Man vs. the unknown

Rating: Null/10 (29 April 1999)

Film production has come a long way since 1979. Computer generated effects are so realistic that the viewer can not differentiate the real and the not real. The human imagination continues to create the unimaginable for our thrill, terror, fascination. To be where we are now, however, we had to begin somewhere, and that somewhere was with the original Alien.
Twenty years ago Ridley Scott created a film that has revolutionized the ideals of man vs. the unknown. The alien is the perfect survivor. Not only does the alien have the ability to adapt to extreme and adverse conditions, it is able to think rationally and logically. The alien is clearly a foe that could pose a serious threat to humanity if it were allowed to colonize human populouses. Ripley, the hero of the film knows that she is fighting a superior adversary, but this does not hinder her actions. Like the alien, Ripley must think logically, and critically of her situation. She uses her ingenuity and resolve to conquer the unconquerable. Because of Ripley, we as viewers can live vicariously. The threats of the unknown are no longer fearful, but a challenge, a thrill, a wanted escape. We can be assaulted by extreme odds of alien insects, asteroids the size of the moon that will destroy the Earth, even natural phenomenon. No matter what the odds, the audacity of the human spirit will always prevail. With another solar system a stones throw away, we may have the option of proving ourselves.