Alien (1979)
The alien movie that really started it all.
Presentation:
When people think of alien films, they think Alien. Ridley Scott impresses audiences with an event sci-fi spectacle for 1979 with similar miniatures to his iconic Blade Runner. It looks good in 2024 despite the outdated computer tech because of the anamorphic image texture and set design. The film opens up with the spaceship corridors, which immediately immerses you into living in the spacecraft. I think for this reason alone it looks better than James Cameron’s sequel Aliens. Although we don’t get to see as much of the alien always shrouded in shadows, the way they are presented are more menacing compared to sequels. You can feel the aliens more in the original, and I found the sequels are not worth the watch including James Cameron’s version, which devolves into an action film. The mood established here is what alien movies should all encapsulate: mysterious, exploratory and futile.
Conclusion:
Alien movies in essence are similar in formula to slashers, except with a extraterrestial monster. The plot can’t really move forward without incompetence, which is why I’m usually not a huge fan of them especially when they devolve into brainless sci-fi action movies. It’s not horribly egregious for this film, but it is still infuriating to witness how useless the entire crew is, including Ripley and her stupid cat. I mean seriously, tackling an alien instead of shooting it is an insult to our audience IQ. Still, an iconic film that is watchable if you’re not blinded in awe. It might seem unfair to admonish this icon as it was revolutionary for its time, but compared to modern alien films that critics would attack like Life, you can’t seriously say this one would be judged better today. But it is a great film for it’s time that should still be watched despite its forgivable flaws.
Recommendations
Foreign languages always felt alien.