Edgy and Slick: A Masterpiece of Sci-Fi Horror

Rating: 9/10 (8 March 2018)

In terms of sci-fi horror, Ridley Scott's »Alien« is as good as it gets. As many people have pointed out, the story is basically B-movie stuff: a spooky monster haunts some hapless people, only this time they're in space. Scott stages the rather simple plot like an arthouse flick, beginning with the slick and lifeless introduction to the space ship Nostromo. The atmosphere is unbelievably tense throughout the movie: from the industrial Nostromo, the stormy planet V-426 to the phallic Alien designed by H. R. Giger.
In many ways, »Alien« is the antithesis to Stanley Kubrick's »2001: A Space Odyssey«, the most megalomaniac movie ever conceived. Ridley Scott shows us that space travel won't be about philosophical self-discovery. It will be about dirty, senseless work. Of course, there are also some gender issues at stake here. Sigourney Weaever as Ellen Ripley might be most badass last girl in movie history - and maybe the first female action star that is not reduced to her womanhood.
If »Alien« has one problem, it's the fact that it betrays its B-movie roots. There is a wannabe-deep scene near the end of the movie that feels affixed, as if Ridley Scott wanted to reconcile the intellectuals in the movie theater. That wasn't necessary at all. Still, if you're into stylish and evocative sci-fi, horror or sci-fi horror, you need to watch »Alien«. Man, what am I talking about? If you're into movies at all, you need to watch this flick.