Alien
In order to write this review, I have to coin a new word, "halfsterpiece." It may seem like a dumb word, but it defines Alien better than any other word in the English language. The first half of Alien is an all out masterpiece, ranking among the most brilliantly realized science fiction ever committed to film. The second half is a horror film, that, while more then competent, pales in comparison to the first half. "Halfsterpiece" is the only way to describe it.
The crew of the commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, set down on an unexplored planet, under orders from their company, to investigate the source of a strange message. There, they take on a viciously hostile alien life for that begins killing the crew of the Nostromo one by one.
Alien has been described by many people, including the filmmakers, as a "B" movie (a formula or genre film) directed as if it was an "A" movie. While that is a very accurate description of Alien, it also sells the film short. The difference between a good film and a great film isn't the story, but how the story is presented. The presentation in Alien, especially its first half, is almost second to none. It's success boils down to two words, "used future."
The concept of a "used future" is that you create a future that looks and feels like it has been lived in. It looks dirty, seen some wear. Compare the Nostromo with the space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The station looks like something that was just rolled off the assembly line, while the Nostromo looks like it has been in service for many, many years. The point is that Alien does as good a job creating a believable future as any film I have ever seen.
Besides nailing the set design, Ridley Scott, the film's director, also cast this film to perfection. The crew of the Nostromo are truckers in space, they aren't soldiers or scientists (save for the science officer). They are blue collar workers, and their casting reflects that. Not one member of the cast (Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Ian Holm) looks like a traditional movie star. All of the actors turn in very naturalistic performances. They never appear to be acting. The smart script gives these characters realistic concerns. Whether it is the ship's mechanics complaining about their pay, or everyone ragging on the terrible food aboard the Nostromo, their conversations feel real. They are employes, not adventurers.
All of this futuristic realism has a purpose which becomes clear when the crew is ordered to set down on an unsurveyed planet. The planet and especially the derelict ship they find on the surface are very other-worldly. Coming from the lived in, realistic world of the Nostromo, this other ship feels absolutely fantastic, and we share in the characters mixture of awe and dread. We are excited to see what lies ahead, but we are afraid of what it might be. Of course, in that derelict ship, lies the titular alien.
The method of getting the alien on board the Nostromo and then bursting forth is the main genius of the story as written by Dan O' Bannon and Ronald Shusett. That is the one element that really stuck out in the screenplay. (Major spoilers from this point on). The first half of the film is leading up to one moment, when the alien, having implanted it's embryo in the chest of Kane (John Hurt), rips through his chest. This is the one scene from Alien that everyone knows about: the infamous chestburster scene. Despite it's status in the popular consciousness, this scene has lost none of its power. There are two things that make this scene so effective. The first is the fact the entire first half builds to it. Ridley Scott took his time, building the atmosphere, building the suspense. All the detail of the used future, the blue collar employes, the strange derelict ship, builds to this one moment where the fantastic takes over, and the realistically drawn characters are at a complete loss.
That is the other thing that makes the chestburster scene so effective, the performances. The looks of confusion, shock and helplessness are utterly convincing. A scene like this only works as well as it does if the actors really believe it. I used the word naturalistic before, and their reactions here inspire me to reuse it. I have scene this film many times, and the actors never fail to convince me that this is happening for the first time.
It's after this moment that the film looses something for me. The second half of the film becomes a haunted house movie, a slasher movie, an old-fashion science fiction movie, where the alien picks people off one by one. The fact is that the setup and payoff for the first half is SO good, that the film really has nowhere else to go but down.
There is still a lot to like in the second half, though. Many of the scare scenes are very well done. The highlight there being Captain Dallas' (Tom Skerritt) demise while trying to flush the alien into the airlock. The whole movie has the feeling of claustrophobia, but those moments with Dallas in the air-ducts are so closed in you start to sweat just watching.
The characters' personalities still shine, although now more obviously at the service of the plot. However, what the second half does really well, is introduce Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, as the main character. When the film opens (assuming you know nothing about the franchise), most people would assume that either Dallas or Kane, the two most senior officers, both played by experienced screen actors and both well... men, would be the lead. Kane is the first the first to die, and Dallas follows not too long after. The filmmakers realized that a female protagonist in a film of this kind would give them a unique hook. Seeing Ripley step from supporting character, into the lead is a welcome surprise. Ripley is a fun character in this group dynamic, as she is intensely pragmatic. She is able to keep her head and her temper under pressure unlike the Parker (Yaphet Kotto) or Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), but she doesn't ignore what her emotions or instincts tell like Ash (Ian Holm). A wonderful character is born here, and she only gets better.
