“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” - Arthur C. Clark
So often when we think of iconic films like Alien we look to the movies that were inspired by them. Alien influenced obvious features like 2020’s Underwater, 2000’s Pitch Black and 2017’s Life. It also inspired less obvious choices like 2011’s The Grey, which when broken down to its most basic plot outline suddenly the comparisons become more apparent.
This time however I wondered what inspired the inspiring? What influenced one of the most illustrious movies ever made? According to minimal research, Star Wars feels obvious but Ridley Scott has been quoted saying it was “absolutely seminal” and the very success of Star Wars (1977) encouraged 20th Century Fox to take a chance on Alien. The aesthetic of 2001: A Space Odyssey inspired Scott and more specifically the character of HAL-9000 influenced the design of Mother, the Nostromo’s supercomputer. The shocking violence and tension that made the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre so famous acted as a model for certain sequences throughout Alien. A fan of art, Scott tasked artist Hans R. Giger with designing the Xenomorph itself. Giger’s artwork featuring themes of beauty, horror and sexuality made Scott think Giger would be perfect for the job. I’d say time has proven him very right.
I guess I bring this up because I find it interesting that those we look up to most, whether it’s a famous philanthropist, an actor, a rights activist, an athlete or even more abstract concepts like movies or music, are inspired by something all the same. Widely considered one of the greatest musical acts to ever exist, The Beatles once lived in anonymity and looked to their musical greats for bouts of innovation. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player to ever live, was without question inspired by the likes of Walter Davis, Jordan’s favorite player growing up and a key reason he chose UNC.
Scott took his inspirations and expanded upon them to create one of the most lasting, terrifying, visually stunning and jarring films ever created. Alien, forty-five years after its debut, is still talked about, studied and praised as a movie removed from time’s notorious effects of dating things making them antiquated or too much of a bygone era. It transcends time, remaining as relevant as it was in 1979.
I think a major contributing factor to its sustained pertinence is the refreshing originality it created not just as a movie in and of itself but for several different genres. Its powerful imagery, the brazen violence and creativity of the creature itself all have established themselves within the very core of pop culture. Another reason is undoubtedly the practical effects it incorporates as much as possible. The in-camera, full size Xenomorph, a combination of man-in-suit and an animatronic head made it feel all the more formidable and lasting. The scenes of graphic, gory and shocking violence accentuates the quieter, more paranoia driven sequences.
Alien is set in the year 2122 aboard the Nostromo, a Lockheed CM-88B Bison M Class starfreighter, what is essentially a commercial towing vessel tasked with pulling a large refinery to process mineral ore, owned and operated by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Basically the crew aboard the Nostromo are blue collar space workers. They’re crass, middle-class and wholly ill-prepared for the horrors that await them after waking from sleep stasis. Normal workers, no hero apparent among them, and the perfect predator has infiltrated their vessel whose singular purpose is to establish and grow a hive. Their hostility is unmatched, their defense mechanisms are extreme and virtually insurmountable. In the farthest reaches of space, the crew of the Nostromo is on its own and stands little chance of survival.
Alien is my go to example when a modern film fails that stars a female lead in an action role and someone tries to claim sexism for its shortcomings, I point to Alien. Ripley is the epitome of a true badass female action character. She is tough, resilient and initially out of her depth. The arc of her character from blue collar to ultimate survivor is fascinating to watch. As mindless as the Xenomorph might seem, the ultimate faceoff is between two intelligent, conniving species trying to outsmart the other. Ripley is a normal human hero who must face a walking, climbing, acid bleeding nightmare and the battle is nerve racking, brutal and only the beginning.
Ridley Scott did for space with Alien what Steven Spielberg did for the ocean with Jaws. He created a truly harrowing force that at first encounter feels every bit unkillable. He then incorporated otherwise normal people who would much rather stand by but are forced to step up and face an impossibly formidable foe. Despite their reticence they dig deep, they find their courage and ingenuity and press forward simply because they have to. The Xenomorph lurks in the shadows, it hangs from the ceilings and moves with an alarmingly fast pace only to scream in its victim’s face and then obliterate them with a rigid, phallic tongue that brutally breaks through skin and bone decimating their insides. Even when the creature is wounded it retaliates in the form of acidic blood toxic enough to melt through virtually anything man made, including man himself.
Alien is a classic for so many reasons. If you’ve seen it, you know. Its inspirations are endless, the concepts that came before it that made it possible are seemingly as iconic as the film itself. It created an opening for future female led horror, action and science fiction stories on the big screen. It features normal, relatable characters allowing for heroism to rise only within those worthy of it, like Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a true survivor, destined to become a true alien assassin. It’s science fiction royalty, horror hierarchy of the highest order. In another forty-five years, I will likely no longer matter in any capacity, but Alien will outlast and thrive.
Rated R For: sci-fi violence/gore and language
Runtime: 117 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Out of 10
Story: 10/ Acting: 10/ Directing: 10/ Visuals: 10
OVERALL: 10/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below:
Comments