A True Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2010)

This film may just be one of the greatest sci-fi spectacles of all time. I remember seeing it on sci-fi when I was around ten or eleven, and sure enough that night I was terrified under my covers afterwards, keeping my eyes peeled for aliens under my bed. Or in the closet for that matter. But there are some classics that truly never die, this definitely being one of them.For one thing, the cast is incredible, including Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Santon (Brett) and other A-list actors. John Hurt is Kane, our first "chestburster" victim in the long line of many. And who can forget, the very sexy Sigourney Weaver as the unbreakable Ripley. Ridley Scott's directing gives off the sense of a horror flick but with far deeper characters and even takes us into another world that audiences will feel is real. I certainly felt so. Landing on the dark, seemingly lifeless, planet and the direlect spacecraft's interior, all beautifully rendered sets. Upon learning of the film's age, I was astounded at the SFX of a movie from 1979. People often remarked to this film as "Jaws in outer space", but let's be realistic here. This film far outdoes the shark puppet of Spielberg's. The creature designs are remarkably eery and somewhat sexual, H.R. Giger having done quite nicely here. The alien, no more than a class act man-in-a-suit with some KY jelly for drool, gives the impression of a terrifying monster that both fascinates and shocks. And to add it all, Jerry Goldsmith delivers a chilling score that seals the mood of this film just the way Ridley must have envisioned it. A true masterpiece, "Alien" will live on in even as the AVP films attempt to burn the 'Alien" legacy to the ground.