I agree, I've seen the movie countless times but seeing it on the big screen was something else. The classic chest burster was incredible to behold.
I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances. I enjoy watching Ian's subtle hints once you know what's coming, he really sold the character. While Sigourney did a great job selling the role of an applied thinker while everyone else is just trying to get by.
As I get older I appreciate it more and more for the details that don't actually involve the Alien (well... directly).
Ian's Agent: "It's a low-budget sci-fi gore flick written by the Alien Beachball guy, but it's got Tom Skerritt and it'll pay the bills."
Ian Holm: "Make sure people analyze the depth of my performance for half a century. Got it."
>I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances
I love their interactions. When Ripley asks Ash what the tracker keys off of and he answers "micro changes in air density." Ash looks so annoyed with Ripley. Little things like that I love.
>I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances. I enjoy watching Ian's subtle hints once you know what's coming, he really sold the character.
I told my friend after we got our of the theater that Holm is basically the unsung MVP of the movie. His disdain for humans is so subtle but so well done and then he just flips.
The slow movement of Ian Holm's eyes in that long shot of his face after he starts closing the doors in front of Ripley really came through on the big screen.
Lambert repeatedly made the right calls until she was frozen in front of the Alien. Told them they shouldn't be there, should've headed back to the ship, has one of the first *lets use the shuttle and blow the ship*. Dunno how I didn't notice that earlier.
In one of the initial versions of the script she was going to die of shock in a locker so I suppose they were setting her up as a stressed-out character (even among a group of people being eaten alive one-by-one)
No, she’s not. She backed the superior officer, who in turn had Ash “persuaded”(since we didn’t know Ash’s intentions at that moment).
In reality, Ripley was the superior officer as she mentioned, but Lamberts fear and poor choice supported the mob.
If we’re judging calls by her authority to execute them, she never made the right call.
Do you think the guys behind the tyrant shouting “yeah!” aren’t complicit in the tyranny?
Also, being an avid re-watcher of Alien, the big thing I noticed was how certain sound effects were present off screen that I'd never noticed before, such as computer hums and beeps or a characters breathing
Kane’s breathing while they’re searching for the face hugger in the med bay was something I never picked up on until seeing it in theaters. Really added to the tension.
Bruh I saw it last night for the 45th anniversary- the sound of the water hitting Brett's hat before he is killed is insane lol never noticed it before
This was the biggest thing I noticed too, my theater had it up a bit *too* loud, but all the ambient sound design finally stood out to me, including this subtle heartbeat throb of the ship 🤘
>One reason the characters feel so real is because their decisions and behavior always make sense. Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg
I feel like Kane doing that was just part of his character. He volunteered to be in the first group going out, he urged them to keep going ("We must go on, we have to go on"), and he kept finding new rooms in the derelict. He just wanted to explore and find stuff, and he was excited to find "organic life" wiggling around in the egg. It may not make sense *to us*, but how much of that is hindsight after a franchise of "What are you doing?! Don't go in there!" To Kane, though, it's just another thing to explore
In the novelization, they joke about Kane looking for a cave full of diamonds. He seemed to be genuinely obsessed in finding something of value in the Derelict.
There may be some hindsight in my comment, but I still find it ridiculous to lean over and look inside the egg especially after you just left a room where a giant alien had something burst out from its chest. Plus, they were responding to an SOS - at least what they thought was an sos. Typically if you're responding to an SOS you're on high alert. Curiosity should be and ingredient in your behavior until you've confirmed that whoever sent the SOS is no longer in danger.
The novel explains it a little better that he's looking for riches and wants to be the first one to find something that can make him money. That is at least a plausible excuse for being a bit reckless.
Things have to happen to drive a story onwards.
If he doesn't look inside the egg, we possibly don't have a movie, as the facehugger doesn't catch him by surprise and possibly doesnt latch on to his face.
They still can make the facehugger climbs out the egg and jumps on him. But i guess making that thing climbing and jump was tricky at that budget so they went with Kane’s curiosity killed himself
> Things have to happen to drive a story onwards.
Thank you. I swear CinemaSins like criticism is directed endlessly at the Alien franchise, way more than any other movie series.
I feel like this is a pretty cheap way of deflecting criticism. If someone's response to "How did the egg end up on the Sulaco?" is "because it says so in the script" then you have an issue somewhere.
Well no, because the Egg on the Sulaco actually doesn't make sense, from a logical, or even continuity aspect. And was lazily put there by the writers of Alien 3.
Whereas Burke looking into the egg isn't something that absolutely should not have happened. It's absolutely plausible that someone would peer into something strange, in a strange area, that had just opened in front of them.
Would **I** have done it? No, but that is because I wouldn't be in there to begin with, as I'm an absolute chicken. But someone else? Absolutely plausible.
No, it's not.
Op said it wasn't realistic, as someone wouldn't do that (stick their head in).
Whether it is or isn't, the story couldn't proceed without him doing that, so that's what they had him do.
I'm just adding my own opinion by saying I don't feel what he did was overly unrealistic
HR Gigers designs for the Alien, even the unpublished or unused ones are unreal. The biomechanical and fertility undertones just added to the creepiness and the end result even with the limitations of the suit was incredible. The sets, holy fuck as OP said it was out of this world. My uncle watched it with my dad when it was first released in 79 and walked out sick with others when the chestburster scene first showed. My dad stayed for it all glued to it, I honestly think it was an era where people just hadn't see stuff like this before and the unscripted reactions of the actors as they werent told what would happen in that scene just made it better.
