1979
Ridley Scott's masterpiece blends science fiction and horror, with an all star cast and some of the most stunning visuals presented in film. Though the titular monster deserves much of the praise for the film's success and eventual sequels and spinoffs, I think the setting is where this one really shines. Between the amazing set design by H.R. Giger and Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score this movie establishes and maintains a brilliant level of tension.
The alien itself was brazenly meant to represent sexual violence - specifically male rape, something that is not often touched on by the media. The image for the Alien was chosen from Giger's work for its sexual connotations, and its primary method of attack is overtly phallic. There are three stages to the alien life form (mirroring the life stages of some forms of insects): the face hugger, the chestburster, and the adult. Both the facehugger and the egg were designed to mirror the vagina - in fact, the egg had to be redesigned because it looked too much like one when it opened.
The alien has no eyes - this was intentional, as the filmmakers thought it made it scarier to not know where it was looking. It also made it extraordinarily difficult for the actor in the alien suit to perform (interesting aside: the costume for Big Bird has the same problem. It uses a camera system and has a monitor in the stomach for the actor to 'see' out of). Part of what makes the alien work so well as a monster (beyond the pants-fouling terror of the whole concept) is that we hardly ever see it, even when it's in the shot. The scene at the end, with Ripley reaching for a something only to discover part of the wall is in fact the alien's head was amazing - we all knew it was in the room, and even after multiple viewings I forget where the arm is going to come from.
I mentioned that the setting is one of my favorite parts of this movie, and that's because it's brilliant. The alien ship they find really tried to make the aliens seem otherworldly. The ship models were made from a mixture of organic and inorganic materials, and the result was something that's honestly difficult to describe. It doesn't look like something man made, but it is obviously something constructed. It hits just the right notes to seem functional, but extraterrestrial. The Nostromo, although it doesn't have the same wonderful architecture, got just as much attention. Although I am probably not the first to wonder why the intergalactic spaceship was 2/3 massive basement, it worked. The chains dangling from the ceiling, the tall shaft where water inexplicably fell constantly, the utterly delightful computer control room - it was all mysterious and strange, and none of the actors reacted to it at all and that made it work. It was normal for them.
I've rambled quite a bit, but I do want to end with a few notes about the sequels. Oh, the sequels. Aliens (1986) is probably the only of the three direct sequels I would advise anyone to watch. Alien 3 is notable only for having the alien hatch out of a dog instead of a person, and Resurrection is a pure popcorn flick. But my favorite spinoff isn't actually a movie. It's a comic book.
Superman versus Alien.
I'm not going to say much about this other than that you should go read it and that I'm going to spoil the end (Superman wins), but here's a brief synopsis: Superman hears the language of Krypton (which he would have no reason to recognize, since he was raised on Earth) and flies into outer space to investigate. He finds a planet full of Kryptonians (who shouldn't exist, because Krypton was destroyed) who are fighting a war with the Aliens. Superman is depowered because the sun for this planet is the wrong color (Science!) but, in spite of the fact that he's now just a buff dude facing the galaxy's most ruthless rapemurder machines, he still refuses to kill. Except when he fights with a queen alien and he has to eject it from the air lock, which is the only proven way to kill an alien.
Except the queen is still in his chest. And Superman is his own space ship. So when I say blow it out the airlock, I mean . . .
Superman vs. Alien is definitely going on my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteThe setting was also one of my favorite parts of this movie. I think if the setting had been anything than what it was, it wouldn't have worked near as well.
Superman vs. Alien... that sounds like a very strange, bizarre, yet somehow awesome concept. And it's further proof that anything can be made into a crossover if people try hard enough!
ReplyDeleteHe regurgitated the alien.... Implying the chest popper develops somewhere in the digestive track. Hmm this is odd. I kind of thought it developed near the lungs.
ReplyDeleteI actually saw Resurrection in the theaters, before ever seeing Alien in its entirety. The only good thing about that movie? Swimming aliens. That's about it. That I can remember anyway.
ReplyDeleteWow. Superman comic books are really that ridiculous, aren't they? (I say that with love.) I think I would find the alien-in-dog thing pretty upsetting.
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