Space can be a scary place! (Alien (DVD))

Member Name: Mauri

Product:	Alien (DVD)
Date:	04/11/02 (287 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full of tension

Disadvantages: Scary for some

If I were asked to write down a list of my top ten Sci-fi movies this would easily get in, if I were to write a top ten list of Horror movies I would also include this.

There have been lots of horror movies that have used science fiction themes right back to the classic 'Frankenstein' films of the 30's or a minor movie classic 'The Fly' (1958), there have also been plenty of sci-fi films that have used devices borrowed from the horror genre to pep up the plot; mutated plants, animals or people or grotesque looking aliens but I can think of only one film before 'Alien' that really managed to straddle the two genres 'Planet of the Vampires' (1965) by Italian cult director Mario Bava. It was not a huge success at the box office and the idea of mixing horror with science fiction in the mainstream cinema was largely abandoned until the making of 'Alien' in 1979.

THE PLOT

The action takes place on the commercial deep space vehicle Nostromo. As it is heading back to Earth it receives a unusual distress call from a nearby planet. The crew decide to investigate this and a landing party is sent to the planet's surface. While they are exploring the area they find a wrecked spaceship with what looks like a huge nest for some strange unknown alien creature. After the landing party crew has landed, the ship's computer then manages to decipher the distress call as being a warning rather than an SOS. One of the landing party disturbs one of the eggs and is apparently attacked by whatever was inside. On returning to the ship the crew are unaware of the terrible danger they and the rest of humanity could now be in.

CAST PERFORMANCES AND OPINION

Tom Skerritt .... Dallas
Sigourney Weaver .... Ripley
Veronica Cartwright .... Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton .... Brett
John Hurt .... Kane
Ian Holm .... Ash
Yaphet Kotto .... Parker


Bolaji Badejo .... Alien

Directed by
Ridley Scott

Writing credits
Dan O'Bannon
Ronald Shusett

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Alien was Ridley Scott's second major film, he had previously directed 'The Duellists' a historical drama, which was flawed in many ways and no one expected his second film to be so dramatically different.

I think Ridley set out to make a traditional horror movie and if you look beyond the special effects and the setting 'Alien' uses an age-old horror genre device to develop the tension, a group of individuals trapped in a hostile environment with someone or something picking them off one by one. This idea can very well apply to the haunted house scenario where terrible storms have destroyed the telephone lines and the only road to the nearest town is flooded or it could be an isolated island or a castle in the mountains or as in the case of this film a spaceship on a mission in deep space.

The helplessness of the individuals (or in this case a 'damsel in distress' with kick ass attitude!) when faced with the seemingly invincible and invisible foe is what draws us in to the story.

Ridley Scott in the old Hitchcock fashion, plays with and leads his audience on, keeping them guessing and on the edge of their seats. There is a constant malignant atmosphere pervading the film. More often than not the action takes place in semi darkness, you can see the beads of sweat on the crews faces as they strain to hear the deadly alien approaching. The mysterious alien creature that is stalking the crew further increases the tension; we know little about it and only catch tantalising glimpses of it throughout the film until the finale.

The design of the ship is not your usual bright, clean gleaming high tech spaceship that we are used to in the 'Star Wars' series, the 'Nostromo' is dirty, rusty, damp and feels more like the inside of a gothic castle more than a futuristic means of space travel. The crew are not your classic intrepid space explorers, these are hard-nosed space scavengers out to make money, and they tolerate each other only for this purpose. It is hard to find a truly sympathetic character in the movie apart from Ripley and even she takes time to grow on you.

Sigourney Weaver as the 'all action' damsel in distress, puts in an exceptional performance, which propels her into 3 sequels and instant stardom. The supporting cast is excellent too although you get the feeling half way through the film that not many are there for the duration.

Tom Skerritt is convincing as the experienced captain of the ship that tries to keep control of a desperate situation, John Hurt although under used, puts in a great 'gut-wrenching' performance. Another great British character actor Ian Holm (more recently seen as Bilbo Baggins in the 'Lord of the Rings') plays the enigmatic medical officer who has something to hide. Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright, who is the centre of possibly the scariest scene in the movie and the always reliably good Harry Dean Stanton, completes the cast listing.

The film has many twists and uses quite a few plot devices like the hunt for the alien through the ventilation shaft or the 'indigestion' scene, to keep the audience guessing and hooked until the very end. The final scenes are both terrifying and exciting in equal measures and you feel a definite sense of relief when the film is over. The film has provided us with one particular scene, which has now gone down in movie history and has been spoofed on countless occasion but I wont spoil you enjoyment by describing it in this review.

SOUNDTRACK AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

The special effects involving the ship and the space environment are of a good standard even by modern day comparisons but what makes this film a cut above the rest is the design of the alien. It is rare in movies to find an image that will live in your memory for years to come, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's monster and Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Count Dracula come to mind but H.R. Geiger's brilliant creature belongs in this league. The alien was a new concept in monster design, without giving too much away its quasi reptlian/insectoid appearance was a masterstroke managing to tap in to all our human subconscious collective fears and its spring-like retractable jaw dripping with saliva-like ooze, is a chilling creation. It is truly a horrific vision.

One final word about the film's soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith a veteran of the genre having composed all the Star Trek film score as well as other more recent films such as 'LA confidential' and 'The Mummy'. The music perfectly complements the Gothic horror feel of the film and helps to create the oppressive tension, which is a key characteristic of 'Alien'


FINAL THOUGHTS

So there you have it 'Alien' a film that launched a thousand sequels...well three at least and created a new film genre. I remember when this first came out that after the cleaner cut swashbuckling high adventure Science Fiction of 'Star Wars' and its many imitators in the late 70's, it was so refreshing it to see a film that dealt with a much darker version of Science Fiction. 'Alien' had a much darker edge that I think appealed to an older audience. Just like 'Star Wars' this film set a trend for other to try and follow and of course just like 'May The Force Be With You', 'In Space No One Can Hear You Scream' is one of the great tag lines in movie history.

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Alien is available on VHS for £8.99 + p& p (Amazon.uk) or on DVD for £12.99 inclusive of p & p (DVD.co.uk). The soundtrack is also available on CD.

Thanks you for reading and rating this opinion

© Mauri 2002

Summary: Classic Sci-fi horror