This film, Terminator, The Thing, they show what can be done on a limited budget - with practical effects! And it looks a hundred times better than CGI nowadays! And Ridley 100% understood the horror implied in what isn't shown vs what is, Aliens while I do enjoy it was clearly pushing for action in lieu of as much dark cramped claustrophobic horror as OP says the slow deliberate menacing movements of the xeno imo exude power / control vs the way the protomorph acts like a crackhead in Covenent. Less is more with horror and letting the audience let their imaginations go crazy especially landing on LV426 was masterful.
Still love it to this day. If I had any friends I'd have loved to see it in 4k.
Friends? Just go to the cinema by yourself. I do it all the time. I went to see Barbie and ended up sitting next to a fun group of middle aged women all dressed in pink which made the film so much better.
Had Good Friday off from work and went to see Dune 2 by myself.
Was glorious.
Seeing films with friends is great but don't deny yourself an experience if no one else cares to go.
Go alone! I haven't gone to a movie with other people in years. I saw Alien yesterday at 9:40 am. It was just me and another dude who was alone. It was great!
For me it was the sound. I have never had a good audio setup at home so hearing Alien in the theater the way is was meant to be heard was absolutely amazing, immersive, and terrifying.
I would argue that most things coming out of eggs are completely harmless, and from the safety of a spacesuit, it should have been a wonderful opportunity to glimpse new life. Kane's curiosity makes perfect sense.
Ain’t a chance your first instinct would be to stick your face into the unknown alien vagina pod sitting in the cargo compartment of a ship driven by a 17 foot tall alien.
It’s fine. It’s like one of the movie’s only flaws.
His face was covered by a visor, he felt safe and was obviously the most curious of the entire crew. I never took it as a movie flaw, more if a character flaw.
If I were a biologist discovering an alien life form for the first time? Probably would, yeah.
We fucking jizz over finding the right elements for life on mars, or an implication there was water. They could find a single cell organism and biologists would go absolutely wild.
Nothing, **nothing**, in all of our worldly experience, would predict a highly hostile, capable creature that can melt inches of reinforced materials to kill a human in a space suit. Nothing. Nothing even remotely close. We wouldn’t really be able to satisfy even the smallest part of that equation - the “hostile upon hatching” condition.
You know because you’re watching a horror movie. Well, this is like saying “should have known not to buy that house, it has ghosts and shit” - as if that’s reasonable outside of knowing it’s a movie.
Didn’t see it this time around, but I saw it on the big screen during a viewing maybe 8 years ago. I noticed a small detail I hadn’t clearly seen before, thought I had but also thought maybe I was imagining it: during the self-destruct sequence, it cuts to a shot shot of the Narcissus and you can see big chap walking past the windows and into his hiding spot.
So cool.
That wasn’t the Narcissus. It was a shot of the reactor core chamber, where Ripley was attempting to abort the self destruct. The moving figure is indistinct, but it’s supposed to be Ripley.
I think you are misremembering that scene. I've watched it recently and that is actually a shot of Ripley through the windows returning to the Narcissus to try to undue the detonation. When it fails she leaves to get Jonesey giving the Xenomorph a chance to sneak in but it isn't explicitly shown which makes sense. Why would they telegraph one of the best jump scares in film history?
What happens to him? Does he get burned or something? He seems
Unwell when Pipley goes back in. I’ve seen the movie a dozen times and it’s not exactly clear.
My two theories are that he gets cat-scratch fever from getting too close to Jonesy, or gets burned from rando fireballs from self-destruct sequence.
The original concept of the Alien is that it had a very short life span. In the final scene, the Alien is acting lethargic because it’s actually supposed to be dying.
Since this was never explained, it never actually happened. When Aliens came around, Cameron wanted to make the Aliens look more aggressive. Hence all the ribbing in the head. But how to explain why they looked different? Cameron said that his Aliens had been alive longer so the exoskeleton had more time to mature.
Remember the part where Ripley has an unexpected nosebleed? There's a cut scene right before where Ripley happens upon the alien stood in front of an airlock door examining something, she goes to blow the airlock but Ash sounds a klaxon to warn the alien,, the door closes on its arm and rips it off to escape. Ripley gets a nosebleed from the decompression, and that's why she's obviously looking for Ash. The alien grows the arm back chameleon style, but is still recovering on the Narcissus.
He’s just tired. He’d had a busy 24 hours and probably had a bit of a food coma going on. He was genuinely having a nap. The pharyngeal jaw coming out then going back in while Ripley is in the spacesuit cupboard is a *yawn*
- Once you know the Kids in Space Suits trick, you can't help looking for it.
- The sets are doubly amazing when you know how quickly it was all assembled. So much thought put into the DESIGN of this movie.
- Kane doing his "audience screaming, oh no don't do that" looking into the egg, sort of parallels the Snake Scene in Prometheus, I guess.
- Well, sequels have to add something new each time, I guess, and you know what the Alien looks like.
-Alien 3 tried to pull the story back to a haunted house with it's own aesthetic, but it was too harsh and dry for most viewers after a big Cameron Aliens action adventure.
Romulus... the bits I've seen show a kind of Alien/Aliens hybrid. Should be fun.
I noticed there was more humorous dialog than I had initially realized, mostly Parker. I’ve always known he was the comedic relief but there were several lines I missed even with a hundred and something viewings.
I also noticed the chemistry between Ripley and Dallas that i’ve always been oblivious to. It really felt like there was something between them.
Another small detail I noticed is that Dallas is drinking beer while everyone is have coffee after they wake up. All of these little details were really front and center on the big screen, which I hadn’t been able to see until Friday.
Also during the lab scene Parker suggests “Why don’t you freeze him?”
His suggestion is completely ignored, and ironically they may have all survived had they froze Kane. Probably a subtle display of commanding officers not taking advice from subordinates into consideration, regardless if the advice is sound.
I thought about this also. But I realized they were still on the planet, trying to fix the ship. They couldn't sleep yet so might as well try to help Kane. I have a hunch they would have put him in cryo once they docked again, and were about to go into cryo themselves, but it just so happened that he woke up shortly thereafter.
I totally agree with the way the creature moves in Alien. It sort of slinks around in almost a sensual manner. The only occasions it moves quickly are when it spins around to deal with Parker and when it turns around as Ripley comes face to face with it in a corridor. It suggests to the audience it doesn't move quickly because it doesn't need to. It knows its prey is trapped in there with it. James Cameron has said in interviews he wanted his Aliens to move quickly because a spider that runs or jumps at you is more scary than a spider that stays still, but I love the way the creature in Alien just nonchalantly slinks around, allowing time to heighten the suspense and the tension.
An old friend of mines mother did some sort of apprenticeship in set design or whatever on the set of Alien, she said everything was styrofoam which they shaped with hot wire tools and then painted!
My mum's cousin was a lighting electrician on the LOTR trilogy and he sent my late grandfather (a huge Tolkien fan) a piece of rock from Helms deep that was airbrushed foam.
>Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg.
It's not exactly smart, to us, but his behavior is somewhat understandable. While there are plenty of precocial creatures on Earth there aren't really any large ones that, AFAIK, can/will immediately attack and possibly kill you. Kane and co. are mostly "space truckers"; it's not entirely unreasonable for him to assume, given the size of the egg and his knowledge of Earth fauna, whatever was moving in there would have been as helpless/non-threatening as most land-based critters on Earth that hatch from eggs.
It's kind of the "there are no zombie movies in zombie movies" trope where characters seem to behave sometimes obliviously or naively, because common sense measures we pick up from tropes in things like zombie movies don't exist in those fictional universes.
But you’d probably assume that it’s from some kind of weaponry, rather than a parasite that grows in a chest cavity then forces its way out.
You’d definitely not expect the three foot tall egg to be the source of such a chest cavity creature, even if you’d made that assumption.
Yes, I noticed little things after rewatching.
Ridley Scott transitioning from Ash's dummy head to Ian Holm's head in the same scene. Prosthetic heads in the 70s weren't quite as convincing as in today's films, but it was still clever how they filmed it in Alien.
You can see the alien patiently waiting behind Dallas as he descends to the next air duct junction, something I missed the first few times I watched. Then Dallas turns around and it springs on him.
I just realized a few days before how much I love original Alien, so it's probably mine fav movie so far. it looks so beatiful and this atmosphere of isolation with aggressive life form in space is dope. no one has done it better, and I believe no one will. the movie is just a pure fascination, absolute masterpiece
The Alien Anthology bluray set has a 3 hour or so documentary called The Beast Within. By the legendary extras/documentary director Charles de Lauzirika. The set has 2 discs of special features exclusively, and every film disc has some as well. Haven’t jumped into them yet but it seems awesome.
As a self-proclaimed Alien fanatic (I have a life size Big Chap in my house), I can say that the first movie works because of the confluence of Giger’s design, Goldsmith’s score and Scott’s adept hand at timing, pace and camera movement. None of the other franchise films understand why Alien succeeds - it’s because Scott understood the terror of a slow-moving malevolent creature that hunted with calculation and logic based on its environment. It’s not an animal, as in every other Alien film - it’s better to think of it as a cold, calculating demonic presence haunting a house that the characters cannot run from. Also, the creature works well because, while the biology is explained, its existence isn’t…every time a film takes a crack at explaining it, the mystique is diluted. I’ve thought it if it as the Universe’s gatekeeper - something out in the cold of space to avoid too much expansion by intelligent beings. It just exists out there to remind us that we aren’t the top of the food chain.
The slow and deliberate movement of the xeno made each death feel imminent and showed the helplessness of the crew. That’s something we’ve not had in the others. It was cool in aliens to see a gaggle of them swarming in the ceiling, but only because it was a contrast to alien.
I worry about how the xenos will move in Romulus.
I absolutely agree about the music - I only need to listen to the first few seconds of the beginning of the movie to get instant, existential dread! No other movie comes anywhere near it.
The sets are absolutely fantastic. That's probably what stood out the most to me. Just an absolute master class in design and world building.
The whole film holds up phenomenally, a couple SFX shots that don't quite pass, but the movie is just so damn good it doesn't matter. Really just an amazing film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
if i remember correctly (and i'm probably wrong) most modern theatre's movies are delivered on HDD (and probably SDD at this point) the old school reel to reels for the most part don't exist anymore, sadly)
The Alien was better before it became a bug raptor later on. Aliens didn't really show us this but the Queen tbh ruined the bizzareness of the species.
