In space no one can hear you scream! (Alien (DVD))

Member Name: Kepler

Product:	Alien (DVD)
Date:	24/05/04 (540 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tense, Atmospheric, Good use of suspense

Disadvantages: None

The seven-man crew of a commercial space vessel, the Nostromo are heading back to Earth. After being awoken from their cryogenic stasis they find that the ship has received a distress signal from a seemingly uninhabited planet. Bound by their contracts they have a duty to check it out and so they reluctantly decide to make a landing. On the surface of the planet they find a giant, derelict space spaceship of unknown origin, which appears to be empty. Three of the crew decide to take a look around the spaceship and inside they find a chamber full of egg-like objects. As one of the crew members bends down to examine one of the eggs a leathery creature emerges and viciously attaches itself to his face. The other crew members bring the unconscious Kane (John Hurt) back to the ship where Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) the ships warrant officer, questions whether Kane should be allowed back inside. The doctor of the ship, Ash (Ian Holm) however, decides to let them in. After a medical examination the doctor concludes that it would too risky to remove the creature and decides to leave it on Kane?s face. Eventually the creature falls off without any intervention and all seems to be well. The events that follow however leave the crew of the Nostromo fighting for their lives, as a purebred killer is unleashed on the ship.

Alien is a shaping film in the history of horror having spawned many imitators over the past twenty-five years. Combining equal parts of science fiction and horror there?s something distinctive about the mood of the film right from the start. The film feels somehow oppressive and as the spaceship lumbers through space Ridley Scott (Director) takes us on a silent tour of the gigantic vessel. The camera pans smoothly through the ship and the lack of music which is replaced by various, barely audible mechanical noises really adds
to the sense of eeriness. Thus Scott is able to establish an overcast, ominous kind of feeling which he is later able to expand into claustrophobic horror.

One of the great strengths of Alien is the way that it is paced. It is slow to build up and while some people consider the beginning to be laboured and unnecessary I feel it adds to the tension that grows as the film progresses. This is not one of those all out slasher films that preys on people with a lust for unnecessary action and bravado. Scott realises the impact of suspense and uses it to great effect. In a sense he realised that it is not the slashing that we enjoy but the wait for the slashing to begin. The use of suspense is the origin of the horror in this film. We only get fleeting glimpses of the alien and Scott relies on our imaginations to do the rest. By restricting how much we see of the creature the illusion is not spoiled and in doing so Scott creates a real air of menace. These days too many films concentrate on the use of explosions and special effects to hold the audience?s attention. Combine the nail biting suspense with a chilling and atmospheric score from Jerry Goldsmith and what you have is a genuine ?white knuckle? movie.

Alien though, also contains its fair share of shocks. I?m not talking about those cliched moments in films where something supposedly scary happens accompanied by a surge in the music. I?m talking about genuine shocks, things that you could never imagine happening. The most obvious one is the part where the face hugger attaches itself to Kane, a moment of pure cinematic genius. You know something is going to happen but you just don?t know what it is and when it does finally happen it?s one of those jump-out-of-the-seat moments. The alien itself is also beautifully crafted, both in terms of its design and the special effects applied to make it seem rea
l. The part of the alien is played by Bolaji Badejo with the aid of some rather superb make-up and costume work. The design of Swiss artist H.R.Geiger, the alien appears as a merging of both organic and inorganic parts. The result is a genuinely frightening creation, which blurs the borders between living organisms and machines.

The performance of all seven cast members in the film was fairly good. Sigourney Weaver (Ripley) plays the unlikely heroine role brilliantly, combining steely determination with equal measures of common sense. In only her second film appearance she pulls out a pretty notable performance and certainly stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. Other honourable mentions go to Tom Skerritt who puts in a good performance as the relatively laid back captain and Veronica Cartwright who plays the ships highly strung navigator. The other crew members also put in fairly even performances. Early in the film we get a few laughs from Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) and Parker (Yaphet Kotto) the engine room grunts but as the film progresses their opportunities for gags soon diminish. One particular thing to note about the cast is their average age, with only two of the cast members (Weaver and Cartwright) being below the age of thirty. It is interesting to note this because many of the films produced today have implausibly young actors when you consider the roles they inhabit. The use of the older actors helped to make the situation seem more lifelike and it really did feel like they were typical, ordinary workers thrust into an extraordinary situation.

The look and feel of ?Alien? has held up extremely well over the past twenty five years and the film still stands as one of the best horror movies ever made. Using suspense rather than action, Scott has created a film that is filled w
ith dark, brooding scenes. As the film progresses the tension grows and much of this is fuelled by the fact that you know the Alien is waiting somewhere in the spaceship for its next victim. Despite the undeniable malice of the alien there is only the odd splash of violence in the film. Though probably just enough to justify the 15 certificate. With a running time of just under two hours the film doesn?t drag and there aren?t any moments of boredom. Each scene is imbued with a sense of danger, even before the alien boards the spacecraft and all things considered this a very enjoyable film.

This DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £10.43 including P&P.

DVD Extras: Original theatrical trailers, deleted scenes (which make for some interesting viewing), out-takes, audio commentary by Ridley Scott, artwork & photo galleries, original story boards, isolated original score, and alternate music track.

Summary: