$2.50 Reviews: Alien (1979)

[Marter]

<color=darkred>Previous Review: <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.306597-2-50-Reviews-xXx-State-of-the-Union-2005>xXx: State of the UnionNext Review: <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.306996-2-50-Reviews-Aliens-1986>Aliens
$2.50 Reviews:
Alien
http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/09/70/40/poster62.jpg

Alien is a film that has an alien in it. If you didn't figure that out from the title, you're either looking way too deeply into it, or you simply aren't paying attention. "Alien" is not an acronym or anything like that, (although I'm sure some fans of the film have figured out a way to make it one), but instead refers to the antagonist of the film, an alien.

[Img_Inline width="275" height="190" Caption="Here's some of the crew." Align="left"]http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/09/70/40/alien110.jpg[/Img_Inline]

Said alien ends up aboard a ship that lands on a planetoid because it receives a possible distress signal from it. Some of the crew dismount from the ship, with one of them having some sort of organism latch onto his face. One aboard the ship, the organism still doesn't let go, and when they try to cut it off, it bleeds acid. Eventually, the scientists of the ship get this thing off the man's face, unaware of what it did to him. I'll leave how a fully-grown alien ends up on the ship a surprise, but suffice to say it's revolting and not a very pleasant sight.

And this is when Alien becomes a worse film. What happens is it degenerates into a slasher film, except the killer is an Alien that seemingly can't be killed. We're told by one of the scientists, Ash (Ian Holm), that it's a perfect organism. It has a temper to match, and decides to use the ship's air ducts in order to pick off the crew members one by one. But if it's so perfect, why doesn't it just get them all when they're talking, possessing no weapons and are essentially helpless? Well, because that would make a shorter movie, that's why. It would also mean that we wouldn't get to see the alien do all of its cool alien things more than once.

This creature is unique and interesting to look at, but it gets less so the more frequently we see it. Thankfully, we don't see it in full all that often, which is a smart decision on the part of director Ridley Scott. This thing has two (or is that three?) mouths, both of which move like stiff, mechanical doors, but that is probably the worst part of the visual effects done for the film.

[Img_Inline width="275" height="177" Caption="That looks uncomfortable." Align="right"]http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/09/70/40/alien111.jpg[/Img_Inline]

The rest of the effects hold up just fine, whether it be the outer space scenery, the way the first organism latches onto one of the character's face, or the fire that eventually is used as a method to exterminate this unwelcome guest. None of it looks out of place, and doesn't end up taking you out of the film while you watch it. This leads to you appreciating them after the film concludes, because they do end up holding up so well.

The plot works best at the beginning, when nothing has actually gone wrong yet. It allows the tension to build up so well, that it actually seems a bit of a letdown when the alien starts coming in and murdering the crew. We get depth in the characters, the film is atmospheric, and everything seems to be working perfectly. It's really unfortunate that it gets worse as it progresses, but it never gets bad enough to become a terrible film, instead, just feeling slightly worse.

During the first forty or so minutes, the characterization is really strong. We learn about two lead characters, the aforementioned Ash, and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Ash has a hidden motive, while Ripley just wants the creature to be killed. They're both strong characters in their own right, and a twist involving one of them that happens mid-way through will certainly surprise you given how much depth they're given during the first segment.

[Img_Inline width="275" height="177" Caption="No, you're not getting a picture of the alien!" Align="left"]http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/09/70/40/11675310.jpg[/Img_Inline]

The biggest problem that Alien has is that it doesn't really satisfy the desire to be scared. It has a couple of jump scenes that I'll admit actually startled me, but that's all they did: Startle. In terms of feeling scared, that happened a bit before anything went wrong, but after the alien started haunting the crew, I wasn't scared. I wasn't even worried that the characters were going to be killed, except for a cat, which gets sympathy simply because it is a cute little kitty cat.

