Marathon Update A L I E N I think it depends on what you're looking for. Alien is one of those perfect movies that exemplifies dread. It is kind of slow, but it creeps up on you and is very effective.
I didn't use a quote for this one, cause the most fitting line is from the ad campaign. "In space, no one can hear you scream."
Ridley Scott is clearly playing to his early strengths. Few films have this much attention to detail in regard to the set design. Everything looks functional, intricate, a bit worn. It’s a set that holds up to the scrutiny of long, lingering close-ups. I recently talked about John Doe’s apartment in Se7en being good enough for a walkthrough exhibit. Alien is even better. Stylish in the best possible way.
It’s not an insult to say the story is a typical B-movie haunted house, but the craft is so above and beyond most films that it enthralls in the way today’s films are too anxious to attempt. The skeleton creature from the foreign ship is one of the most tantalizing images in cinema, and the scene where they track the acid as it eats through the ship carries a Spielbergian joy of wonderment, only with a frightening undertone.
For a horror film, the mood is rather relaxed. Because the ship and the planet are just damn gorgeous from every angle, the shots can hold while you take in their beauty. Now that you’re no longer tense, the jolts have a much greater impact. One of the great, lasting qualities of Alien is that it’s the rare horror film that is as good on repeat viewings. Just because you know what’s coming, it doesn’t make the film any less suspenseful. Every appearance by the Alien is absolutely frightening, and it’s entrance remains one of the all time great WTF moments.
Ridley Scott has always been a visual director who excelled at bringing a specific time and place to life. (I’m still waiting for him to make a samurai film.) Over time he’s become less of a technical perfectionist and his films aren’t nearly as atmospheric, probably because it’s so difficult and he no longer has to prove himself. Rewatching Alien, I see him getting exactly the right story at the right time in his career.
Problems? Well, for all my praise about the lingering images, the pace is a bit too slow in spots, like when they bring Kane onto the ship. The script isn’t great, but that’s covered by the extremely natural performances. (The character interaction is similar to Robert Altman.) And I don’t quite get the logic of one character trying to kill another with a rolled up magazine. It’s a really intense moment, but a very odd choice. These are minor irritations and Alien will make my Top 50.
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Next Up:Brazil
Dangerous Liaisons
The 4th Man (De Vierde Man)
Jaws
United 93