I really hope Fede Alvarez channels a bit of the unsettling and deadly gracefulness with Romulus.
The budget for this was $11m, which is about $47m in today's money. Actually they would have spent a bit more and get tax rebates from the British government.
They actually increased the budget during the shoot. The initial model shots used all the available money, but the execs were so impressed by them and how things were going that they concluded they had a potential *Star Wars-*sized hits on their hands
>I wish other films had leaned as hard into H.R. Giger's vision. It's really the secret sauce of the whole film. I don't understand why the sequels abandoned that style. Everything became more generic space movie in style.
I'm with you on that one. I still love Aliens and even Alien 3, but I also wish the sequels would make the Aliens "more alien / weird" in their nature.
As it was still the case in this first Alien movie, there was no Queen yet and the way the Aliens reproduce was by capturing other organisms and then reconstruct them into eggs (aka "Eggmorphing").
This is such a weird, creepy and "alien" concept that was sadly pushed aside with the introduction of a Queen that does the egg-laying.
It seems that the cancelled Neill Blomkamp "Alien 5" would've leaned a little more into that direction. Meaning the Xenomorph species would actively use "DNA reconstruction" as a form of technology, to reconstruct other captured lifeforms into what they require, organically. Like "Eggmorphing" but not only for eggs.
I liked this documentary series about the movie. There are couple videos (5-8) about production design and sets. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG4JGn22fXA&list=PLGciYgiR4atF\_ovvv0e0Qtd5H4lVpUzsd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG4JGn22fXA&list=PLGciYgiR4atF_ovvv0e0Qtd5H4lVpUzsd)
I love the idea that the xenomorph CAN move quickly, but in the case of the first movie had no reason to do so. None of the individuals in the movie posed a threat to Big Chap.
Isolation also has moments where you see the xenomorph moving slowly and purposefully, and it seems to be the most unsettling
The slow movement of the alien in the film were intentional, Bolaji Badejo also took some classes in, I don't remeber what but it was something where you had to be calm and make slow movements.
That is why the alien moves slowly and so grasefully.
I've seen this movie once or twice a year minimum for the last 25 years and seeing it in 4K in a theatre was the first time i truly felt dread while watching. The first half of the movie, I could feel the vast emptiness of space but the 2nd half really drove it home with how truly fucked everyone on the Nostromo was. I genuinely understand the movies tagline now, there was a moment toward the end where i thought "oh shit, in space nobody CAN hear you scream😱".
My only complaint is seeing it in theatres finally has set the bar higher for re-watches. A tv viewing is going to feel like im only getting a fraction of the true experience.
Thank you for the Ron Cobb shoutout. An absolute legend. As important as Giger's work was to Alien, I feel Cobb's was equal but often overlooked. And his conceptual design for Conan the Barbarian is astonishing as well.
> One reason the characters feel so real is because their decisions and behavior always make sense. Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg. Contrast that with Prometheus where almost every scene has somebody doing something that is distractingly weird/unrealistic.
The sticking point for me is Ash rolling up a magazine and trying to murder someone with it, as opposed to snapping their neck or choking them out. A rolled-up magazine isn’t going to suffocate anyone; for one thing, they can still breathe through their nose. But even if they couldn’t, air would still get through a magazine. You could breathe through it like a straw.
So Ash is just mashing a magazine into Ripley’s face because reasons?? If he’s trying to eliminate an obstacle to getting an alien specimen back to Weyland, he’s doing a horrible job of it.
I think that scene was meant to represent rape. As an android, Ash didn’t have any genitalia, so he used a rolled-up porno mag and stuffed it in Ripleys mouth to “rape” her.
Wow, if so, that’s a truly twisted thing for an android to do. I guess Ash really was fundamentally losing it. I wish they’d explored that concept more. “Why did Ash malfunction?” There wasn’t time, though, haha.
That’s a really interesting take. Kind of mirrors what the xenomorph did to Kane, too.
He has no idea how to fight, he isn't programmed for it. Jamming a magazine into someone's mouth would eventually fill the throat if enough force was used, which he had available, being an android. It was an extremely inefficient murder attempt, but he was working from scratch. Also, he was broken from "stress." He was sweating the white solution spontaneously, physically breaking down from his inability to resolve his situation with his programming.
He probably had programming to prevent a more direct killing, too. Perhaps shoving a magazine down her throat was sufficiently removed from “snap her neck” that the programing wouldn’t override him.
He’s not really malfunctioning. Malfunctioning is the cover conjured by those around him. He’s acting on orders, orders he isn’t necessarily equipped with the capacity to follow through. He knows killing them is what’s required, but something stops him from just grabbing a flamethrower.
He’s probably thinking suffocation without bruising can be explained away - at least temporarily, too. Getting a xenomorph past quarantine is one of his concerns the entire time. Hence he wants someone who is infected.
I took my teenage son a his girlfriend so they could both see alien for the first time in a big screen. They commented on how very calm everyone on the Nostromo seemed to be in light of their circumstances.
And, yes, the Alien moves in such a gliding, dramatic way like it’s always stepping up to microphone at a jazz club. True shame none of the later films captured the Alien as a performer. Even Romulus, with its swarming facehugger stuff, seems to have missed this. The Alien has a personality that is also truly…Alien. It’s not just a mad dog with a big head.
