When considering the science fiction genre or movies about outer space in general, you have to consider a few classics- 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and Alien. All three of these films had an impact on the way in which we viewed outer space. In 2001 took a more realistic approach and concerned itself with technology going haywire, Star Wars is more fun, fantasy, and imaginative than realistic, and Alien is just plain horrifying.
The now-legendary Ridley Scott, who at the time only had one major motion picture and a few TV episodes under his belt, directed this space adventure about the crew of a mining ship that investigates an SOS coming from a nearby planet. Once on the surface of the planet, the crew soon discovers a mysterious species. Some of the crew is interested in the study of this new creature, but others sense danger surrounding this new-found alien. Basically, Alien takes the “what-if” question that science fiction is based on and uses it to tell a terrifying story that, if one day we do find life on another planet, could very well come true. The heroine of the crew, Ripley, is played wonderfully by Sigourney Weaver. I doubt that anyone could play her character any better. She is a hard-nosed woman that means business and isn’t interested in studying the alien and its unique physical characteristics while the crew is in potentially mortal danger. Ian Holm, of Lord of the Rings (Bilbo) fame, also turns in a great performance as the scientist on-board the ship that goes by the name of Ash. He and Ripley don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on what to do with the alien.
What I really enjoyed about the movie is that it creates tension from different directions; that of the alien versus the crew and that of Ash versus Ripley, and does both so well. The scenes between the alien and the crew are suspenseful and frightening despite the film being 30 years old, and unlike The Terminator (1984), climactic scenes are not spoiled by dated special effects. As far as style goes, I loved the fact that the crew of this spaceship is not some over-stylized, ultra-futuristic crew that knows everything and can do anything. All of them are just blue-collar types doing the jobs they were hired to do when this crisis came to them. This adds a different dimension to the film that wouldn’t be there had this been a spacecraft armed to the teeth with space-age weaponry and high tech gadgets. It brings the terror the film delivers to a different level since the crew doesn’t know what is going on and is relatively un-armed and completely out-matched against an advanced alien race. There is a certain feeling of doom surrounding the crew after their first encounter, which only escalates as the movie progresses.
Overall, I have to say that Alien has to be one of the best sci-fi and horror movies of all time. The acting is good, the story compelling, effects are top notch, suspense extreme, the execution is nearly flawless, and that tagline is infamous.
In Space No One Can Hear You Scream – 8/10
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