Alien essay - monster magic

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2017)

Alien, for me, was always the antithesis of Star Wars, and is often overlooked as one of the great sci-fi benchmarks. Star Wars took the adolescent fantasies and dreams of courageous stargazers; an heroic band of young rebels marching into battle against the oppressive forces of the evil Empire, backed by fanfares, explosions and cheers each time an enemy is vanquished. Being released only a year or so later, Alien is cinema's immediate counter-argument, more like the timid teenager's nightmares and fears of explorating the unknown universe; dramatic music, screams and true suspense as its foundation, but equally immersive and impressive.
Unlike Star Wars's explanatory crawl, Alien starts with more simplicity - spaceship Nostromo, seven crew members, returning to earth with ore. Simpler, but equally stylish. As the camera pans around the sleeping ship, the production designers' handiwork is on full display - detailed equipment in each chamber and realistic (although admittedly dated) computer systems awaken and consequently bring the crew to life. As the (again simplistic) story kicks in - signs of life on a nearby planet - so do the character arcs and depth, from the uncompromising Dallas, uneasily curious Ash, unwavering Ripley, and mistreated Parker. As we start to get a grip of the characters and their relationships, the designers don't just get another chance to shine, they excel. On the mysterious planet, the bizarre structures are both daunting and intriguing, and the life forms unique - especially during the crucial 'face' moment.
Back aboard the ship, we follow the alien's example and delve straight into the heart of the movie: the characters. The dinner table banter shows where the crew compliment and clash. None more so than the relationship between Ian Holm's slightly too uncaring science officer, and Sigourney Weaver's untrusting warrant officer. Tom Skerritt's captain is a bold and responsible leader, while Harry Dean Stanton's Brent is wonderfully understated. The whole cast is magnificent in their respective roles (although Veronic Cartwright's character never really develops), but by the end it's Weaver's show as the enduringly strong and infamous Ripley - smart, sophisticated and pretty fierce in a fight too.
Dan O'Bannon's screenplay is a masterpiece too. The dialogue never feels forced with exposition, nor too vague and unexplanatory, and is dotted with truly classic moments; the face-latch, chest burst, acid blood, android officer, and 'crew expendable' - those two words packing more punch than 99% of Hollywood's creations. The movie is masterfully executed, the pinnacle of Ridley Scott's ability - the use of light and (particularly) shadow to keep the audience's eyes constantly scouring the screen; noise and silence for true suspense and resolution, to keep your heartbeat pulsing more than the music.
But for all its quality elsewhere, a horror movie is only as enduring as its nemesis. The monster is perfectly created - weird and perplexing, then small and relatively insignificant, and finally huge, strong and utterly terrifying. Unlike many antagonists, its lack of weakness isn't boring and annoying, but becomes more and more frustrating as the film goes on, us rooting entirely for the diminishing crew. Although Aliens is a solid follow-up, none of the (so far seven) sequels have made as good a job of showing the true ferocity and menace of the enemy as the original, nor the immense sense of relief once Ripley finally blows it away with the engine.
I was 17 when I first saw Alien, and for me few horror movies have come close to creating the same sense of dread and tension with such powerful performances and scary villain. Simply put, one of the greatest ever.