Yesterday I decided I was going to get drunk and spend my evening having zoom chats and doing quizzes. As a result I left myself only 20 minutes to get a review out and as a result of that the final product is an almost incoherent mess. It also happened to be the most popular review I have done thus far (I can't possibly understand why) but as much as I would love to continue to get drunk and pump out hot shit messes of reviews I am not sure my liver would thank me so I'm returning to writing these sober. So, shall we give it another go? Cool.
'Alien' (1979) is one of those films that has gone down and will continue to go down in the annals of film history. It is one of the most influential science-fiction films ever made, so much so that the whole look of the film can be seen in so many films of the genre to be released afterwards. Of course, you can be an extremely influential film for your time but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will hold up years after, but this film manages to do so brilliantly. Well, for the most part. The film follows a group of space merchants returning from a mission in deep space. They are awoken from cryosleep by an obscure message from a nearby planet. While exploring the planet one of the crew, Kane (John Hurt), has an alien organism attach itself to his face, placing him in a coma. Another member of the crew, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), is against the idea of letting him back on the ship as she is concerned that the life form could be a danger to the whole crew. She turns out to be right as the alien impregnates Kane with a different alien organism that escapes into the ship and starts to take out the crew members one by one.
This film is near perfect. Right from the opening credit scene you are sucked in to the whole atmosphere the film is creating. The absolute stellar sound design and lighting throughout leads to a constant air of isolation and fear that only strengthens as the film moves forward. There is also minimal soundtrack or score. Ridley Scott allows the film to be quiet and it really adds to the whole mood of the film. The whole production design throughout is iconic and really hold ups still. The spaceship looks futuristic but also looks lived in which creates a much more realistic feel. The alien planet is brilliantly designed and has a huge scale to it, and the creature designs don't just look cool but look and feel alive. Both the facehugger and the fully grown Xenomorph have a fleshy, realistic look to them. You believe that these creatures are alive and not just animatronics or puppets. The effects on the creatures are brilliant and has allowed both to become iconic in pop culture. Now it isn't all rosy. There are a couple of shots where the Xenomorph does look a little dated or like a puppet, and there is one moment towards the end of the film which looks quite comical when watching it today. There is also one of my favourite unintentionally funny moments in cinema which I won't spoil here, all you need to know is 'alien jazz hands'. A bit like 'Jaws' (1975), this film's scares work best when the big bad remains obscured but, also like 'Jaws', the film is so good throughout that even when the creature looks a bit off you are so bought into the film that you don't really care. This is helped by an extremely simple but effective narrative that is told masterfully, and by actors who make the characters feel real.
The cast in this film are all fantastic and play their characters brilliantly. It is a small cast but they all have great chemistry and play the little nuances of their characters fantastically which make them feel like real people. John Hurt is as brilliant as always as Kane, demanding a screen presence whilst feeling like a genuine human. Tom Skerritt plays Captain Dallas really well, managing to have an air of leadership but with an undercurrent of a man who is himself just following orders. Ian Holm is superb as Ash. He manages to have a constant air of suspicion around his character but is able to keep it subtle and not go over the top with it until it is called for. And then we come to the star of the show, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. This is an iconic role, but I think that the main aspects of the character that people remember come from the films sequel, 'Aliens' (1986). She does have aspects of badassery in this film that are much more apparent in the sequel, but the performance is much more understated in this film. She has a calm and composed demeanour as well as being able to command respect and attention. Even when things start to go to shit she takes charge and you believe it just as equally as you believe her sheer terror when she is confronted by the Alien. It may not be the performance that made the character iconic, but regardless it is brilliantly done.
'Alien' is one of those films that I will never get bored of watching. There are a couple moments that have not aged especially well, but these are completely overshadowed by all the aspects of the film that feel timeless. The special effects are all superb and the production design is so iconic that it has become commonplace for me to think that a lot of sci-fi films look like 'Alien'. The narrative is simple but super effective and the performances are all really brilliant, with Sigourney Weaver's role of Ripley being a performance that has gone down in history. Ridley Scott's filmography is full of superb films but I think this may sit at the top of the mountain. It is more than a recommend from me. This is one of those films I feel like everyone needs to see. If you haven't already why not use all the new time we all have to sit down and watch this cinematic classic.