Very little can be said about Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 classic Alien that hasn’t already been said many, many times before. Despite this, words (even infinite in abundance) will never lessen the powerful impact of one of the greatest science fiction films ever made or the contribution it made to a wavering genre at the time of release. Alien is by definition a classic; make no mistake. Unmatched in creativity, story or flair, Alien christens the harmonious intertwining of two hugely popular genres of film: Sci-Fi and horror. What results is the idyllic and utopian conception of these genres to produce a strikingly chilling and genuinely horrifying feat that will be forever immortalized thanks to its refreshingly innovative spirit.
Aboard the sizeable commercial mining ship Nostromo en route to Earth, seven crew members lie in stasis (hypersleep – an induced hibernation created for the purpose of long journeys in space) until they are rudely awoken by ‘mother’ (the ship’s onboard computer) for no apparent reason. Initially coming to the conclusion that they must be nearly home, the crew is quickly met with the disappointing reality of the situation; mother has intercepted a distress signal from the apparently desolate planet, LV-426 and, contractually bound, they have no choice but to investigate for signs of intelligent life.
Upon their exploration, Kane (John Hurt) encounters a disturbing field of peculiar egg-like objects; oval in appearance and soft to the touch, he falls into the field. He remarks that when he does so, he disturbs and penetrates a thin veil shrouding the objects. Subsequently, one egg opens; before he can move to safety, a strange hand-like creature lunges at his helmet and knocks him out. When he is eventually discovered, the creature has used a type of unidentified acid to burn through Kane’s visor. This has allowed it to attach to his head. Apparently unconscious but visibly breathing, he is brought aboard the Nostromo much to the disagreement of Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who sees this as a direct violation of contamination protocol. After a few hours, the creature dies and falls off his face much to the relief of the crew. Initially appearing healthy and well, Kane soon begins experience chest pains. Before the crew can do anything, Kane’s ribs violently burst open from the inside and a peculiarly ominous infantile creature emerges before scuttling away. And then the horror begins.. Locked aboard a ship with an extremely hostile extra-terrestrial resembling the spawn of a man, insect and machine, the crew are plucked off one by one by this malevolent and truly horrifying adversary.
Giger’s xenomorph has become a cult icon since its first appearance in Alien, as an amalgamation of the utterly grotesque and abominable. Its revoltingly elongated head resonant of an early phallic symbol is one of the most recognizable images of cinema; its appearance alone is harrowing. Its advanced survival capabilities and adaptations, such as having acid for blood, only intensify this impression. The xenomorph is a truly terrifying adversary, merciless and, as Ash aptly puts it, “unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality”. Structurally, the xenomorph is the perfect creation of the universe; this of course makes Alien such a thrill to behold. This creature cannot meet defeat by brute force and macho strength. Only the intellectual mind of Ellen Ripley has ever truly set a level playing field in the battle of humanity vs. xenomorphs. So in the film, not only is the audience lavished with a deliciously intriguing and fascinating antagonist, but furthermore with an intelligently quick and clever protagonist: the unquestionable legend, Lt. Ellen Ripley.
Ellen Ripley is one of the film’s most praiseworthy accomplishments; ahead of its time, the film is subject to a shocking (at the time) decision by Scott to make the lead role of Alien female. Unheard of 1979, Ripley provides yet another level of intrigue to a film chock full of merits; she isn’t the damsel in distress who needs saving. She is the saviour. (Of Jones, anyway). Weaver brings to the role immeasurable reliability, credibility and robustness. Despite her sex, Ripley is as perfectly able (if not more so) as any of the male crew members. Physically tough and mentally resilient, she faces opposition time and time again; but ultimately, she comes out on top. As well as her athleticism, Weaver also doesn’t forget the character’s humanity; she maintains a feminine nuance to the role to ensure Ripley isn’t depicted as a robot: she is a woman, make no mistake.
Alien would be nothing without Ridley Scott’s acute directorial flair; his expertise in mood-setting is extorted to its absolute limit in the film. From the initial premise of ominous isolation in the vast silence of space beautifully incorporated with the film’s genius tagline – “In Space, no one can hear you scream” – Scott pervades the atmosphere with the ever-present sense of agonizing foreboding complemented by a relentlessly chilling tone. Jerry Goldsmith’s original score is correspondingly bleak; relentless in its nature, the music score contributes significantly to the expertly developed suspense. The tangible tension is oftentimes excruciating; we, the audience are victims too, to the painstaking state of simply not knowing what is coming next. This is a mark of a successful horror film and Alien fits the bill; it brings to life the audience’s worst nightmares.
There has been a level of debate to the film’s horror status, possibly due to the palpable change in tone in the film’s equally commendable sequel – some see Alien as primarily a Sci-Fi film. But stripped down to its bare and naked formula, the film is resonant of the traditional ‘haunted house’ archetype of the horror genre, but set in space. The ship, Nostromo, is the creaky, ancient house and the xenomorph is the ghost haunting the house and terrorizing its inhabitants. Could one go as far to define Alien as a home-invasion horror? Perhaps, but reducing a film on such a grandiose scale of Alien to that level is, frankly, sacrilege. To succinctly put it, Alien is the Sci-Fi/horror amalgamation, the unparalleled landmark in horror cinema helmed by a pure cinematic genius.
Rating: Endlessly innovative, joyously timeless and harrowingly terrifying, Alien incorporates every element of a truly great horror film. No faults here (10/10)
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