Not The Bill Collins Blog No.5: Alien

Let's face it, when it comes to underpants-staining, hold the cinema seat in a death grip, have to watch the film through your fingers types of movies, "Alien" is way up there. It's a film that I have only watched a couple of times because of the amazing way it scares the bejesus out of me. And as sci-fi franchise opening acts, it could be argued only the first "Star Wars" film has created a more significant cultural legacy.

In certain ways "Alien" is hardly an original film and in fact this is one of its strengths. The concept of the "who dies next" film has been around in mainstream cinema for many a year, and of course is a standard plot device for crime and detective fiction since at least the days of Sherlock Holmes. One of the earliest examples of the "who gets killed next" genre was "And Then There Was None", an adaptation of an Agatha Christie movie. And of course after "Alien" there came so many other sci-fi riffs off this theme (e.g. "Sphere", "Event Horizon") that in some ways the shock value of such a methodology has been significantly downgraded. And perhaps more or less can be said about the "Alien Versus Predator" sequels later. Anyway, "Alien" is arguably the pinnacle of this iconic way to construct a horror/mystery/sci-fi film.

Then there is the not-so-subtle anti-corporate message of "Alien", and the manner in which poor unsuspecting employees are used as sacrifical lambs by their employers. A more recent plot device than that discussed above, this concept within a film probably only started to flourish from the 1970s. "The China Syndrome" could be seen as emblematic of the way film has treated this issue, although maybe the roots go back as far as "Modern Times" and "Metropolis" with their visions of the worker pitted against an unsympathetic corporate structure. The likes of Parker, Kain, Lambert et al in "Alien" are just as much the unwitting victims of their employer as they are of the alien which kills them on the Nostromo.

All this deep and meaningful anaylsis is superfluous however when one considers the ultimate reason why this is a classic film. It is f-cking frightening!! Written by sci-fi cult legend Dan O'Bannon and directed by Ridley Scott, "Alien" has this incredible power thanks to the amazing mix of the alien itself, the careful use of lighting, the dramatic build up and even the resolution. Hans Geiger's design work is phenomenal on the alien; it is viscerally scary, from the face hugger to the chest burster to the fully grown killing machine. "Alien" reminded the film goer that not every alien was going to be as nice as the wookie Chewbacca from "Star Wars"; in fact, it's a totally evil motherf-cker.

Scott was also intelligent enough to understand that the best way to make the viewer wet their undies was to not show th alien until the last few scenes. The ancient Greeks understood that horror was best left off stage until the last moment, and Ridley Scott follows this model well. Of course there is the chest bursting sequence with Kane (John Hurt), but as soon as the gore hits the floor the alien scuttles away. To add to the horror, the alien doesn't just kill like an animal such as a lion or tiger, it also captures its prey and effectively impregnates it, which adds a pseudo-sexual horror to the movie. Few devices work better than sex and death, and they're there in spades in "Alien".

A few words on the characters; they are effectively cardboard cut outs. Only Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, and to a lesser extent Tom Skerrit's Dallas have anything to round out their personas. This isn't a bad thing, because in effect we know just enough about them to care when the Nostromo crew gets killed, but not enough to also thrill with horror at their demises. It's natural that Ripley survives because it is her character that actually has the most development. And of course what was set up here made the concept of the gutsy combative female heroine far more significant in films than had been seen for quite some time in Hollywood cinema.

Now as I said above, I've not watched this film too often because it scares the shit outta me. I missed it in the cinemas, and so I can't judge it in that context. However I can say that when I have watched it aside from freaking me out with its tension and horror, the franchise concept of "Alien" has been one of my faves for years now and this is where it all starts. Definitely a film not to watch in the dark with your wifey or s.o., and a bottle of red!

My Rating: 3 Bills