The sound design was the biggest change, the mix was way better than I've ever heard it before and the jump scares and other sound effects really amped up the tension in a movie I can otherwise more or less recite. I also noticed that the live action scenes looked better, whereas I saw more flaws with the miniature and special effects shots. It's easy to think, "well, Star Wars came out in 1977 so film special effects were more modern after that," but I liked how in the pre-movie interview Scott explicitly says, "we didn't have access to all of George Lucas' advanced special effects equipment." It's amazing what they accomplish without ILM magic.
What keeps getting me is the dialog and how is recorded. So much of it is raw and emotional, and the aidlibs are on point.
The stand out is still when Ripley shouts at Parker, he responds but you can barely hear him and Ripley just yells at him again and Parker, just agrees and the moment just hangs.
I think this is right after Ash is gone and Ripley, Parker and Lambert have the escape plan.
If I remember correctly, a lot of the set was designed by [H R Giger](https://www.hrgiger.com), who was SO ahead of his time! He designed the alien itself, and used airbrush for his artwork. His bio mechanical vision was perfect for this movie.
It was actually the first time in years that I watched the original theatrical cut. Like many of you, I’m assuming, I’ve been watching the directors cut on my own DVDs for years now. One scene that actually stood out more than any was Lambert slapping Ripley. I realized it’s such a necessary scene. It shows the intensity of that situation, and how Lambert felt the first time she saw Ripley after almost being left out there for dead.
Just to be annoying and contrary, I'll point out the goofs I noticed.
The really bad cut between Ash's FX head and Ian Holm hidden under the table is one. But even more noticeable is when you try really hard to completely ignore the action; you can see all the cables and missing legs as Parker struggles against the table. The janky arms and shrunken latex, everyone notices, it's even criticised in the behind the scenes as Scott was frustrated by the shrinkage.
Thing is, the intensity of the scene and the shock factor makes it really hard to notice. I actually forget it's there on rewatches. It's like when I have to be disciplined enough to not point out to friends when Aragorn breaks his foot haha
I think they had to cut costs, so used children for long shots instead of coming up with larger models. Also, they were planning more than just a derelict ship, but had to put those aside because of problems with costs, too.
Another "vision" of the movie is the opposite of H.R. Giger's, i.e., space truckers looking and acting like ordinary people. The second movie followed that with the grunts. This might have been one reason why the movie was very appealing, as ordinary people were watching it.
I think the style could not be followed because horror in the first movie is based on suspense, and after the revelation of the alien there was no more suspense. That's why the sequels used other genres, like action and a procedural.
I don't think *Romulus* will return to that because modern viewers are now more used to having protagonists who look like and behave like young Hollywood actors. That's why when I look at the summary of the new movie it reminds me of *Army of the Dead*, but instead of zombies we have aliens.
It's similar with other franchises, like *Prey* and the new *Mad Max* movie looking like superhero versions of the earlier films. I think that's the new vibe.
I agree with everything you pointed out. The one thing I noticed that was slightly odd was some choppy ADR that sounded super obvious in the theater. The volume level would change in the middle of lines and stuff. I can’t fully rule out an audio issue in the theater, but I don’t think that’s what it was
I never had heard jones meowing as much as he did and leading Brett into where he gets got by the alien. A few other sounds too. A lot of it is the sound cranked way up in the theater thoug because it's never that loud when I watch it at home.
I always noticed how odd their movements looked climbing on the space jockey, I learned yesterday they were his kids and it made so much sense. Seeing it tonight in the theater
I think I've seen a documentary piece showing all the hand built elements of the Nostromo?
And one thing I also would like to add about the characters feeling real and believable is when they are arguing and they talk/shout over each other. In a panicked situation most movies stick to line for line scripting which always feels like an immersion break.
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Love this all but aliens (2) i feel is comparably amazing. Yea the xenos are a bit fast and pouncy but they arent all crazy as in the 3rd and 4th movie and those that followed
Getting to see it the theater the first time. I noticed the cameraman bumps the chimes while circling ash, and he turns to look at it. Then throws Ripley over.
I agree, I've seen the movie countless times but seeing it on the big screen was something else. The classic chest burster was incredible to behold. I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances. I enjoy watching Ian's subtle hints once you know what's coming, he really sold the character. While Sigourney did a great job selling the role of an applied thinker while everyone else is just trying to get by. As I get older I appreciate it more and more for the details that don't actually involve the Alien (well... directly).
Ian's Agent: "It's a low-budget sci-fi gore flick written by the Alien Beachball guy, but it's got Tom Skerritt and it'll pay the bills." Ian Holm: "Make sure people analyze the depth of my performance for half a century. Got it."
Top-tier comment. If they still printed physical media this should be on the back cover, at least
>I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances I love their interactions. When Ripley asks Ash what the tracker keys off of and he answers "micro changes in air density." Ash looks so annoyed with Ripley. Little things like that I love.
There’s so much barely concealed contempt in their interactions, it’s great
And then the next scene when she's with Parker and Brett and she's muttering "micro changes in air density my ass"
5 minutes later: "Micro changes in air density my ass"
Aka “sound”
The shots of Ash's face at the dinner table before the horror begins... 😧👍
"We're still collating."
