Review Of "Alien"

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2011)

Yeah, not really sure this movie needs an introduction, but here it comes anyway. "Alien" is a 1976 Ridley Scott directed Sci-Fi Horror flick starring Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a warrant officer on a mining ship that begins to encounter strange creatures. Now, It's hard for me to say that I haven't seen "Alien" up until this point, but it's true so I'll cop to it. After seeing it, I can safely say that everyone I talked to was right - I missed a lot. "Alien" is a really great film, crafted by one of the greatest revolutionary living directors. Ridley Scott really shows his keen ability to develop unbelievable tension through almost every scene. I had to turn down the volume on my television at some points, because I was almost certain that something was going to pop up and scare the seven shades of poop outta' me. But that's the thing, it didn't always happen when I expected it to. This is something that horror movies today seem to fail to accomplish - in a sense, they give away when the jump scares are going to happen. "Alien" really excels at blurring the line between the moments when you're sure a jump scare'll happen and the moments when they won't. The story, written by the legendary Dan O'Bannon is often cited as the influence for numerous other Sci-Fi Horror films and stories. This story is the fulcrum of the film, and O'Bannon's ability to create unending tension via the narrative is really a noteworthy skill. The cinematography and lighting also really helps in creating intense strain on the audience. At one point in the film, it seems as though cinematographer Derek Vanlint uses strobe lights for lighting. This jarring effect, once again, keeps the audience intensely stressed out. The sounds in the film are really very eerie, as the unnerving creaking sounds of the Nostromo and the shrill shriek of the Alien still resonate in my head. Sigourney Weaver does a great job in one of her very first (and arguably most memorable) roles. H.R. Giger's set and costume design really shines in this film, possibly establishing the Sci-Fi Horror aesthetic as we know it. In the end, I found Ridley Scott's "Alien" to be an awesomely frightening film that effectively exudes the overwhelming amount of skill that was placed into it.