Alien – Visionary Sci Fi Masterpiece
In space no one can hear you scream.
 Alien 1979 DVD Cover |
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| Directors: Ridley Scott | |||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 8.5 out of 10 (152,694 votes) Top 250: #49 |
“Alien” 1979 by Ridley Scott – Movie Review
“Alien” is a break-through film. A sensation on the battlefield for the moviegoers’ money. The movie which, along with several other movies shot in the late 70’s – early 80’s, defined the mainstream for many years (I would also mention that the era of “Alien” is not over yet, although it is close to its sunset as never before).
Ellen Riplay (Sigourney Weaver)
Gothic story in futuristic surroundings convincingly dusted by the wind of time (the interiors of the ship were artificially “aged”) sets the highest standards for the genre of space sci-fi. And a few have managed to surpass it. To tell the truth only James Cameron was able to do better in the “Aliens”.
Originally the screenwriter Dan O’Bannon was thinking about the storyline of gremlins spreading havoc on board the B-17 bomber. Later B-17 turned into a small starship named “Snark” with exclusively male crew. But the producers insisted that two women be included in the crew, and one of them should defeat the main villain. Time has shown that it was the right decision. Seemingly fragile but strong Ripley became the second – after her toothy enemy – most important symbol of the “Alien” cult universe.
According to the original intent the dying alien would scratch a triangle on the dashboard. Searching his ship the people from “Nostromo” would find a stone pyramid nearby with the aliens eggs. This idea was never implemented (though Giger did the necessary sketches), but the idea of the pyramid was finally used in the “Aliens v. Predator” movie.
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Alien Plot Summary
Alien Spaceship
In the distant future a mining spaceship “Nostromo” receives a strange radio signal, and the ship’s computer decides to wake the crew from hibernation, so that people decide on further actions. The radio signal was coming from an extraterrestrial spaceship with the long-dead crew, and the holds of the ship were filled with strange leathery eggs.
While exploring the ship one of the astronauts is attacked by the creature out of the egg – as the result the astronaut gets infected with some extraterrestrial form of life. He falls into unconsciousness for a few days, but soon recovers. He does not remember anything and feels good. No one suspects what havoc will burst out on “Nostromo” soon after that.
Alien v. Human
Ellen Ripley Hybernation
The idea of confronting the alien creatures and humans is not new, although in most stories the alien creatures visited the old sinful Earth and tried to destroy the poor human race ( “Alien Factor,” “War of the Worlds”). Ridley Scott, then a young but promising director, decided to follow the same storyline but only in the space. Scott only had one movie behind – “The Duelists” – but it was a commercial success, thus the producers of the “Aliens” decided to invite him as director.That was the right choice as Ridley Scott managed to shoot quality film which became the sci-fi movie classic. The film received the Oscar for best visual effects, the Best Science Fiction Film award from
American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, BAFTA Best Production Design and Best Sound Track awards as well as several other awards.
For nearly two hours the “Alien” keeps the audience in suspense. Filmmakers managed to make the audience sympathize the characters whose chances of survival are approaching zero. Instead of petty fears tickling the nerves of the delicate audience, the creators of the film offer a real mature horror with plenty of blood and powerful suspense.
Alien – The Creature
Alien Head
The Alien, also called the Xenomorph, is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species that is the primary antagonist of the Alien film series. The species made its debut in the 1979 film “Alien”, and reappeared in its sequels “Aliens” (1986), “Alien 3″ (1992), and “Alien Resurrection” (1997). It has also appeared in the series’ two spinoffs “Alien vs. Predator” (2004) and “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” (2007), as well as the series’ subsidiary literature and video games.
The creature designers (including Giger) has come up with quite an ugly and abominable creature design. The Alien is not only a perfect living lethal weapon, but also has an almost indestructible body with concentrated acid flowing in its body instead of blood and its keratinized skin that protects the alien from the effects of almost any environment. The guru creature designer Carlo Rambaldi who created all sorts of monsters (“King Kong”, “Dune”, “Conan The Barbarian” and different characters of the “Star Wars”), and the Swedish designer Giger tried their best and achieved their best.
Unprecedented security measures were taken to keep top secrecy while shooting the “Alien”. The film was being shot at three different sets which showed the interiors of the spaceship “Nostromo”, the alien spaceship, and “Narcissus” rescue shuttle. Jerry Goldsmith created music that fits the dark atmosphere of the film – very slow, filled with anxiety, diluted with the elements of classical music. Ridley Scott took so much fancy in the gloom of the movie that he wanted to kill the main heroine – Ellen Ripley – in the end of the movie. He wanted the Alien to decapitate Ripley, but the producers insisted on the ‘happy-end’ to make way for the possible sequels. And again, that was the right choice. The “Alien” film was followed by three sequels – “Aliens” (1986), “Alien 3″ (1992), and “Alien Resurrection” (1997). Extraterrestrial visitors with hostile intentions still disturb the minds of humanity, who think that people are the kings of the Galaxy. But again and again we have to think that perhaps it is not so …
Download Alien 1979
Download AVP – Alien vs Predator
Alien 1979 Theatrical Trailer
One of the greatest movies ever made, Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ – visionary sci-fi masterpiece.
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