Alien

In preparation for Prometheus, I decided to re-watch Alien.  I know Prometheus isn't a direct prequel, but having the film set in the same universe is enough to get me on board with re-watching Alien.  I even convinced Mark to join me in this endeavor.  Frankly, we both had mixed reactions.

The original Alien came out in 1979.  My parents saw it in the theater.  I, of course, didn't see it til years later, as I had not come into existence at the time of the film's release.  I don't remember having much of an opinion on the movie one way or the other.  I always thought Alien was pretty good, a solid film, but I much preferred Aliens.

The biggest impression I had as we re-watched Alien was in regards to the pacing.  Movies made that long ago just move at a different pace than the films of today.  I'm sure there is some huge message in there about how terrible out attention spans are today.  Regardless, the opening of Alien is very slow.  Shots linger over parts of the ship, giving us long views of the computer equipment and quarters.  Back in 1979, those may have been more interesting to look at.  With our tech being so far advanced from that, we just see old junk.  Maybe, if those same scenes were recreated with current/future technology, they wouldn't seem so long.

The slow pacing does not ruin the film though.  We actually took a break shortly before the actual introduction of the alien via chest burst to get dinner.  The movie after the introduction of the alien seem to move much quicker.  I'm interested to see if we would have had a different impression on the second half of the movie if we had watched it straight through.

One thing that is constant through the film is the acting.  With quality performances from Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, and Ian Holm, the viewer doesn't have a real problem buying into the story.  Actually, all of the actors do a great job.  You can feel tension between certain characters, projected solely by their demeanor around them.  There is a sense that these people really have been together on the ship for some time; they've done jobs together before.*

I think we all need to take a moment and just appreciate the skill Ridley Scott has as a director.  Not only did he make a solid alien flick, he managed to make it scary when it needed to be without resulting to the type of tricks film-makers fall back on today.  I'm not saying that Alien is particularly scary when I re-watch it now, but part of that is because I know the film.  I know what's going to happen.  I know how it ends.  What I mean is that Ridley Scott doesn't make you jump because he ratchets up the music and throws a cat at you.  He makes you uneasy and nervous through atmosphere and the performances he pulls from the cast.

Alien is a classic film, one that everyone with a love of film should see at some point in time.  The acting is good; the special effects are pretty good.  Additionally, someone even mentions zombies.  The movie gets mad points because I wasn't expecting to hear that word in it.

On a final note, both Mark and I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out who it was that had a passing resemblance to Sigourney Weaver.  I am sad to say we think it's Kristen Stewart.  Do me a favor and watch the film just to see if you see it.

*Not all of them, obviously.  No one likes a robot.