The secondary characters also don't get much depth to begin with, or development once the film begins. One of them wants to kill everything, one of them agrees to everyone in a higher position, and I forget the others; they're just there to be alien food anyway. They aren't even people we like, they're just bodies there to be devoured, which means it doesn't matter when their lives are in peril. This doesn't help the fact that the film just isn't all that scary, because if we did care for these people, we might get scared when they're about to be killed, eaten, or otherwise removed from the screen.

I'm glad I gave Alien a second chance though. I had watched it before, and was so bored that I was convinced it wasn't a good film. I was wrong, because it is is actually a good film. It's just not a great one, or one that manages to stay as good as it opens. It loses steam, which sounds odd considering the pace picks up as it goes along. When it's slower paced and the tension is building, it's actually a lot better than when it becomes a slasher with an alien as the main villain.

Alien is a film likely worth your time, although it gets worse as it progresses. There are times when it's brilliant, but also times when it's no different from other slasher films, only instead of a person, it's an alien that is described as "perfect." The special effects hold up, the two main characters are strong, and the film is atmospheric, although not all that scary. I say you should give it a watch, although don't expect something truly frightening, because Alien is not a film that has a lot of scares.

<color=D6D9DA>_________________________________________________________________________________

If you are a fan of my reviews, and want to boost my ego receive notifications when new reviews are posted, please join/visit this <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/2-50-Reviews>user group.
For an archive of all my previous movie reviews, please go <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.284075-2-50-Reviews-Archive>here.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

As a guy who has always fantasized about being out in space, this movie scared me a lot when I first saw it. Out in space, without anywhere to hide. It was the atmosphere and the not knowing where it could be in the ship that got me. Personally my second favorite of the Alien series.

Nice review!

 

[Marik2]

Hmm interesting, so Im guessing Aliens is way better and works as a stand alone film?

Also you have a typo

Eventually, they scientists

Also random vid

no one watch it if you dont wanna see the alien

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWfiIks3vQw&feature=related

 

[TimeLord]

Alien may only make you jump, but I guarantee it will make you jump every time. Even if you know an event is coming. Case in point is a part where a character I forget enters a vent to search for the alien and swings the torch towards the camera, then back behind him and the alien is literally a foot away from him and then the camera cuts away.
That scene make me jump every time.

I have never been properly "scared" by a film or game. Jumping is the best it ever does, the closest a film has ever got to being properly scary is Event Horison. The problem is that you always know that in 99% of films, the established characters will live and the secondary characters will die. So when a secondary character dies, there is no shock. I want a film that establishes the primary characters for half the film then picks them all off and only one secondary character survives with no established backstory.

 

[N3Burgener]

Hmm interesting, so Im guessing Aliens is way better and works as a stand alone film?

Aliens certainly works as a stand-alone, but I actually prefer the first Alien. As much as Marter's talking about Alien not being scary, and how the characters are just fodder to die, Aliens isn't any better. Aliens adds even more characters (an entire marine platoon) who are just there to die, and who get even less characterization. It's mostly an action flick that doesn't have the same sort of brooding tension. There's still suspense in Aliens, but it's quite a bit different when it's an armed platoon fighting a swarm of aliens, as opposed to an untrained crew struggling against a mystery adversary.

That's just my opinion, anyway. Aliens is great for an action movie, but I ultimately prefer the slower pace and premise of the first one. Of course, Alien3 puts the first Alien into even more perspective. If you watch Alien, and then watch Alien3, you'll see that Alien3 is the one that really isn't scary, has no characterization, no suspense, and feels like a slasher film just waiting for everyone to die.

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

I have never been properly "scared" by a film or game. Jumping is the best it ever does, the closest a film has ever got to being properly scary is Event Horison. The problem is that you always know that in 99% of films, the established characters will live and the secondary characters will die. So when a secondary character dies, there is no shock. I want a film that establishes the primary characters for half the film then picks them all off and only one secondary character survives with no established backstory.

Seconding the vote for Event Horizon. Maybe you can tackle it after AVP week?

Well-done review as usual.

 

[Marter]

Hmm interesting, so Im guessing Aliens is way better and works as a stand alone film?

