Unequaled....

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2009)

ALIEN is that rarest of rarities. It has ACTUALLY transcended it's static celluloid origins and become something greater. A touchstone of modern horror that has since rarely been approached and certainly NEVER equaled. The vast majority of so-called "classic" horror or sci-fi films have a few memorable scenes of genuine shock or terror. ALIEN has easily a dozen. There are many memorable performances in the film, but the the most sublimely effective and WOEFULLY underrated portrayal is by Ian Holm as the sinister android Ash. His sparce, chilling revelation near the film's climax is one of the cinema's MOST harrowing and CAUTIONARY. The languidly operatic score by Jerry Goldsmith is one of his most chilling and evocative. It is a near pitch-perfect match of music to mood. Lastly, we bear witness to the cineastic brilliance of Ridley Scott. His use of bleak, shadowy tones coupled with the claustrophobic back-drop of the film, have etched itself permanently onto our collective unconscious. This is his one UNDISPUTED masterpiece, and he has never really come close to duplicating it's impact. It's just as well. ALIEN stands alone as a tribute to it's creator.