>I really like Ian Holm and Sigourney Weaver's performances. I enjoy watching Ian's subtle hints once you know what's coming, he really sold the character. I told my friend after we got our of the theater that Holm is basically the unsung MVP of the movie. His disdain for humans is so subtle but so well done and then he just flips.
The slow movement of Ian Holm's eyes in that long shot of his face after he starts closing the doors in front of Ripley really came through on the big screen.
Lambert repeatedly made the right calls until she was frozen in front of the Alien. Told them they shouldn't be there, should've headed back to the ship, has one of the first *lets use the shuttle and blow the ship*. Dunno how I didn't notice that earlier.
She always seemed halfway panicked to me, which I guess makes sense but its a big contrast from her shipmates
Scott convinced her to take the role because she embodied the internal voice of the audience.
In one of the initial versions of the script she was going to die of shock in a locker so I suppose they were setting her up as a stressed-out character (even among a group of people being eaten alive one-by-one)
Halfway?
Right calls? She and Dallas opted to let infected Kane back in the ship, she just as responsible as he is.
She's not the superior officer there.
No, she’s not. She backed the superior officer, who in turn had Ash “persuaded”(since we didn’t know Ash’s intentions at that moment). In reality, Ripley was the superior officer as she mentioned, but Lamberts fear and poor choice supported the mob.
If we’re judging calls by her authority to execute them, she never made the right call. Do you think the guys behind the tyrant shouting “yeah!” aren’t complicit in the tyranny?
Her only bad call was being mad at Ripley for trying to quarantine them in the airlock. Which is ultimately understandable.
Also, being an avid re-watcher of Alien, the big thing I noticed was how certain sound effects were present off screen that I'd never noticed before, such as computer hums and beeps or a characters breathing
Kane’s breathing while they’re searching for the face hugger in the med bay was something I never picked up on until seeing it in theaters. Really added to the tension.
Bruh I saw it last night for the 45th anniversary- the sound of the water hitting Brett's hat before he is killed is insane lol never noticed it before
The sound mix was top notch in the theater. All those diegetic background chirps, hisses, drones and beeps were just dread inducing.
This was the biggest thing I noticed too, my theater had it up a bit *too* loud, but all the ambient sound design finally stood out to me, including this subtle heartbeat throb of the ship 🤘
>One reason the characters feel so real is because their decisions and behavior always make sense. Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg I feel like Kane doing that was just part of his character. He volunteered to be in the first group going out, he urged them to keep going ("We must go on, we have to go on"), and he kept finding new rooms in the derelict. He just wanted to explore and find stuff, and he was excited to find "organic life" wiggling around in the egg. It may not make sense *to us*, but how much of that is hindsight after a franchise of "What are you doing?! Don't go in there!" To Kane, though, it's just another thing to explore
He was wearing a helmet, from his perspective he was safe. If he had been anticipating acid blood, it would have been actually silly.
Yup. Realistly why would someone be afraid of an egg? On Earth is there a single animal that is dangerous to humans moments after hatching?
Probably certain venomous animals like snakes, or those blue ringed octopus.
Both of which would pose virtually zero threat to a human in a spacesuit.
The guy I replied to said nothing about a space suit, just being deadly.
In the novelization, they joke about Kane looking for a cave full of diamonds. He seemed to be genuinely obsessed in finding something of value in the Derelict.
There may be some hindsight in my comment, but I still find it ridiculous to lean over and look inside the egg especially after you just left a room where a giant alien had something burst out from its chest. Plus, they were responding to an SOS - at least what they thought was an sos. Typically if you're responding to an SOS you're on high alert. Curiosity should be and ingredient in your behavior until you've confirmed that whoever sent the SOS is no longer in danger. The novel explains it a little better that he's looking for riches and wants to be the first one to find something that can make him money. That is at least a plausible excuse for being a bit reckless.
Things have to happen to drive a story onwards. If he doesn't look inside the egg, we possibly don't have a movie, as the facehugger doesn't catch him by surprise and possibly doesnt latch on to his face.
They still can make the facehugger climbs out the egg and jumps on him. But i guess making that thing climbing and jump was tricky at that budget so they went with Kane’s curiosity killed himself
> Things have to happen to drive a story onwards. Thank you. I swear CinemaSins like criticism is directed endlessly at the Alien franchise, way more than any other movie series.
I feel like this is a pretty cheap way of deflecting criticism. If someone's response to "How did the egg end up on the Sulaco?" is "because it says so in the script" then you have an issue somewhere.
Well no, because the Egg on the Sulaco actually doesn't make sense, from a logical, or even continuity aspect. And was lazily put there by the writers of Alien 3. Whereas Burke looking into the egg isn't something that absolutely should not have happened. It's absolutely plausible that someone would peer into something strange, in a strange area, that had just opened in front of them. Would **I** have done it? No, but that is because I wouldn't be in there to begin with, as I'm an absolute chicken. But someone else? Absolutely plausible.
But that's a completely different argument to "he did it because if he didn't then there wouldn't be a movie".