The revelation that Ash is a robot (ahem, artificial person) is a fine twist, but what makes it all the worse is the realization that he has been protecting the alien all along, on company orders so the specimen can be returned to the company lab. The image of the words "crew expendable" under the company's orders add an even more bleak air to the story. Not only is the crew very much alone, but others are actively working against them. They now have to fight the alien, AND the intentions of their company. (Although never stated in the film, the name of the company is Weyland-Yutani).
I actually find the xenomorph to be hit or miss in Alien. Although the facehugger (form that implants Kane) and the chestburster are very well done, something always seemed phoney about the grown form of the xenomorph, and I finally figured out what it is. James Cameron, the director of the sequel, Aliens, said that the costumes used in Aliens are less detailed than those in Alien. He feels that the alien's movement is more important to get right, and that there is only so much detail the audience would be able to see, anyway. Cameron is absolutely right. Although the closeups of the alien are generally good (if occasionally too mechanical), it's movement feels stilted. It looks like a guy in a suit. Scott was smart and keep the alien in the shadows, so it isn't a deal breaker, and H.R. Giger's design is amazing, but I don't feel the alien is fully realized until the sequel. There is one shot of the alien, after it kills Parker, that looks really bad, and it is due to the way it moves.
And speaking of the death of Parker, there is only one character problem that this film has, and it is with Lambert. When she is cornered by the alien, Parker has a clear shot at it with a flamethrower. All Lambert needs to do is move out of the way (duck, jump to the side, etc) and this film has two more survivors, but all she does is stand there and cry. Parker tells her to get out of the way, but she just whimpers. Maybe that is realistic. Maybe a normal person WOULD respond like that, but I just don't buy it here.
One last minor issue: why would a ship that is self-destructing be lit with a strobe light? That is a personal pet peeve, but I hate when scenes are lit with strobes for no logical reason.
An atmospheric, brilliant first half, gives way to a more conventional, but still very well executed second half. The more I think about it, the more I think "halfsterpiece" is an insanely lame word and I should have never tried to create it. However, the first half IS that good. I was unsure about what star rating to give this film, but due to the first half, plus the introduction of one of cinema's great protagonists, I am feeling generous.
****1/2 (out of *****)
Side note- There are two different cuts of the film available: the theatrical cut released in theaters back in 1979, and a "director's" cut, released in 2003. In 2003, 20th Century Fox asked Ridley Scott to add some deleted scenes back into the movie for a new theatrical release. Scott did so, and after viewing the new cut realized that the added scenes through off the pacing, so he went back and cut some other scenes to re-balance the film. The "director's" cut actually runs a minute shorter than the theatrical cut. Ridley Scott still maintains that the theatrical cut is his preferred version of Alien (which is why I keep putting quotes around the word director's). I agree. The theatrical version flows better and it is the one to watch. Most directors seem to take the bigger is better approach these days (and we will be talking about just such a director in my next review). It is refreshing to see a director who understands the importance of pacing, Kudos Mr. Scott.
One last thing- I have always found this shot beautiful.
The crew of the commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, set down on an unexplored planet, under orders from their company, to investigate the source of a strange message. There, they take on a viciously hostile alien life for that begins killing the crew of the Nostromo one by one.
Alien has been described by many people, including the filmmakers, as a "B" movie (a formula or genre film) directed as if it was an "A" movie. While that is a very accurate description of Alien, it also sells the film short. The difference between a good film and a great film isn't the story, but how the story is presented. The presentation in Alien, especially its first half, is almost second to none. It's success boils down to two words, "used future."
The concept of a "used future" is that you create a future that looks and feels like it has been lived in. It looks dirty, seen some wear. Compare the Nostromo with the space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The station looks like something that was just rolled off the assembly line, while the Nostromo looks like it has been in service for many, many years. The point is that Alien does as good a job creating a believable future as any film I have ever seen.
Besides nailing the set design, Ridley Scott, the film's director, also cast this film to perfection. The crew of the Nostromo are truckers in space, they aren't soldiers or scientists (save for the science officer). They are blue collar workers, and their casting reflects that. Not one member of the cast (Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Ian Holm) looks like a traditional movie star. All of the actors turn in very naturalistic performances. They never appear to be acting. The smart script gives these characters realistic concerns. Whether it is the ship's mechanics complaining about their pay, or everyone ragging on the terrible food aboard the Nostromo, their conversations feel real. They are employes, not adventurers.
