Alien (1979)

Directed by: Ridley Scott | 117 minutes | horror, thriller, science fiction | Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Eddie Powell

‘Alien’ starts deceptively slow with a majestic shot of the Nostromo flying lonely through an empty galaxy to a little creepy music. The pace is slow in the first act and a lot of attention is paid to the interior of the Nostromo and the introduction of the seven freight carriers. Director Scott takes the time for this, many interior shots and an extensive introduction of the five men and two women on board. Captain Dallas (Skerriit) is laid back, but has authority; navigator Lambert (Cartright) is a nervous person; second officer Kane (Hurt) is a cynic; scientific officer Ash (Holm) is a strange bird; Petty Officer Ripley (Weaver) is bossy and then there are the two technicians, the lazy Brett (Stanton) and the tough Parker (Kotto). Through some short sketches that seem only superficial, for example the discussion about the bonus that Brett and Parker think they are entitled to, real characters are portrayed through the credibility of the dialogues and the acting. The crew is complete with ship’s cat Jonesy, who also has a role at some crucial moments.

But as the title and summary already reveal, the work is brutally disrupted by an uninvited guest. When the film went into circulation, there were people who ran screaming out of the room at the ‘birth’ of the Alien. Quite apart from the scene itself, which is gruesome enough, the unexpected must have played a part as well. That is the clever and at the same time so misleading of ‘Alien’: after the slow build-up and the slightly oppressive, mysterious atmosphere that is created, the film goes into high gear as unadulterated horror. Then there is little rest and the whole thing rumbles on at an ever faster pace, while more and more crew members die. Those familiar with the ‘Alien’ saga already know who the central character in all those parts is, but at the time it was an unconventional choice – and certainly not one that the moviegoer would expect based on the credits or star status at the time. Various shock effects, which are now dismissed as cliché (sound seems to be a monster/murderer, but turns out to be an innocent animal) were fresh and new at the time.

Some special effects are outdated, which is clear from the flickering wall lights in the computer room, the way data is entered and in the scene where a member of the crew turns out to be a robot. It is not a hugely disturbing break in the tension build-up, which is sometimes almost unbearable.

The Alien itself is, especially because its appearances are so different, very creepy. Eyeless but with many, many teeth, covered with mucus and with a corrosive acid like blood, it is, as Ash notes, a “perfect organism. Its structural perfection is only matched by its hostility”. The beast is grandiosely designed by the Swiss artist HR Giger and completely unique compared to any (film) monster.

‘Alien’ was only Ridley Scott’s second film, but this is where he delivers his first masterpiece, establishing his name definitively. In 2003 a ‘director’s cut’ was released, which is – very unusually – one minute shorter than the actual theatrical release. Still, Scott adds a few scenes, but on the other hand, subtracts a few seconds from existing scenes. Is this version better? There are fans of both versions. The main addition, a scene in which two crew members are found encapsulated, is a special extra in itself. On the other hand, this brief interruption takes away the rushing pace. Whichever version is watched, both versions of the film are super exciting and at times terrifying.