moments, Vanlint and Scott has also used handheld techniques in this film in order to gain that perspective from the characters that wouldn't have been possible with a mounted camera. The journey to the distress call and their exploration in the mysterious ship uses this approach and gives off a sense that we are actually walking with them. The film's image feels really lifeless, avoiding the hyper-stylized or optimistic colors found in films like Jaws. This color palette creates this sterilised look in some occasions. It's during the last half an hour of the film, where Vanlint does something interesting with the lights, it repeatedly flashes and it shows the creature and Ripley's facial expression only for a small period of time, this makes the situation feel more tense as when the light comes back on again the creature has moved a second faster than one would normally perceive. The angles and shots are composed in a way that creates this sense of claustrophobia similarly to what John Carpenter did for the closet scene in Halloween or the bathtub scene in Hitchcock's Psycho.

The film's score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. He has created a haunting orchestral score that may not be as memorable as the others found within the genre, but it is most certainly effective. The score doesn't try to be noticed, as its primary intentions are to be subtle and only used for effect. The score is actually rarely heard in the film, as I have noticed that silence is the primary choice for building tension, but when it does come on it comes off as eerie and haunting. An emphasis on silence in space is one of the aspects that allow the film to feel claustrophobic. Goldsmith creates this connection with his score to space, having the piece feel really light at moments but at the same time making sure it hits the right notes in projecting the danger that is found in it. The film's score also contains a sound of a heartbeat which comes on in the early scenes with the Alien. It conveys the same sound that the audience's heart would be feeling at the moment of watching it, and at the same time suggest that there is something living there.

The film has great actors, and most of them at the time were barely established. It seems that Scott has really made the most out of them in a film that would then start off their careers. Sigourney Weaver definitely thanked this film for pushing her career forward. After this film, she was on films like Ghostbusters and The Year of Living Dangerously. Her performance here was great; she was able to play this strong woman who understood her responsibilities. Weaver seems to show a sense of control without her coming off as competitive for it. It was important for this film to show Ripley with a layer of vulnerability as that what makes her feel human, and Weaver does that well. Close ups of her face, showcases the terrors that she is suffering at that very moment. Tom Skerritt is probably the only one in this ensemble who has worked on something noteworthy previous to this film, which was MASH. Skerritt was great in the role, he truly showed leadership and courage but at the same time not stepping on the border of cockiness and arrogance. This is a man who is just doing his job and understands the responsibility that is placed on his shoulders. John Hurt was pretty good for the brief time that he is in it. There is this sense of curiosity in him that made this character really interesting to watch. Hurt's physical acting though was astounding, especially on a particular scene in the middle of the film. If I'm praising actors for their physical acting then I would have to commend Ian Holm's work. There is a moment in the film, you'll know it when you see it, and he brings this presence that one wouldn't really expect from him. Holm's performance would come off much better during subsequent viewings. Veronica Cartwright was the character who could be considered as the "weakest" but I think she represents the most honest side of us humans. Don't we all feel terrified for ourselves when the chips are really down? She isn't the character we idolise to become but instead the one that represents the closest to us. Cartwright gets the sensitivity of this character with such precise target. Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto are like a duo at the start of the film. They project this friendship that none of the characters seem to have. Everyone in the ship respects each other but none have this relationship that these two have created. They show more layers of themselves, at least one of them, as the pressure starts to build up.

Alien is currently my favourite horror film of all time, and it is up there with one of my favourite science fiction films of all time. Very few have created a mixture of two very different genres and create something amazing out of it. Its influence on cinema has gotten bigger and its ability to gain new fans is amazing. Alien is an example of a perfect organism.