Truckers in Space !!!

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2016)

'Alien' is the first film in one of the most well known and renowned film franchises of all time. One of the major reasons why 20th Century Fox green-lit this film was the resounding success of another little film set in space known as 'Star Wars' at the box office. 'Alien' was based on a screenplay written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett and was directed by Ridley Scott. A crew aboard the space vessel Nostromo on their way home pick up an SOS warning from a distant planet. They decide to check out the planet and the subsequent events lead to an experience for the entire crew which can only be described as nightmarish.
Although Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett's screenplay was great and had thematic depth, for me 'Alien' became the masterful horror film that it is due to one man's visual flair and complete command over the subtleties and nuances of filmmaking and camera movement, and that man is Ridley Scott. This film in the hands of some other director could have easily been reduced to a generic, silly genre film about alien monsters which were released in abundance during the 50s, 60s and 70s. But Ridley Scott made something that truly distinguished itself from all previous alien monster films. The claustrophobic atmosphere that Scott creates is enough to suck the viewer in. The film like most Ridley Scott films looks absolutely fantastic. The visual attention to detail is meticulous. The alien planet looks as real and authentic as any alien planet has ever looked on film. Scott slightly borrows the slow and gradual style of storytelling and tension building that Spielberg used in 'Jaws'. Like 'Jaws', we don't see the Xenomorph a lot. But that adds to the tension, the fear and the claustrophobia. The lighting, the editing and the pacing, all work together to the fullest effect.
Although most people make a connection between 'Star Wars' and 'Alien' due to their contrasting styles. Both the films were released very close to each other and both films were set in space. But while 'Star Wars' was a fantasy fairy tale, 'Alien' was straight up horror. I can understand this comparison, but for me 'Alien' shares a deep thematic connection with '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Both films deal with the duel between man and machine and they both explore the question: What it means to be human? Incidentally this was also the basic theme of Ridley Scott's next sci-fi film 'Blade Runner'. After knowing that Ash was actually a droid, on reflection, I do think that the relationship between Ash and Ripley has some similarities with the relationship between HAL and Bowman. Ripley at the beginning refuses to let Kane (John Hurt) in by obeying the company laws while he has the face- hugger on his face, but Ash actually lets him in which might seem to be a very humane act. But later his true identity gets revealed and he has this beautiful monologue about how he appreciates the Xenomorph's perfect body structure and its purity which lies in its lack of emotions and feelings.
This film is also undeniably about the ill-effects of capitalism. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation sends this crew to a mission as dangerous as this without informing them anything for the sole purpose of acquiring this alien life form and using it as a weapon. This shows the lack of humanity in the way the big corporation treats its workers. This lack of respect for the workers and the existing class division also gets repeatedly hinted at with Brett and Parker's constant complaints about being underpaid. These workers are made to go through hell and utter madness in distant parts of the universe where they themselves are alien just because the big corporation wants to use the Xenomorph for its weapons division. The miserable plight of the crew in completely mad and alien surroundings has a thematic link with the madness in 'Apocalypse Now' where young men are made to fight in mad environments. To be honest, the Xenomorph is not the villain in the film, the villain is the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
Another very apparent element of the script is the sexual subtext. The Xenomorph and other alien elements and sets were designed by H.R. Giger based on his own artwork which clearly have sexual undertones. Right from the design of the Xenomorph's body to the concept of the face-hugger and chest-burster, there is a sexual angle to the narrative that hints at themes of rape and unwanted pregnancies. Through Ridley Scott's imagery, it is thematically implied that the corporation in the way it renders the human workers expendable is actually devouring them. The face-hugger uses the body of the host to give birth to the Xenomorph, in the same way thematically the corporation is using the helpless crew just to serve its own purposes.
Although the human characters in the film don't have a lot of back story, but the conversations that they have among each other are extremely realistic which makes the characters believable as ordinary human beings. Every character gets distinguished from the other due to the naturalistic acting. However for me the two best performances in the film come from Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and Ian Holm as Ash. They play off each other brilliantly. Ripley's character has evolved over the course of the entire Alien franchise. In this film Ripley is the indefatigable survivor.
I only have one minor complaint. I think the screenplay and Scott's execution of the scene leading up to Brett's death could have been a little better instead of following a bit of horror trope. However the death itself is chillingly shot.
'Alien' is one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made due to the care with which Ridley Scott treated every individual element of the film and also due to every one else who worked with Scott and contributed with their own ideas.