All of this futuristic realism has a purpose which becomes clear when the crew is ordered to set down on an unsurveyed planet. The planet and especially the derelict ship they find on the surface are very other-worldly. Coming from the lived in, realistic world of the Nostromo, this other ship feels absolutely fantastic, and we share in the characters mixture of awe and dread. We are excited to see what lies ahead, but we are afraid of what it might be. Of course, in that derelict ship, lies the titular alien.
The method of getting the alien on board the Nostromo and then bursting forth is the main genius of the story as written by Dan O' Bannon and Ronald Shusett. That is the one element that really stuck out in the screenplay. (Major spoilers from this point on). The first half of the film is leading up to one moment, when the alien, having implanted it's embryo in the chest of Kane (John Hurt), rips through his chest. This is the one scene from Alien that everyone knows about: the infamous chestburster scene. Despite it's status in the popular consciousness, this scene has lost none of its power. There are two things that make this scene so effective. The first is the fact the entire first half builds to it. Ridley Scott took his time, building the atmosphere, building the suspense. All the detail of the used future, the blue collar employes, the strange derelict ship, builds to this one moment where the fantastic takes over, and the realistically drawn characters are at a complete loss.
That is the other thing that makes the chestburster scene so effective, the performances. The looks of confusion, shock and helplessness are utterly convincing. A scene like this only works as well as it does if the actors really believe it. I used the word naturalistic before, and their reactions here inspire me to reuse it. I have scene this film many times, and the actors never fail to convince me that this is happening for the first time.
It's after this moment that the film looses something for me. The second half of the film becomes a haunted house movie, a slasher movie, an old-fashion science fiction movie, where the alien picks people off one by one. The fact is that the setup and payoff for the first half is SO good, that the film really has nowhere else to go but down.
There is still a lot to like in the second half, though. Many of the scare scenes are very well done. The highlight there being Captain Dallas' (Tom Skerritt) demise while trying to flush the alien into the airlock. The whole movie has the feeling of claustrophobia, but those moments with Dallas in the air-ducts are so closed in you start to sweat just watching.
The characters' personalities still shine, although now more obviously at the service of the plot. However, what the second half does really well, is introduce Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, as the main character. When the film opens (assuming you know nothing about the franchise), most people would assume that either Dallas or Kane, the two most senior officers, both played by experienced screen actors and both well... men, would be the lead. Kane is the first the first to die, and Dallas follows not too long after. The filmmakers realized that a female protagonist in a film of this kind would give them a unique hook. Seeing Ripley step from supporting character, into the lead is a welcome surprise. Ripley is a fun character in this group dynamic, as she is intensely pragmatic. She is able to keep her head and her temper under pressure unlike the Parker (Yaphet Kotto) or Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), but she doesn't ignore what her emotions or instincts tell like Ash (Ian Holm). A wonderful character is born here, and she only gets better.
The revelation that Ash is a robot (ahem, artificial person) is a fine twist, but what makes it all the worse is the realization that he has been protecting the alien all along, on company orders so the specimen can be returned to the company lab. The image of the words "crew expendable" under the company's orders add an even more bleak air to the story. Not only is the crew very much alone, but others are actively working against them. They now have to fight the alien, AND the intentions of their company. (Although never stated in the film, the name of the company is Weyland-Yutani).
I actually find the xenomorph to be hit or miss in Alien. Although the facehugger (form that implants Kane) and the chestburster are very well done, something always seemed phoney about the grown form of the xenomorph, and I finally figured out what it is. James Cameron, the director of the sequel, Aliens, said that the costumes used in Aliens are less detailed than those in Alien. He feels that the alien's movement is more important to get right, and that there is only so much detail the audience would be able to see, anyway. Cameron is absolutely right. Although the closeups of the alien are generally good (if occasionally too mechanical), it's movement feels stilted. It looks like a guy in a suit. Scott was smart and keep the alien in the shadows, so it isn't a deal breaker, and H.R. Giger's design is amazing, but I don't feel the alien is fully realized until the sequel. There is one shot of the alien, after it kills Parker, that looks really bad, and it is due to the way it moves.
And speaking of the death of Parker, there is only one character problem that this film has, and it is with Lambert. When she is cornered by the alien, Parker has a clear shot at it with a flamethrower. All Lambert needs to do is move out of the way (duck, jump to the side, etc) and this film has two more survivors, but all she does is stand there and cry. Parker tells her to get out of the way, but she just whimpers. Maybe that is realistic. Maybe a normal person WOULD respond like that, but I just don't buy it here.
