A pleasant surprise

Rating: 8/10 (6 November 2013)

I went into 'Alien' expecting a terrible, low-budget space-age horror film in the form of 'Jason X'. How wrong I was!
A friend introduced me to the 'Alien' series after I loaned him 'The Omen' franchise and, while I watched it mainly as a gesture, I discovered that this is truly an awesome film. And the fact is that, even for others out there like me who probably aren't too keen on sci-fi films, this does not really strike you as one. Indeed, chances are that through things like 'Family Guy', 'South Park' and 'The Simpsons', you've probably seen reworked scenes from 'Alien' already!!!
For one thing, the cast is excellent. Sigourney Weaver broke into mainstream films here, John Hurt got the most memorable scene, even Yaphet Kotto who played Bond villain, Dr. Kananga in 'Live And Let Die' (1973), and Ian Holm in a particularly memorable turn early on in his film career. And, for horror aficionados, Veronica Cartwright, who made her debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' (1963) and appeared in the disturbing remake of 'Invasion of The Body Snatchers' (1978), gets a key role here. As does a cool little cat named Jones. Oh, and don't forget 'Mother'.
The model work, set design, costumes and even all the space-style gobbledegook that would usually put you to sleep - it's all great. And did I mention that the legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith provided the musical score? To savour this film, all you really need to be is a fan of horror and/or action films, or just an adventurous audience member.
So this really was a pleasant surprise for someone who's proud to admit that he was wrong. I even have the 'Alien Quadrilogy' DVD set because of this film and its sequel 'Aliens' (1986). I can really recommend this set of DVDs (or Blu-Ray, if you prefer), because it includes both the theatrical version and the Director's Cut, the latter of which includes so much stuff that wouldn't have appeared in the cinema and adds to the plot.
If in doubt, read some of the other reviews. Hopefully there are other people like me who have been turned by Ridley Scott's genius! Sit back and enjoy a different kind of classic!!