STILL THE BEST

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2019)

Alien is an un-aging classic, and is one of the, if not the best, Sci-Fi and horror movies of all time - possibly even one of the best of all movies of all time. I saw this movie when it first came out - I was 14 yr old, and had to sneak a peak when my parents were asleep. A great and scary movie because it was so realistic and believable. I have seen it many times since, and am watching it now (Sept 2019), a full 40 YEARS later. Even after a significant science-based education and seeing many Sci-Fi films over the years, I am amazed at the realism and sense of horror and fear that it still conveys, even despite its age. The technology and special effects still appear current and up to date, and the acting is superb. This is not a story of good vs evil, but instead a story of survival against an unknown creature, with the crew using limited resources and no available help. The sense of desolation, fear, and struggle for survival will still strike the viewer.
Much of the success of this film is attributable to Ridley Scott and the special effects and creature developers for this movie, but some is due to the lack of CGI available at the time. The creature (in all its forms) looks real because it is real - it was made of real materials, puppets, and a person inside a suit (doesn't sound glamorous, but has to be seen to be believed); the crew is believable because they are not superheroes, but instead hardworking crew members trying to make a living (initially), and eventually trying to just survive at any cost - acting is excellent and believable; the technology is done just right, and is a secondary player not emphasized in the film, so it does not appear dated; the ships are incredibly well-done, and utilize shapes and equipment which appear realistic, and also appear used and lived-in, with dents and dirt that make them believable; the story is a true classic with several twists and turns, however it stays focused without getting lost in distractions and secondary stories.
At the time, many of the ideas and themes of this film were truly original, and have since been borrowed upon. Part of the reason this movie is so successful is that it builds suspense with a clever story which was slowly unrolled, allowing the viewer to digest it and suspense to build. Further, you can follow the story and action because the scenes were created in real time with real people and real props. The difficulty I have with the new generation of CGI films is that there appears to be a push to do and show things "just to show what they are capable of." The CGI then becomes the focus of the film, instead of the acting and story. Further, with each new movie trying to out-due the other, CGI is crammed into all scenes at an indigestible density. For me, there is so much detail and motion going on in a dense CGI scene (much more than would be affordable and possible with real props), that the purpose of the scene and the activity get difficult to follow, and become diluted. Once the newer generations of CGI techs and producers become less compelled to flood Sci-Fi scenes with "everything they've got," I hope they can mix a good story and good acting with subtle and believable CGI to create truly great films reminiscent of this masterpiece.
For those that have never seen the original "Alien," please drop everything and see it now - it is that good and you will be surprised. Don't worry about it's age - it doesn't matter; and don't let the sequels throw you off - this one is a true masterpiece! (Although, the second film -Aliens - was also excellent and worth watching.) For those that haven't seen Alien in a while, it's worth watching again. In fact, introduce a friend to a true great film so they know to expect in Sci-Fi films.