Gothic horror in the future.

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2006)

When it first appeared, 'Alien' was a totally new look for science fiction. Ridley Scott turned away from the sparkling white of brand new space ships, and turned to what has been called 'blue collar space'. The spacecraft was grubby, well used, the crew relaxed and focused on their routine tasks. Routine, that is, if you happen to be part of a crew of a space tug, one which hauls huge processor barges across light year gulfs. To deal with the long mission times, the technique of 'hibernation' is used, which slows the body processes down to a faint thread, retarding the physical effects of the passage of time.
When the crew is awakened from hibernation by the ship's computer, lovingly referred to as 'Mother', they expect that they are at the end of another mission, about to see home again after years traveling the emptiness. But their voyage has been interrupted, because Mother has detected a signal, representing intelligent life. Protocol demands that it be investigated. I found it very easy to identify with the crew members as they contemplate landing on a strange planet, because they were just ordinary folks, not intrepid explorers, or trained troops.
What this crew finds on this primordial planet is a totally new concept in horror, one which crawls right inside of you. This film has a visual impact which altered the movie experience dramatically. The heartbeat in the audio track and the strobe lighting effects seen so often in todays films got their start in 'Alien'. But this movie does not need cheep effects to put you on the edge of your seat. Dan O'Bannon's story will do that quite well on its own.