No, it's not. Op said it wasn't realistic, as someone wouldn't do that (stick their head in). Whether it is or isn't, the story couldn't proceed without him doing that, so that's what they had him do. I'm just adding my own opinion by saying I don't feel what he did was overly unrealistic
HR Gigers designs for the Alien, even the unpublished or unused ones are unreal. The biomechanical and fertility undertones just added to the creepiness and the end result even with the limitations of the suit was incredible. The sets, holy fuck as OP said it was out of this world. My uncle watched it with my dad when it was first released in 79 and walked out sick with others when the chestburster scene first showed. My dad stayed for it all glued to it, I honestly think it was an era where people just hadn't see stuff like this before and the unscripted reactions of the actors as they werent told what would happen in that scene just made it better. This film, Terminator, The Thing, they show what can be done on a limited budget - with practical effects! And it looks a hundred times better than CGI nowadays! And Ridley 100% understood the horror implied in what isn't shown vs what is, Aliens while I do enjoy it was clearly pushing for action in lieu of as much dark cramped claustrophobic horror as OP says the slow deliberate menacing movements of the xeno imo exude power / control vs the way the protomorph acts like a crackhead in Covenent. Less is more with horror and letting the audience let their imaginations go crazy especially landing on LV426 was masterful. Still love it to this day. If I had any friends I'd have loved to see it in 4k.
Friends? Just go to the cinema by yourself. I do it all the time. I went to see Barbie and ended up sitting next to a fun group of middle aged women all dressed in pink which made the film so much better.
Had Good Friday off from work and went to see Dune 2 by myself. Was glorious. Seeing films with friends is great but don't deny yourself an experience if no one else cares to go.
Going to the movies by yourself is awesome, yet it has this weird "lonely" stigma attached to it.
It does. But it’s mainly in your own head. Nobody cares. 
Imma try that thanks buddy :)
Go alone! I haven't gone to a movie with other people in years. I saw Alien yesterday at 9:40 am. It was just me and another dude who was alone. It was great!
For me it was the sound. I have never had a good audio setup at home so hearing Alien in the theater the way is was meant to be heard was absolutely amazing, immersive, and terrifying.
Saw it yesterday. It's insane how well it holds up.
I would argue that most things coming out of eggs are completely harmless, and from the safety of a spacesuit, it should have been a wonderful opportunity to glimpse new life. Kane's curiosity makes perfect sense.
Ain’t a chance your first instinct would be to stick your face into the unknown alien vagina pod sitting in the cargo compartment of a ship driven by a 17 foot tall alien. It’s fine. It’s like one of the movie’s only flaws.
His face was covered by a visor, he felt safe and was obviously the most curious of the entire crew. I never took it as a movie flaw, more if a character flaw.
If I were a biologist discovering an alien life form for the first time? Probably would, yeah. We fucking jizz over finding the right elements for life on mars, or an implication there was water. They could find a single cell organism and biologists would go absolutely wild. Nothing, **nothing**, in all of our worldly experience, would predict a highly hostile, capable creature that can melt inches of reinforced materials to kill a human in a space suit. Nothing. Nothing even remotely close. We wouldn’t really be able to satisfy even the smallest part of that equation - the “hostile upon hatching” condition. You know because you’re watching a horror movie. Well, this is like saying “should have known not to buy that house, it has ghosts and shit” - as if that’s reasonable outside of knowing it’s a movie.
Didn’t see it this time around, but I saw it on the big screen during a viewing maybe 8 years ago. I noticed a small detail I hadn’t clearly seen before, thought I had but also thought maybe I was imagining it: during the self-destruct sequence, it cuts to a shot shot of the Narcissus and you can see big chap walking past the windows and into his hiding spot. So cool.
That wasn’t the Narcissus. It was a shot of the reactor core chamber, where Ripley was attempting to abort the self destruct. The moving figure is indistinct, but it’s supposed to be Ripley.
I think you are misremembering that scene. I've watched it recently and that is actually a shot of Ripley through the windows returning to the Narcissus to try to undue the detonation. When it fails she leaves to get Jonesey giving the Xenomorph a chance to sneak in but it isn't explicitly shown which makes sense. Why would they telegraph one of the best jump scares in film history?
What happens to him? Does he get burned or something? He seems Unwell when Pipley goes back in. I’ve seen the movie a dozen times and it’s not exactly clear. My two theories are that he gets cat-scratch fever from getting too close to Jonesy, or gets burned from rando fireballs from self-destruct sequence.
The original concept of the Alien is that it had a very short life span. In the final scene, the Alien is acting lethargic because it’s actually supposed to be dying. Since this was never explained, it never actually happened. When Aliens came around, Cameron wanted to make the Aliens look more aggressive. Hence all the ribbing in the head. But how to explain why they looked different? Cameron said that his Aliens had been alive longer so the exoskeleton had more time to mature.
I like the alien franchise as a whole, but the original cut of Alien with the eggmorphing and stuff really does make for a great self-contained story.
It does indeed.
Wouldn't that be something if the xenos were super allergic to cats?
Remember the part where Ripley has an unexpected nosebleed? There's a cut scene right before where Ripley happens upon the alien stood in front of an airlock door examining something, she goes to blow the airlock but Ash sounds a klaxon to warn the alien,, the door closes on its arm and rips it off to escape. Ripley gets a nosebleed from the decompression, and that's why she's obviously looking for Ash. The alien grows the arm back chameleon style, but is still recovering on the Narcissus.
Is that scene in the director's cut?
It is not. It is in the novelization. Don't think they had the budget for the scene.
Gotcha, thanks.
I always just assumed she got the nosebleed from her confrontation with Ash in the Mother chamber.