One last minor issue: why would a ship that is self-destructing be lit with a strobe light? That is a personal pet peeve, but I hate when scenes are lit with strobes for no logical reason.
An atmospheric, brilliant first half, gives way to a more conventional, but still very well executed second half. The more I think about it, the more I think "halfsterpiece" is an insanely lame word and I should have never tried to create it. However, the first half IS that good. I was unsure about what star rating to give this film, but due to the first half, plus the introduction of one of cinema's great protagonists, I am feeling generous.
****1/2 (out of *****)
Side note- There are two different cuts of the film available: the theatrical cut released in theaters back in 1979, and a "director's" cut, released in 2003. In 2003, 20th Century Fox asked Ridley Scott to add some deleted scenes back into the movie for a new theatrical release. Scott did so, and after viewing the new cut realized that the added scenes through off the pacing, so he went back and cut some other scenes to re-balance the film. The "director's" cut actually runs a minute shorter than the theatrical cut. Ridley Scott still maintains that the theatrical cut is his preferred version of Alien (which is why I keep putting quotes around the word director's). I agree. The theatrical version flows better and it is the one to watch. Most directors seem to take the bigger is better approach these days (and we will be talking about just such a director in my next review). It is refreshing to see a director who understands the importance of pacing, Kudos Mr. Scott.
One last thing- I have always found this shot beautiful.
Great review!
ReplyDeleteIn many ways, I feel that ALIEN is a perfect film. I'll concede that there are flaws in the logic (it certainly would not make sense to have distracting strobe lights during an emergency evacuation), and the titular creature definitely looks quite primitive at times (leave it to James Cameron to perfectly summarize why the design is a little "off"), but the script is simply amazing. There are few better examples of a perfect yet intriguing three-act structure than ALIEN.
I'm sure you probably know this, but for the benefit of others reading this, the script was actually written without genders in mind. That is, no character was specifically male or female except for Ripley. And the whole idea was complete audience manipulation, as well a subversion of the common horror elements - ie, rather than allow men to vicariously live out their subconscious rape fantasies by stabbing beautiful young women, ALIEN makes a point of raping just about every male character there is in some way or another (even impregnating one), and thus making the film that much more of a visceral assault on the audience (which would be predominantly male). As you mentioned, the casting is simply amazing. We have the benefit/curse of a number of ALIEN descendants, but it is still refreshing to see a future that actually feels like it could actually happen. People are still callous, messy, vulgar; they argue; they wander around in dirty clothes because maybe they didn't feel like doing laundry - this is a "lived-in" reality, as opposed to the spartan look of most sci-fi.
Perfect structure aside, the film certainly does devolve into a typical stalk and slash in its second half, but I forgive this because of the brazenness of the concept and the skill with which it is done. Sure, it's a B story with A-movie resources, but so is JAWS (giant shark goes on a killing frenzy? attach "3D" onto the title, and that's a born Saturday matinee), or any of a huge number of horror films.
Actually, while the original writers did leave the genders ambiguous, they never thought Ripley would be a female.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I really like ALIEN (obviously), I still feel JAWS is the superior film. While ALIEN does devolve into a stalk and slash, JAWS never does. I dare you to name another horror or monster movie with a dialogue scene having legitimate claim to being one of the greatest in the history of cinema. The fifteen or some minutes spent below deck on the Orca are a masterclass in screenwriting and acting. That is all capped of by the monologue about the USS Indianapolis. I'm not even sure what to say about that. JAWS deserves its own review. Maybe, since I am sure you will be swamped with classes in October, I will take up the mantle and make it a month for horror film reviews
For the most part, I think we agree on ALIEN. Sometimes, the worst thing that can happen to a film (or book, television show, or play) is to have a beginning so good, that the ending can't help but disappoint. I stand by my rating of ALIEN though. It is one of the best examples of its kind
Woops, thought I might have had that wrong - thanks for the correction.
ReplyDeleteThe B-movie elements of JAWS are pretty much relegated to the basic plot (diverse trio hunt killer shark) and Quint. From there, though, you're absolutely right - where ALIEN devolves into more standard fare, JAWS actually evolves into something pretty remarkable... and a lot of it has to do with the maturation/humanization of the Quint character, topped of with that brilliant speech you mentioned.
Haha, I'd love to see your month of horror movies. It's not so much being swamped with school, it's the fact that I haven't seen enough new horror movies good enough to shake that list.
Well, I can think of some vintage horror films that could use some reviews. I have seen PSYCHO so many times that it I'm not even sure how I would go about reviewing it. Well, I have a few months to mull it over.
ReplyDelete