You'll have to wait until I post the review of it for me to say if it's better or not, but it mostly works as a standalone film.

Seconding the vote for Event Horizon. Maybe you can tackle it after AVP week?

Uh...maybe? I don't own it, but if I find it when I go shopping for DVDs this week, then I can.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/09/70/40/poster62.jpg

Please tell me this isn't the official poster, otherwise I might have to hurt everyone involved for the atrocious grammar.

 

[Casual Shinji]

This movie suffers way too much from pre-exposure.

When Alien first came out it was such a phenomenon that it's now impossible to go into it with an unspoiled view. You know how the alien gets born, and you know that Ripley survives even before seeing it simply because it's been parodied so much in other movies or TV shows.

Don't know if you watched to Director's Cut, by the way. I always hated that version, because it has one added scene in it near the end that totally stops the movie's pacing dead in it's tracks.

 

[SYSTEM-J]

I'm sorry, but I really don't think this is a good review. Everyone on Earth has either seen Alien or is very familiar with the premise and probably a number of key scenes. Summarising the plot or making basic value judgements like "The effects were good" is essentially pointless in this kind of review. A retrospective review of a 30 year old classic should really discuss the film from a new angle, from its cultural impact to its subtext to some aspect of its cinematic methodology that is perhaps not obvious. You want to make your reader think about a film they've already seen in a way they haven't.

 

[Marter]

Please tell me this isn't the official poster, otherwise I might have to hurt everyone involved for the atrocious grammar.

As far as I know, it is.

This movie suffers way too much from pre-exposure.

When Alien first came out it was such a phenomenon that it's now impossible to go into it with an unspoiled view. You know how the alien gets born, and you know that Ripley survives even before seeing it simply because it's been parodied so much in other movies or TV shows.

Don't know if you watched to Director's Cut, by the way. I always hated that version, because it has one added scene in it near the end that totally stops the movie's pacing dead in it's tracks.

Actually, the only thing I'd ever seen of it was one short clip on Family Guy that didn't really register. I didn't know how they were born or that Ripley survives.

I did watch the Director's Cut, because I always try to if that version is available.

 

[N3Burgener]

Please tell me this isn't the official poster, otherwise I might have to hurt everyone involved for the atrocious grammar.

It looks like a recreation to me (hence the misspelling), but it's in the same vein and style as the official theatrical poster.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Actually, the only thing I'd ever seen of it was one short clip on Family Guy that didn't really register. I didn't know how they were born or that Ripley survives.

Oh come on, if you know that the Alien movies exist than by definition you know that Ripley survives the first film. Unless you've never ever seen anything related to any of the sequels - and that would include the poster to Aliens - which would be an incredible feet of subterfuge.

I did watch the Director's Cut, because I always try to if that version is available.

There are two added scenes that stick out like a sore thumb in that version.

The scene where Ripley asks whether or not Lambert ever slept with Ash. That whole question just comes out of nowhere after we've seen absolutely zero amount sexual attraction or even tension among any of the crewmembers.
The thing is, when the script for this movie was first written the entire crew was male, but because it was the 70's and feminism was flying high they decided to make Ripley and Lambert female. That's why there's ultimately no sense of forced romance in the movie despite there being two women in it.
And that sex talk between Ripley and Lambert just feels crowbarred in because of it. Especially since it follows right after poor Dallas got nailed in the vents.

And the second scene is where Ripley finds Dallas semi-encased in a cocoon. Now eventhough the scene itself is pretty damn creepy thanks to Tom Skerritt's weezing performance, it completely breaks the pacing of the final act.
The moment Parker and Lambert bite the dust the entire emotional tone of the movie shifts from "We have to stick together" to "Holy fucking shit, I'm all alone now", and the whole final act basically becomes a fast paced running-away-from-the-killer sequence. And that scene where Ripley finds Dallas completely breaks the high octane flow of her race against time. Which is probably why it was left out of the theatrical version.

And when you watch Aliens, stick to the theatrical version as well. You'll thank me later.

