Strong plot hampered by weak characterisation (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (23 May 2003)

A massive hit spawning three high-grossing sequels, "Alien" is now said to be the model for every space-set horror movie. Unfortunately, the film does not quite deserve such an accolade. For while it does have an excellent plot and superlative special effects for its time (the film has not dated too much, either), the main characters lack depth, inhibiting our sympathy with them when they're inevitably killed off.
In an unspecified time at some point in the future, the crew of cargo ship Nostromo are in deep sleep on a journey back to Earth. Woken up half-way there, they are forced to investigate a signal from an uncharted planet, having been told they will lose their wages if they don't. They discover a derelict spaceship and inadvertantly bring a deadly alien life form back on board their ship....
The basic storyline, by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, is very strong and contains alot of great set-pieces. The best of all is when crew member Kane (John Hurt) dies in the infamous "chest-bursting" scene and the numerous futile attempts by the remaining crew members to track down and kill the monster.
The alien itself is a very impressive design, although perhaps it could have looked a little less humanoid. The inclusion of several deleted scenes could have helped establish the creature's motivation, psychology and capabilities alot better. However, fully explaining these is a problem that occurs not just in Alien but in it's sequels as well.
The set-design is gloomy, detailed and claustrophobic and given a sense of lived-in reality. The alien ship in particular is a fascinating organic design, and it is odd how the sequels have never returned to explore it further. All of this is well accentuated by some well-orchestrated music that carefully builds an atmosphere of fear and impending doom.
The film is certainly alot slower than most films of it's type today. The slow careful buildup in the beginning and the quite measured approach to some scenes makes today's horror pictures seem very rushed by comparison. However, this is a flaw when you have a set of characters as mundane as the ones here.
A strength of the sequels to this movie is the distinctiveness of the characterisations, the lack of which is a problem here. Almost none of the characters fully engage the audience and, with the exception of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and eventually Ash (Ian Holm), no character has any development or agenda at hand. The problem is not so much with the acting, but with the writing. Most of the lines in the films are interchangeable between characters. As a result, the film tends to drag whenever the eponymous alien is not on-screen.
A superb technical achievement, but the weak writing and characterisation would improve in subsequent films.