Retro Review: Alien

Well, it's Friday, time for another retro review. This time I'll be reviewing a cult classic, Ridley Scott's Alien. People love this movie now, but it's interesting because originally, people didn't know what to think of it. That being said, that makes it hard for me to be objective, but I'll try my very best to give you my opinion of Alien as a movie, and not as a fan favorite.



A distant space ship filled with scientists is taken out of a long term sleep on their way back to Earth to answer a distress call. They board the abandoned ship to find nothing. Nothing but some eggs. But when one of them hatches, and latches itself onto one of the scientists, all hell breaks loose. An alien ends up loose on the ship, and it begins taking out the crew one by one. Can any of them survive? No spoilers here, so I won't tell you. What I will tell you, however, is just how good this movie was.

First of all, the story is intriguing, but it's a formula that's been done. That's not to say the movie's not original, because it certainly is, but doesn't change up the horror movie formula. Now, that being said, I loved the vision behind the story. It's completely intriguing and compelling, and I loved that. The formula may have been reused, but everything else was brand new. There's no question that this movie was one of a kind.

Why people love Ridley so much, I will never understand. He's a good director, but is he great? Yes, he is. I will never understand why we like him, but we do. He knows how to direct a horror movie, and he does it right. Even with the limited special effects of the time, he brings us something truly terrifying, and mind boggling. The movie leaves you confused, but excited. Too many unanswered questions, but exhilarated enough to make you come back. (Not unlike Women.) You couldn't ask for more from a director.

The writing works well too. I love the dialogue between the crew members. It's honestly fascinating. There's not much more to say about the writing, only that it's spot on.



The characters, though, are what really make this movie. The characters, and their actors. Every time we hear a line, we listen for the next one. Whenever we hear a speech, (and there are quite a few) we hang on to every word. We get attached to these characters, and we even get depressed when some of them are killed. The one that stands out to people everywhere is Ellen Ripley, played by the incredible Sigourney Weaver. Not only does she have an awesome name, but she was one of the best actors of the time, and that still holds true to this day. Any one can relate to her character. Young or old, man or woman, she's just classic.

 I also just wanted to mention that I loved the character of Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt). He really captured the character of a leader out of his element. A brave man, but a scared one. You don't get much more relatable than that. A great character indeed.

This movie is dark. For once, I loved that. Not only is the movie dark, it's scary. It was made in 1979, but it's still scary. The Chestburster scene is still one of the scariest movie scenes of all time. Not only that, but the Alien itself is scary. It was wonderfully designed, and gave an awesome set up for the next movie.


I must get the bad things out of the way now. The biggest problem is that this movie can be SLOW. Seeing some of the dialogue makes up for most of it, but when we're just getting shots of equipment for five minutes... it gets old, and I start to tune out. When this movie gets going, it's great. But it does take a while before it gets going. Honestly, Ridley? What was the idea there? "I think I'm gonna show some chairs and helmets for a good part of the movie, then I'm gonna slowly get the movie up to speed." ...Wut?

I love Alien with all my heart. But I'm not above saying the slow parts are slow. Some argue that the slow scenes are necessary for the build up. If it is, then fine, but it's not my style. Everything else, though, was pretty close to perfect. I'm not sure there's a better horror movie out there (unless we're counting Jaws) than Alien. It's scary, it's well written, and it's timeless. You just can't ask for more than that. I was willing to look past the slow scenes, and see an awesome movie. Well done, Scott.

Final Score: 4.5/5 or 90%

What's your opinion on the slowness? Is it necessary, or does it bore you? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see ya next time!