 

[The Madman]

I have to disagree with some of the review, but then I'm a huge fan of the film. I love its pacing, its art direction, the acting, even the visuals. I mean the part near the end when the alarms are going off and the last surviving crew-members are dashing to prepare the escape pod? Just an amazingly well shot piece of cinema history.

I do also think some of the added content from the directors cut was unnecessary however and just slowed things down. The theatrical release was the best!

And when you watch Aliens, stick to the theatrical version as well. You'll thank me later.

For the most part I agree, the extended bits at the start; seeing the facility 'before' and that dream sequence. Well, both are just long and boring and kinda stupid.

The scene with the turrets later on though, now that I liked.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Please tell me this isn't the official poster, otherwise I might have to hurt everyone involved for the atrocious grammar.

It looks like a recreation to me (hence the misspelling), but it's in the same vein and style as the official theatrical poster.

I knew it was the same design and tag-line, I was just hoping the official one didn't get it's homonyms mixed up.

 

[Marter]

Oh come on, if you know that the Alien movies exist than by definition you know that Ripley survives the first film. Unless you've never ever seen anything related to any of the sequels - and that would include the poster to Aliens - which would be an incredible feet of subterfuge.Honestly, I didn't know that she survived. I hadn't seen the poster to the second movie before watching this one. I knew that there was a sequel, but had heard that it was really different from the first. I figured that didn't mean that Ripley survived. I had no idea what I was going into with any of these movies.

And when you watch Aliens, stick to the theatrical version as well. You'll thank me later.

Already watched it weeks ago, although I watched the extended cut. Had no problems with it.

 

[Rad Party God]

I don't know how many times I watched this movie as a kid, but I always loved this movie and I even still jump at certain scenes today.


Now that you mention it, yes, it's quite very atmospheric at the beginning and even a bit after the alien hatches, there's still a lot of slow tension building.

But even if it suddendly transforms into a "slasher with an alien", it's still a great film and one with many surprises if you managed to avoid 30 years (!) of spoilers.

Also, the name just doesn't refer to the creature itself, I always thought that the whole setting is "alien", even to the crew itself, it's like the ship itself would work against them, instead of in their favor. As the crew itself, they're a bunch of everyday Joes and Janes that happened to work in space, nobody is properly trained in combat and much less in dealing with stranger life forms.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And when you watch Aliens, stick to the theatrical version as well. You'll thank me later.

For the most part I agree, the extended bits at the start; seeing the facility 'before' and that dream sequence. Well, both are just long and boring and kinda stupid.

The scene with the turrets later on though, now that I liked.

You mean the dream sequence where Burke visits Ripley in the hospital? I can't remember if they extended it in any way, but that scene itself was in the theatrical version.

However that added scene where Ripley finds out about her deceased daughter felt pretty unnecessary. After the ordeal she went through in the first movie, there was no need to try and add more depth and tragedy to her character. It just made it feel overblown.

And ofcourse the scene where Newt's family comes across the alien derilict. That scene was stupid for so many reasons.

Then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Aliens, period. But that's a whole other story.

 

[The Madman]

You mean the dream sequence where Burke visits Ripley in the hospital? I can't remember if they extended it in any way, but that scene itself was in the theatrical version.

However that added scene where Ripley finds out about her deceased daughter felt pretty unnecessary. After the ordeal she went through in the first movie, there was no need to try and add more depth and tragedy to her character. It just made it feel overblown.

And ofcourse the scene where Newt's family comes across the alien derilict. That scene was stupid for so many reasons.

Then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Aliens, period. But that's a whole other story.

Was it in the theatrical release? I never liked that 'hospital dream' scene. Would have been just as easy to have said 'oh yeah she's understandably having nightmares' rather than showing us through cheesy slow-mo Riply flailing and screaming.

The thing with her kid though was probably just to explain what they worried might become a plot hole.

Agree with the Newts parents bit however. Pointless, long-winded, stupid. I can see why it was removed.