Definitive Sci Fi Brilliance

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2017)

When speaking about the greatest science fiction movies of all time Ridley Scott's Alien is a film that will come up in conversation and its very much deserving of such praise as this is a fantastically executed and atmospheric film that I truly found to be brilliant. For one this film looks fantastic, the interior design of the Nostromo is designed perfectly its not flashy or unbelievable but a realistic version of a space craft. The special effects are also perfect most likely (similarly to George Lucas with Star Wars) chose not to rely on them to much but instead use them sparingly using real life models to make it seem more realistic. The design of the titular Alien is also perfect, the design makes it look terrifying and imposing. The tension in this film is done perfectly due to Ridley Scott's masterful direction of this film made he made it very claustrophobic through long takes and wide shots that revealed to us just how little space there was for the characters to run. Also like the special effects he used the Alien itself sparingly we only really so it up close a few times which puts the viewer more in the shoes of the characters and makes the film all the more unpredictable. Another thing this will did very well was get out a truly fantastic central performance from Sigourney Weaver who is just cast to perfection in this film she's a strong and intelligent lead that is extremely likable and was the perfect conduit for the audience to experience the horror. There is never a moment from the first act on wards where the viewer feels completely safe and it made this film much more enjoyable. When such a menacing force such as the Alien in this film is built up its hard to make its eventual demise satisfying but this film did it, it was built up perfectly to the point where it seemed unlikely that the protagonists would succeed. However my biggest issue with the film is it's first act as while the slow pace worked for the second and third act in the beginning it did bore me and didn't grab my attention like the rest of the film did.
Alien is a fantastic film things done in this film have been repeated in countless other Sci Fi films to this date, it's got one of the most effective uses if atmosphere ever in a film, I loved the central character and there was never a point past the third act where I felt completely safe. The only real problem with the film was the beginning of the first act but beyond that this film has no other flaw.
87%/A-