Alien

Released 6th September 1979, Alien follows the crew of the Nostromo as they investigate an extra-terrestrial planet with hopes of finding life. What makes Alien so unique is that it was the very first mainstream horror movie set in outer space; a sub-genre which has had varying levels of success over the years. One thing to note upfront is that most of the film operates off of jump scares, something which I begrudge as lazy, despite a strong build-up of tension with extensive shots of the Nostromo to make the setting feel expansive yet claustrophobic by its endogenous nature. Despite its strong intention, the editing does sometimes make the film feel unnecessarily slow which subsequently reduces the building of tension.

The obvious stand out of the cast is Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley; Weaver gives Ripley nuanced subtleties which enable the audience to remain invested in her as a strong minded protagonist. Ian Holm is also rather intriguing as scientist Ash with his messaging of science and its disregard for human life. Besides these two, everyone do a good enough job as little more than stereotypes. Yaphet Kotto is fine as the hot-headed black man Parker, Veronica Cartwright is fine as the emotionally driven female Lambert. These general summaries apply to every other human character in the film; but there is one more character. The Xenomorph is one of the most unique creatures ever put to film with so many adaptations which are interesting and… alien.

Part of the success with the Xenomorph is its blend of VFX and costuming to bring it to life. You don’t notice the effects as an audience at all; Xenomorph or not. To quibble, however, the soundtrack is rather unmemorable despite serving scenes well when used. Overall, whilst a touch overrated in my opinion, Alien is a film worth remembering for defining a new sub-genre and instilling fresh ideas into the horror genre as a whole.