The Style of Scott

Rating: Null/10 (16 November 2002)

The first time I viewed this film, I have to admit, I was disappointed in both Scott and Goldsmith. Through circumstance, I had watched Aliens and Alien3 without ever seeing the original, and when I finally did it came as a great shock. But after viewing the film a second time, and especially after viewing the DVD's commentary, the very things that disappointed me about the film, Alien, are the very things that I now feel make it superior to any of its sequels.
Alien is so incredibly subtle and raw. The all out war aspect of Cameran's sequel fanfared with Horner's fantastic score--not here. The fight and pacing of Alien 3 is not here either. What is here? A very realistic, and a very stylish approach to a mysterious beacon where death awaits the crew, accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith's very original and primal score. Once I got over the realization that this is not an action film, then I looked into the subtle nature and viewed a horror film that actually contained depth.
Ridley Scott's raw vision of a dark future in space exploration certainly grounds the film in a sense of reality. The dark almost industrial feel of the Nostromo--guess what? It is an industrial ship, probably not all of it is kept up to code? Sound familiar? Like, oh, most things in this world's society? No the future isn't all florescent lights, and hospital-clean ships like Star Trek. This is what *our* future probably will look like.
Likewise, the characters hold an amazing amount of realism compared to
95% of the horror films out there. Their decisions, their logic, their personalities, and the steps they take actually makes sense and the audience would probably go along with it if we didn't know the premise of the film. It's always refreshing to come across characters smart enough to try something intelligent like fighting the big bad monster with reasonable firepower and/or getting away from it.
HR Gieger's visions come across brilliantly, blended with Scott's style and Goldsmith's score--tis a formula for success. But Alien succeeds not because of action, not because of fancy sets and effects. Alien works because it's about realistic characters on a realistic ship which becomes claustrophobic once the Alien is unleashed. Scott is a director who relies on what is unseen, and makes damn good use of the little that is actually seen. The movie Alien is about suspense, which Scott and his team masterfully craft out in the middle of space where no one can hear you scream.
Alien is considered classic Sci-fi horror because the team understands the concept of suspense, and like Ridley Scott said the only point is pure Terror. I've seen the film several times now, and every time I still find myself at the edge of my seat wrapped up in the moment as the Nostromo crew explores those dark corridors regardless of having knowledge of every jump and outcome. I still feel the terror with every viewing. This isn't cheap thrills, this is genuine suspense that few directors can attain.