“In space no one can hear you scream” – a memorable tagline for one of the greatest and influential films of all time. Successful at the box office and earning rapturous reviews from critics across the board, the film had gone on to influence future filmmakers and set the benchmark high for the modern blend of Science-Fiction and Horror genre. Establishing also upcoming director Ridley Scott as a talent to be reckoned with, along with introducing the world to Sigourney Weaver, who created one of cinemas most beloved and embraced lead heroines with Ellen Ripley. The story of a space crew who uncover an “alien” of hostile intentions, against which all them must fight to survive within their spaceship, has gone on to be replicated in unofficial instalments and spawn several follow-ups and spin-offs in its wake – enduring a long lasting-legacy. The film recently received a 40th anniversary re-release, and having just watched it, has clearly lost none of what made the film great to begin with and remains a clear favourite of mine. The basic premise is that the crew of a cargo spaceship, The Nostromo, all waken from deep sleep by the company they work for to investigate a signal that may uncover new life. Reluctantly they trace the signal and arrive on a desolate and barren planet with only a strangely built spaceship left in the dust. The signal seems to originate from inside its walls, containing chambers of symbolic alien designs. Eggs are found inside by one of the crew members Kane (played by John Hurt), and one suddenly hatches, with the organism inside sprouting and latching on to his face. After the organism detaches off Kane and dies, everything seems hunky dory at first, until a bigger threat emerges. A newly born alien, with acid for blood, grows bigger and attacks the crew one by one and Ripley must lead the remaining crew to survive and confront the hostile creature once and for all. The film truly has the backing of some really talented crew behind Scott’s vision. H.R. Giger, the production designer, really gives the design of the alien and planet its own identity and creatively makes them all look grim and dark, which really evokes an unknown terror about them. But Dan O’Bannon, the scriptwriter, in contrast with the design, writes the cast as likeable and relatable; you really want these people to make it even when the odds maybe against them. The character of Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver gives the role gravitas and projects an effective lead character who is strong, tough and has a no-nonsense attitude – evident when she has to lead an unnerved crew herself against the alien. It’s the chemistry overall of the crew that works and the filmmakers remembers why that is important, to have characters that you can support with their situation and is balanced out with an effective monster – a threat that is memorably frightening. Not just how the cast and design are constructed effectively but also how the alien appears on-screen is brilliantly handled as well, Scott deploys the Spielberg method that he used with the shark in Jaws; by not showing too much of the monster on screen, the fear factor rises and raises the bar in suspension. This approach is used effectively in Alien – the less we see, the more frightened we become. The late John Hurt, in particular, is brilliantly memorable in a scene that I won’t spoil, for those who haven’t seen the film, but is truly shocking and ground-breaking. All these ingredients mark a truly amazing piece of cinema that set the standard for modern horror, and would prompt much analogy and study of undercurrent themes that resonate within the film, even when the basic story structure is essentially a survival genre story. Much loved and seen over and over, Ridley Scott and Co. prove that Science-Fiction films aren’t only effective by just making them about the vast, wide world of space, but that simply using terror and ingenuity within ship decks can work cinematically and create one heck of a damn good scary flick!
5/5
Filmlife 