On A List of Movie Reviews

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Alien (1979)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 8/03, 5/08, 11/19

Alie
5/08: Alien is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi horror pictures ever made although it has a couple of flaws.

The acting is very good, and I love how they bring out realism, making it a terrifying film to watch, along with the visually pleasant cinematography. Some scenes are scary but not in macabre or grotesque way...it's just terror in the pure sense.

However, the biggest problem is the deliberate slow pace. I've gotten bored when trying to get through some parts. At times, there's an overuse of flashing lights which can be annoying and headache-inducing. People still overlook the most revolutionary aspect which is a heroine beating the unbeatable, hence no Oscar nomination for Sigourney Weaver.

All in all, Alien is And Then There Were None meets 2001: A Space Odyssey.

11/19: For a long time, I thought Aliens was better than Alien, but after watching both recently, I'm changing my mind: the original is unbeatable.

For starters, because of the deliberate slow pace, it's one of the scariest movies made as the story plays out like And Then There Were None in outer space. The acting is very good, coming from an all-star cast which includes Sigourney Weaver in her first starring role, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, and Veronica Cartwright.

For the first time ever in cinema history, Signourney Weaver plays a female hero by going against the alien. It's a role that will define her career, and therefore, Sigourney Weaver should've gotten an Oscar nomination which got made up to her after the sequel.

Oftentimes, monsters can either look corny or ridiculous, but in Alien, the creature (Xenomorph) is the most impressive ever shown, setting a gold standard that has to be matched going forward. The other film I can think that did is Predator. Ironically, the fourth sequel of the franchise is Alien vs. Predator.

There are great scenes, but the most famous is when a baby alien burst out of John Hurt's chest. It's scary and frightening at the same time. What's remarkable about the moment is his transition from laughing at a joke to being in immense pain. Meanwhile, I have to say the revelation of Ian Holm's character as an android came to me as a surprise.

All in all, if you can survive Alien and The Exorcist, you'll be able to go through other horror films rather easily except for maybe The Fly from 1986.