ALIEN

(May 1979, U.S.)

Director Ridley Scott called ALIEN his "angry version of Star Wars". Whether that holds up or not depends on the viewer and the critic. One thing's for sure, ALIEN is absolutely great science fiction, horror and classic monster movie mixed together. One could even call up inspiration from Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, in that systematically, each character is elminated by a seen or unseen evil.

Back in 1979, ALIEN was one of those films I felt shut out of as a kid. One could sense the spectacular buzz about this film through the newspaper reviews, the TV spots and the merchandise in the stores. Of course, at the tender age of 12, my parents would not permit me to see horror movies. Would you believe I didn't actually see this film uncut, in its entirety until I attended a midnight screening at college? How sad.

Interestingly, having just watched it again for a fresh perspective, I discovered that one of the most thrilling and tense sequences in the film hardly involves the alien at all. It is Sigourney Weaver frantically racing against time throughout the Nostromo while the computer, "Mother", loudly ticks away the time she has left before the ship will self-destruct. ALIEN brings up another thought to mind. In my opinion, there is a vast different between special effects and VISUAL effects. Look at ALIEN again and you will likely notices that much (if not all) of the visual effectiveness comes from the simplest elements such as lights, computer consoles, steam and fire. These are VISUAL effects, without the use of computers or stop-and-go motion. I have always enjoyed the dazzling results of visual effects rather than the high-tech complexities of expensive special effects that one would find in a typical science fiction film of today. You've heard the expression, "Keep it simple", right?

Unlike too many thrillers of today, which make it a point to move on screen as fast as possible, ALIEN holds our attention by taking its time, waiting and pacing itself to create the proper mood of fear based not only on the terror of what we do not know, but also the fear of silence; in this case, the silence aboard the Nostromo and the unknowns that lurk behind every corner and inside every ventilation shaft. The tale of the extra-terrestrial is a deep, frightening mystery right from the very beginning when the Nostromo intercepts the beacon signal from the dark and moody planet, the descent into the cave with the leathery eggs and the inevitable evolvement of the small, newborn creature into a drooling, murderous monster. Because the cast is a small one of only seven actors, we are able to focus on the persoanl plight of each one of them as they face their own fear of being attacked by the great monster. You see, unlike the tradition horror of that particular time, namely HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH, the fear of attack is not limited to the quick kill that motion picture cuts and edits will permit us to see. ALIEN exposes us to the fear that each character is likely to not just be killed off, but to have their body attacked (perhaps even raped) in a most horrible, blood-curdling way by the monster. That is the effect of true fear that not many horror films of that era knew or understood, and thus, alienating (pardon the pun) this great film from the typical slasher fare.

Despite the overkill franchise ALIEN inevitably turned into, the original is one of my favorite science films of all time.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Ripley: "Ash, can you hear me? Ash?
Ash: "Yes, I can hear you."
Ripley: "What was your special order?"
Ash: "You read it. I thought it was clear."
Ripley: "What was it?"
Ash: "Bring back life form. Priority one. All other priorities rescinded."
Parker: "The damn company! What about our lives, you son of a bitch?"
Ash: "I repeat, all other priorities are rescinded."
Ripley: "How do we kill it, Ash? There's gotta be a way of killing it. How, HOW do we do it?"
Ash: "You can't."
Parker: "That's bullshit!"
Ash: "You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. It's structural perfection is matched only by its hostility."
Lambert: "You admire it."
Ash: "I admire its purity. A survivor...unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality."
Parker: "Look, I am...I've heard enough of this and I'm asking you to pull the plug."
Ash: "Last word."
Ripley: "What?"
Ash: "I can't lie to you about your chances, but...you have my sympathies."