Alien
1979 Directed by Ridley Scott
Synopsis
In space no one can hear you scream.
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
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Ash, that transmission... Mother's deciphered part of it. It doesn't look like an S.O.S.
-RipleyWhen you get right down to it, Alien is a "B Movie" made with "Triple A Movie" sensibilities. The story in one broad stroke is a crew of people on a ship getting killed off one at a time by a creature. A story doesn't get more "B Movie" then that. I think the problem ended up being that every single person involved with the film wasn't interested in making a "B Movie".
I'm tempted to describe so many things about this movie with the word "genius", and I still feel that way after watching it yet again for the umpteenth time. Everything that expands…
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It legitimately upsets me I wasn't alive to experience Alien for the first time when it came out in 1979. My mother often talks about how when my grandfather took her and my uncle to go see it, they spent the majority of the last half on the floor peering over the seats in absolute fear. This is the kind of experience I envy to this day.
Its definitely not hard to see why, as Alien is such an effective and simple film. No matter where or when I watch it, I almost seem to melt right into it. It's no longer a screen, it's a window right into events that look, sound, and feel real. The pouring authenticity just…
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It’s hard to imagine the impact Alien had for people, like me, born after 1979. Its influence in genre cinema, both science fiction and horror, has been felt ever since and whilst it may essentially be an Old Dark House style movie in space it changed the landscape for both genres.
The opening is simplicity itself; after the slow ominous crawl through space and the scantest of intertitle exposition, the camera glides gently through the corridors of an empty industrial and utilitarian spacecraft before the computers whir into life, waking not only the ship from its deep space slumber but the human occupants too. It is a beautiful and evocative beginning, teasing elements of what is to come, from the…
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Another Sunday afternoon review in the books.
I kinda like waking up and watching classic movies on Sunday mornings. I might do this from now on.This particular morning I watched the classic 1979 film Alien for the first time in a few years and also for first time ON BLURAY! It looked beautiful. There is something about Ridley Scott movies on BluRay...
And after my early morning viewing, I am STILL convinced of one thing I've been certain of since I was a wee lad....
Alien kicks some serious ass.
This film pretty much needs no introduction but I guess it's necessary to mention its setup and how it plays into one of the most atmospheric and immersive "horror"…
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Pull up a comfortable chair, pour yourself a large cognac and turn off all other electronic equipment. This is going to be a long one…
One of the questions I keep coming back to when I’m writing reviews for this website is whether I should use the word “film”, the word “movie” or whether I should switch liberally between the two whenever the mood takes me. A few weeks ago, when I was writing my review for Requiem for a Dream (which can be found here) I found myself in a bit of a quandary as I really couldn’t decide which word summed up what I had just experienced better. On the one hand, this is nothing more than…
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Part of my list: "55 Movies My Brother Made Me Watch."
It's been a while since I dug a hole in the list of movies my brother wants me to have experienced at least once. So, I decided it was time, and since I am a total wuss, and won't watch movies that seem scary by my self, I dragged my younger brother along for the ride.
And what a ride.
We got gore, we got suspense, we got insane performances and we got impressive visuals.We got sci-fi to last us through the year, that's for sure.
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A classic. This is Ridley Scott at his best. Alien is an incredible film in terms of originality, the composition of its shots, the suspenseful plot, and the sheer terror that the alien itself induces. A few complaints come from the characters who don't have much personality. It can be slow at times, but it reflects the terror of waiting and suspense that the crew goes through so its not a huge detriment.
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Deep space. Horror. Creepy fun.
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For me, Alien is THE film, and I believe it can't be surpassed.
Alien is a perfectly paced, excellently acted, amazingly designed roller coaster ride of terror. While the premise of the film is compared to that of a b-movie, that's all the director needed; a small kernel of an idea, and transformed it into a beautifully shot and designed work of art.
Every time I watch this film, I'm floored by how shockingly well everything contained it in holds up to the test of time. Alien does not look dated, unlike much of its competitors from the era. A lot of this is all due to Giger's nightmarishly unique vision of an alien organism, perhaps the most original movie monster brought to screen.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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It legitimately upsets me I wasn't alive to experience Alien for the first time when it came out in 1979. My mother often talks about how when my grandfather took her and my uncle to go see it, they spent the majority of the last half on the floor peering over the seats in absolute fear. This is the kind of experience I envy to this day.
Its definitely not hard to see why, as Alien is such an effective and simple film. No matter where or when I watch it, I almost seem to melt right into it. It's no longer a screen, it's a window right into events that look, sound, and feel real. The pouring authenticity just…
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A wonderful piece from the golden age of science fiction.
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A sci-fi horror classic.
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Film 4 of my June/July-Challenge attempt
(Maybe I should have called the challenge "100 classics I still haven't watched"...)Keeping in mind the film was released 1979 I am even more impressed by the design. Especially the disgusting look of the alien is simply amazing.
Moreover, a great cast, particularly by Sigourney Weaver and finally the tense atmosphere which keeps you focused through the whole film.
So, basicly I didn't say anything about this movie that hasn't been said million of times before. ;) -
Saw it at the Arclight in LA. Seeing it in the cinema gives it a whole new depth. The scares are scarier, the klaxons are louder and more in your face.