The Ultimate Sci-Fi Horror Classic

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2018)

The wave of horror films from the 70s and 80s was filled with what many would consider classics. Halloween, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are all entrenched in the public consciousness and a must see for any film fanatic. But few of these, even the really good ones, rise above the level of 'cult' classic - they have a dedicated fan following and are certainly good films in their own right, but never really rise above their genre. Needless to say, the *true* horror classics hail from the black and white era of the 30s, 40s and 50s, but I'm specifically referring to the 70s/80s wave here. In my book, three of those rose above the level of cult classic, to become true film classics - The Thing, The Excorcist and Alien. And Alien is the one to rule them all.
In many ways, Alien is the base on which every sci-fi horror film of the past forty years was built. Every film made in this genre, no matter how innovative in other areas, rips off Alien in *some* way at least. From the unique design, courtesy of the late H.R. Giger, to the bleak and pessimistic future set design - even more so than the grimy 'used future' and interstellar warfare of Star Wars, Alien is the true antithesis to the giddy optimism of Star Trek - and the greedy corporation trying to exploit the beast at the expense of the characters, and humanity at large. Watching it now, it may seem like you've seen all this before - but that's only because so many others learned it from Alien.
Story-wise, Alien is not much to look at. Though innovative at the time, it is a very basic 'space-explorers-encounter-a-deadly-organism' tale that we've become familiar with by now. The brilliance lies in the execution - Jerry Goldsmith's creepy score, Ridley Scott's slow, atmospheric direction and the authenticity of the characters. Alien's characters aren't particularly developed, but engaging all the same. We get to know them not through deep backstories or dramatic character arcs, but their interactions - including several improvised scenes - which showcase them as relatable, working class everymen. These aren't the mystic heroes of Star Wars on a quest to save the galaxy, or the elite Starfleet captains commanding a ship exploring the vast reaches of space - these are your everyday working stiffs, sent out to the middle of nowhere on a gig. Space holds no enthralling mystery to them - it's their working environment, much like sailors out at sea. And when they encounter a dilapidated alien vessel on a barren planet, there is none of the exciting mystery of many space exploration tales - rather, there is a sense of impending doom. And we see their very human reactions when they encounter this fearsome extraterrestrial predator - fear, anger and desperation. This is not the childlike wonder of first contact, but the terror of being trapped in a tin can with an animal trying to eat you. As icing to the cake, there is no real 'hero' to the story. Ellen Ripley, played brilliantly by Sigourney Weaver - by now synonymous with the Alien franchise - does not emerge as a 'natural leader' among the group. In fact, she doesn't really lead at all - she becomes the story's sole survivor mainly through happenstance, because she is fortunate enough to not be in the wrong place when the Alien comes out, and spends enough time studying it to figure out a way to outsmart it. Later films elevated Ripley to a more mythical status as the woman who kept surviving the Alien incursions, taking away from her human vulnerability in this film.
None of this would be as effective without the film's briljant creature design and special effects. Making the most of its modest budget (reportedly, Ridley Scott built the Space Jockey set without full permission from the studio) and using SFX both sparingly and effectively, Alien has managed to stand the test of time much better than its 1986 sequel Aliens. H.R. Giger's creepy, sexually charged design - inspired both by outlandish fetishes and deep phobias of rape - has not been matched in the decades after, though many have tried. This isn't a cheesy green space invader with a laser gun, but an *animal* - a fierce creature, trying to feed, survive and procreate. The humans it encounters are no mortal enemies or puny natives to be conquered, but either prey or merely in the way. In fact, it isn't really an evil monster - it's just doing what it does to survive. This, in fact, makes it a more effective antagonist rather than if it were just your average creepy space man. Later films respected this core foundation, but unfortunately moved away from the ilusive, deceptive nature of the Alien and turned into insectoid cannon fodder, dangerous mainly because of its large numbers. It's easy to forget that, at its core, Alien is supposed to be about suspense instead of action.
No film, both within the series and outside it, has ever matched the briljant effectiveness of Alien. It is a film that was never meant to be A-list, but became so anyway because it was just executed so well. This is truly one for the ages, and a must-watch even if sci-fi and horror don't appeal to you.