Alien - 40th Anniversary
ALIEN - 20th Century Fox
There are very few movies in cinematic history that can claim their significant position in all of the genres and style of filmmaking that it takes part in. Ridley Scott's 1979 seminal classic Alien is one of them.
Considered as one of the greatest movies of all time and celebrated as the quintessential embodiment of the beloved mixed-genre known as "sci-fi horror", Alien carved such a legacy for itself that its effects on the movie, literature, painting and video game industry can be seen to this very day. A legacy so strong that only two products of its 40-year-long franchise — the 1986 action-oriented sequel Aliens and 2014 survival horror game Alien: Isolation — are said to come anywhere near on replicating the original classic. However, it is not just its effect on the film industry that requires a tentative retrospective or first viewing experience. It is the fact that this film still stays the unmatched king of its themes and style of filmmaking; any new viewer's first line of dialogue might just be, "I cannot believe this was made in 1979."
For any other horror film, this line of dialogue might seem an over-exaggerated description guided by blinding love but for this film, it could not be more accurate. From its two underlying visual themes of technical mysticism and organic creepiness, Scott and cinematographer Derek Vanlint — alongside concept artist H. R. Giger, Ron Cobb and Chris Foss — create a contrasting visual spin on the nature vs technology themes that had been prevalent in the science fiction genre for many years. To stand out, the mysticism on both sides are pumped up to eleven.
The technology and the interior design of the now-famous Nostromo spaceship are artificially organic. Whether it is the steam pipe, the soft-looking zig-zagged walls or the plain white stairs connecting one floor of the ship to another, all of them are shaped like an internal organs of a living creature, effectively amping up the creepiness when the titular Alien (now popularly known as Xenomorph) invades the ship and hides so effectively among its metallic colours.
ALIEN - 20th Century Fox
This concept is also true for the famous Alien Planet LV-426, where everything from the sizable dead body resting place to the breeding grounds of the Alien eggs are organic beings. They tend to carry a specific industrial shape to themselves, almost as if there is an unseen surveillance operating through the depths of the walls that are way too artificially shaped for one's point of comfort. This impressive production design by Michael Seymour is why many film scholars tend to regard it as the quintessential representation of a film that is on an equal footing to its concept art, if not more so.
It is not just the production design and visuals that make this film so evergreen, it is how the remaining aspects of this film from its brilliant cast to a simple yet effective story circle around the concept that makes it such a classic. Perfectly described by gaming journalist Jim Sterling of this film being a "haunted house movie set in space”, the story of Alien relies heavily on the trope of the haunting picking off its victims one by one until the lucky one survives to see the new day. Nevertheless, it is in this simplicity of the story that allows its subtexts and conceptualized world to flourish to the point of multiple interpretations, ranging from "a representation of male ignorance harming everyone" to "being a showcase of complex technology losing against the true power of organic forces.” Each and every interpretation is provided with significant source of detail to enhance the individual viewpoints and opinions.
The acting is leagues above the modern representation of horror movie acting, as it is responsible for providing the audience with such gems, like Sigourney Weaver and Veronica Cartwright, while also utilizing already-famous Tom Skerritt and John Hurt uniquely and intelligently. Whether one is at their hundredth or very first viewing of this horror masterpiece, it is safe to say that the film will still provide plenty of scares and engaging action alongside deep, philosophical mysticism and interpretations that give the Alien its reputation of being one of a kind.