In space no-one can scream AWESOME

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2013)

Which is a shame, as other lifeforms will probably enjoy Ridley Scott's phenomenal sci-fi horror classic.
This is one of those films where everything fits perfectly. Direction, cast, visuals, score, atmosphere, editing, pacing. Made two years after Fox's licence to print money Star Wars, their next big sci-fi hit couldn't be anymore different. Much like Star Wars, Alien draws on older movies for inspiration, such as It the Terror From Beyond Space, Planet of the Vampires, Forbidden Planet, The Thing From Another World, etc. And like Star Wars, it presents B-movie thrills with an A-pic budget, and treats its material seriously. If you could liken Star Wars to a cliffhanger serial for modern kids, Alien is like the old B-movie space monster films for a modern adult audience.
While Alien is mostly set in the far reaches of space, on a large spaceship, much of the action takes place in tight, suffocatingly claustrophobic spaces. Few films before or since have made one feel anxious about what lies behind the next corner, or makes us grip the edge of our seats as we prowl through dark corridors lit only by flashing emergency lights. This is one film that is best seen with all the lights off.
The whole cast are excellent, again putting this miles beyond mere monster fodder. Tom Skerritt is great as the laid-back captain Dallas, uncomfortable with taking responsibilities. Veronica Cartwright may irritate as Lambert, constantly on the verge of hysteria, but given the circumstances it's understandable. Harry Dean Stanton is another laid-back character, engineer Brett, saying 'Right' after Parker says anything, but also sly, and smarter than he seems - witness him silently prompting Parker to discuss bonus benefits. John Hurt perhaps doesn't get that many chances to shine as Kane. His character though often seems a little too eager to jump before looking - his overt inquisitiveness proves to be his downfall. Ian Holm is cold and manipulative as Ash and is always good value for money. Yaphet Kotto is terrific as Parker, Brett's engineering partner, whose only motivation is money. Of course, none of them ever quite had the impact that a then-unknown actress by the name of Sigourney Weaver had, playing the tough no-nonsense Ripley, a character who became just as iconic in the Alien series as the monsters. Much like Kurt in the 1982 The Thing, Ripley isn't really front-and-centre at first, simply being the third highest-ranking crew-member after Dallas and Kane. But it soon becomes apparent, even in the face of danger, she has the strength to pull herself together. Always professional, easily the most sympathetic character.
The alien itself is still a marvel to look at, burning itself into our collective memories. With humanoid, insect, reptilian, even mechanical-like features, it is a true nightmare creation, a horribly efficient killing machine. It also has the best entrance any movie monster ever had, literally, in one of the all-time great cinematic shocks. Also memorable, are the derelict spacecraft on the barren planetoid, the dead creature in the chair, the alien eggs, and of course the facehugger.
Although the infamous chestbursting scene is still pretty graphic, this film relies more on atmosphere and suspense than blood'n'guts, and is all the better for it, manipulating our imaginations to the max.
Special effects-wise, it has held up remarkably over the years, even more so than it's sequels. The Nostromo is impressive in both the impression of scale given to it, and it's future low-tech look. Production design is even more impressive, this is a film that, even if it had not been a success, was still impressive to look at.
One factor that remains timeless is the world in which Alien inhabits. This is no future of benevolent Federations and gleaming starships, this is a down'n'dirty corporate-driven future, where profit is favoured over human lives. The Nostromo is frequently in need of maintenance, built just to do it's job. The crew are not uniformed heroes, but blue-collar workers, characters any audience, from 1979 to today can relate to. There is even something of a class divide - the engineers working down below are paid less than officers high above them.
Alien will remain an all-time classic long after it's would-be imitators - not to mention a few sequels and spin-offs - have faded from memory.