219. Alien; movie review
ALIEN
Cert 15
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong horror, violence, language
Only four years since Alien was last re-released, so here's my 2019 review revised, as I have certainly not changed my view of it.
Four times during Ridley Scott's Alien I was prompted to jump out of my seat.
That's not bad going for a movie which I have seen at least three times before.
Alien remains one of the best horror/thrillers to have hit the big screen. Plenty have tried to copy it over the past 40 years but few have succeeded in having its punch.
Of course, there are elements that haven't passed the test of time.
The computer technology on an intergalactic space mission looks ludicrously 1970s/80s and seeing people smoking during a meal on a spaceship is bizarre.
And, of course, the alien itself would be amateurish in today's world of CGI.
But great storytelling remains great storytelling and I was hooked by Scott's tale of an extraterrestrial entity being brought on board a commercial human vessel.
My memory is clearly playing tricks with me because I had thought the infamous appearance of the otherworld being from John Hurt's chest happened far earlier in the film than it did (about halfway through).
And, in my mind, the lone battle of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) with the alien went on for much longer than it did.
Nevertheless, I was completely engrossed by Scott's movie and was sweating over the battle between the crew and the beast.
Scott's movie came after Space Odyssey and Star Wars but took sci-fi in a different, equally exciting direction.
Sure, we had seen alien life in the Star Trek series but none of it was frightening as this.
It also made a star out of Weaver whose face of desperation alongside the teeth of the monster became one of cinema's iconic poster images.
It says much that I found Alien as spellbinding in 2019 as I did in 1979.
That's not bad going for a movie which I have seen at least three times before.
Alien remains one of the best horror/thrillers to have hit the big screen. Plenty have tried to copy it over the past 40 years but few have succeeded in having its punch.
Of course, there are elements that haven't passed the test of time.
The computer technology on an intergalactic space mission looks ludicrously 1970s/80s and seeing people smoking during a meal on a spaceship is bizarre.
And, of course, the alien itself would be amateurish in today's world of CGI.
But great storytelling remains great storytelling and I was hooked by Scott's tale of an extraterrestrial entity being brought on board a commercial human vessel.
My memory is clearly playing tricks with me because I had thought the infamous appearance of the otherworld being from John Hurt's chest happened far earlier in the film than it did (about halfway through).
And, in my mind, the lone battle of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) with the alien went on for much longer than it did.
Nevertheless, I was completely engrossed by Scott's movie and was sweating over the battle between the crew and the beast.
Scott's movie came after Space Odyssey and Star Wars but took sci-fi in a different, equally exciting direction.
Sure, we had seen alien life in the Star Trek series but none of it was frightening as this.
It also made a star out of Weaver whose face of desperation alongside the teeth of the monster became one of cinema's iconic poster images.
It says much that I found Alien as spellbinding in 2019 as I did in 1979.
Reasons to watch: Ground-breaking sci-fi horror
Reasons to avoid: Frightening scenes
Laughs: None
Jumps: Three
Vomit: Sort-of
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 10/10
Did you know? During the famous chest scene, none of the cast members were expecting it to be graphic, so Lambert’s look of horror when she’s sprayed with blood was actress Veronica Cartwright’s real reaction.
The final word. Harry Dean Stanton: "Whatever you thought of the material and the genre, I still think it’s the ultimate monster film so far. I haven’t seen any better. But, again, I’ve never been into monster films or science fiction. And this is a combination of the two. But the monster was the star." Scraps From The Loft
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