Alien (1979): An Interesting Look At What Sci-Fi Movies Can Be

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2018)

I am a big fan of movies and science fiction movies in particular. Films like Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey, are a few of my favorites which I have viewed dozens of times. Very recently while I was browsing for a good movie to watch one night, I came across Alien directed by Ridley Scott. I had already watched this movie when I was much younger and I remembered enjoying it a lot so I decided to give it another watch. After this second viewing I completely fell in love with this movie, and if you give it a try (you totally should) you probably will too.
To start off, in order to understand part of what makes this movie so incredible is its originality in a time in which every new sci-fi movie attempted to copy Star Wars in order to be successful. However with Ridley Scott's masterpiece Alien this is not the case. This film follows the crew of the USCSS Nostramo after they awake from hyperspace after receiving a mysterious transmission from a nearby planet infested with deadly Aliens called Xenomorphs. When the crew goes to investigate the signal, one of these deadly aliens manages to get onto their ship and begins to hunt the crew one by one.
Perhaps the biggest factor that immediately sets Alien apart from Star Wars and most other movies set in Outer Space at the time, is the films reserved usage of action sequences. On the contrary this film takes a more slow and steady approach, in which the crew and the Xenomorph play a drawn out game of chess where each side tries to outsmart the other in order to survive. The conflict between man and monster in this clever film is not fought with laser guns, but rather with wit and strategy.
In fact this interesting concept would be impossible to properly execute without the creepy visuals and score. A huge part of this effect is the set design of the USCSS Nostramo, the ship where the majority of this movie takes place. This ship feels very lived in and claustrophobic and Ridley Scott did an incredible job of creating a world that feels entirely real in his movie. Another important piece of this world is the crew itself. All the members of this crew interact and have conversations that feel completely natural and realistic which hugely adds to the reality of this fictional world. The sound design and score of this movie are also great because they cause the audience to feel a sense of constant dread and paranoia from beginning to end. The music and eerie sound effects never give the audience time to breathe in between attacks from the monster. Even when it isn't in view the audience is still left in suspense as the Xenomorph can jump out from anywhere on screen and pick off its newest victim.
Speaking of the monster, it is specifically designed to evoke true horror from anyone watching. From its sleek black body, to its long creepy tail, to the fact that when eating its prey the xenomorph opens its mouth and a smaller mouth comes out to get the final bite, everything about these creatures is scary. Even the way they are born is very disturbing as a creature known as a face-hugger, (another very horrifying creature) lays its eggs within its victim's throat for its baby to burst through the victim's chest when it has hatched.
On the other less creepy hand, the main protagonist and sole survivor of the movie, Ellen Ripley is equally important to this movie as she is continuously displayed to be the only member of the crew with the set of skills necessary to survive in a situation of fear. What makes Ripley such a fascinating character and one of my personal favorite movie heroes is that she is always able to maintain a clear head and think rationally. Whether it be deciding to self-destruct the ship and taking an escape shuttle in the hopes of killing the Xenomorph, or launching the beast into outer space just before it can kill her, Ripley always has a back-up plan which is why she is able to survive to the very end of the movie. Another interesting character in Alien is that of Ash, who was revealed to be an android the whole time with seperate orders from the central computer of the ship to get the Xenomorph back to Earth so that it could be experimented on and potentially made profitable. What makes Ash even more of an interesting character is that upon repeated viewings there are many subtle clues at the beginning of the film hinting about Ash's secret.
Altogether Alien is an absolute masterclass of the science fiction genre with iconic scenes, characters, and visuals that managed to stand the test of time. With little nuances and mysterious unanswered questions on top of a film built on very strong foundations, Alien was a movie that was relevant in a time of Star Wars dominance and is still relevant nearly 40 years later due to its masterful film making. If you are someone who enjoys movies about space, aliens, interesting characters, or just a fan of movies in general, I highly recommend Ridley Scott's masterpiece Alien.