A remarkable game changer and a stunning sci-fi experience

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2012)

An opportunity to watch Alien in the cinema on the day of its premiere, not knowing anything about it prior to the screening, just to be able to experience it in all its suspenseful glory – that would definitely be my biggest wish if I could have one.
However, even though most of the mystery behind its thrilling story has been spoiled for me some time before I had a chance to see Ridley Scott's creation, I was still overwhelmed by its unearthliness, and simply left speechless in the end.
Probably everything that's to be said about Alien has been said already. The uncontested fact that it's an essential science fiction will remain true throughout the history. Ridley Scott changed to way most people look at this genre and started a trend that many directors wanted to follow. That shouldn't surprise anyone, knowing that a picture like this comes only a few times in the history.
The director was capable of creating and developing a frantically majestic universe, in which he placed the whole story about the horrible adventure of the Nostromo mining ship. No one can deny that the method Mr. Scott used to hypnotize the viewers continues to be fresh and very original even now, more than 30 years ago.
The masterful editing of the movie creates a visually perfect atmosphere that is able to draw attention and scare in the most stunning, and intelligent way. Combined with the eerie music and the specific, very dark and sombre tone in most of the scenes, they create an unforgettable movie experience.
The fact that the extraterrestrial creature, which roams around the ship killing all of the passengers one after another, is shown only for a slight second accounts for the fact that the movie is more fascinating and riveting. It isn't like in most of the horrors that we are used to, where the killer is constantly on-screen, running around and murdering his victims in an absurd manner. No, the way the Alien does it is utterly distinctive. He does it quietly, without any unnecessary exposures. The viewer is waiting for him to show up, but he never does. All we see is the empty corridors, surrounded by a gloomy fog of uncertainty.
The seven passengers try everything to get rid of the uninvited guest. Unfortunately, in an encounter with the mysterious monster they are hopeless, and it seems that their ship would be lost in the vast space for all eternity. This is the moment when an unexpected hero emerges. Or a heroine, I should say. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was able to handle the situation, being left alone after all the other crew members have been killed. She stayed put, in control of the situation, and outsmarted the creature in the final sequence.
In the person of Sigourney Weaver the world finally got a strong and brave woman, who was able to withhold any devastating circumstances and still fight when all hope seemed to have been lost. Her performance is breathtaking, so real and believable that when she fears for her life every person watching her is scared to death too.
The visual and special effects (sadly, the only Oscar that the movie got) are on the highest level all the time - the opening scene showing the enormous universe surrounding Nostromo; when it lands on a distant planet just to discover another life form; during the tantalizing on-board hunt.
The scene of a bursting stomach, when a little Alien is born will come down in history as one of the most memorable ever.
All in all, the spellbinding atmosphere, the unconventional tone, the remarkable story, the well- developed characters, the unexpected twists, the thrilling suspense, the mystery behind the unknown (the list could just go on and on) – all of those factors put together give reason for calling Alien one of the best science-fiction movies of all times. If you haven't seen it already, do it know.