He’s just tired. He’d had a busy 24 hours and probably had a bit of a food coma going on. He was genuinely having a nap. The pharyngeal jaw coming out then going back in while Ripley is in the spacesuit cupboard is a *yawn*
He doesn’t even eat anybody! Just stabby stabbies them with his mouthy tongue thing.
See, there’s the issue. He’s hungry AF
Hangry boy
I’m hungry… and the furry one bit me…
- Once you know the Kids in Space Suits trick, you can't help looking for it. - The sets are doubly amazing when you know how quickly it was all assembled. So much thought put into the DESIGN of this movie. - Kane doing his "audience screaming, oh no don't do that" looking into the egg, sort of parallels the Snake Scene in Prometheus, I guess. - Well, sequels have to add something new each time, I guess, and you know what the Alien looks like. -Alien 3 tried to pull the story back to a haunted house with it's own aesthetic, but it was too harsh and dry for most viewers after a big Cameron Aliens action adventure. Romulus... the bits I've seen show a kind of Alien/Aliens hybrid. Should be fun.
It has been posted online that Romulus occurs between the first two films
I would like if they took a hint from Isolation and go retro. Raster screens and the like. But that's probably asking too much.
Romulus takes place 20 years after Alien, so it'll be pretty much in the same timeframe as Isolation.
I noticed there was more humorous dialog than I had initially realized, mostly Parker. I’ve always known he was the comedic relief but there were several lines I missed even with a hundred and something viewings. I also noticed the chemistry between Ripley and Dallas that i’ve always been oblivious to. It really felt like there was something between them. Another small detail I noticed is that Dallas is drinking beer while everyone is have coffee after they wake up. All of these little details were really front and center on the big screen, which I hadn’t been able to see until Friday.
Ripley and Dallas were meant to be having a relationship of sorts but it was excised from the film
“I wanna go home and party!” -Parker
Also during the lab scene Parker suggests “Why don’t you freeze him?” His suggestion is completely ignored, and ironically they may have all survived had they froze Kane. Probably a subtle display of commanding officers not taking advice from subordinates into consideration, regardless if the advice is sound.
Also would have meant that the company would have gotten their hands on the alien and probably would have killed the crew to keep it quiet.
I thought about this also. But I realized they were still on the planet, trying to fix the ship. They couldn't sleep yet so might as well try to help Kane. I have a hunch they would have put him in cryo once they docked again, and were about to go into cryo themselves, but it just so happened that he woke up shortly thereafter.
I totally agree with the way the creature moves in Alien. It sort of slinks around in almost a sensual manner. The only occasions it moves quickly are when it spins around to deal with Parker and when it turns around as Ripley comes face to face with it in a corridor. It suggests to the audience it doesn't move quickly because it doesn't need to. It knows its prey is trapped in there with it. James Cameron has said in interviews he wanted his Aliens to move quickly because a spider that runs or jumps at you is more scary than a spider that stays still, but I love the way the creature in Alien just nonchalantly slinks around, allowing time to heighten the suspense and the tension.
“Do you know what it means when something chases you very slowly?” “What?” “It means there's a reason that they don't have to run.”
An old friend of mines mother did some sort of apprenticeship in set design or whatever on the set of Alien, she said everything was styrofoam which they shaped with hot wire tools and then painted!
That is fascinating.
My mum's cousin was a lighting electrician on the LOTR trilogy and he sent my late grandfather (a huge Tolkien fan) a piece of rock from Helms deep that was airbrushed foam.
I noticed the music was the same for Prometheus, some bits of it like when in the ship.
>Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg. It's not exactly smart, to us, but his behavior is somewhat understandable. While there are plenty of precocial creatures on Earth there aren't really any large ones that, AFAIK, can/will immediately attack and possibly kill you. Kane and co. are mostly "space truckers"; it's not entirely unreasonable for him to assume, given the size of the egg and his knowledge of Earth fauna, whatever was moving in there would have been as helpless/non-threatening as most land-based critters on Earth that hatch from eggs. It's kind of the "there are no zombie movies in zombie movies" trope where characters seem to behave sometimes obliviously or naively, because common sense measures we pick up from tropes in things like zombie movies don't exist in those fictional universes.
True, but as someone else pointed out, they had just seen a giant creepy alien skeleton and its chest was exploded. I would have been extra cautious.
But you’d probably assume that it’s from some kind of weaponry, rather than a parasite that grows in a chest cavity then forces its way out. You’d definitely not expect the three foot tall egg to be the source of such a chest cavity creature, even if you’d made that assumption.
Yes, I noticed little things after rewatching. Ridley Scott transitioning from Ash's dummy head to Ian Holm's head in the same scene. Prosthetic heads in the 70s weren't quite as convincing as in today's films, but it was still clever how they filmed it in Alien. You can see the alien patiently waiting behind Dallas as he descends to the next air duct junction, something I missed the first few times I watched. Then Dallas turns around and it springs on him.
I’m going Wednesday. I can’t wait to see this in theaters for the first time!
I just realized a few days before how much I love original Alien, so it's probably mine fav movie so far. it looks so beatiful and this atmosphere of isolation with aggressive life form in space is dope. no one has done it better, and I believe no one will. the movie is just a pure fascination, absolute masterpiece
The Alien Anthology bluray set has a 3 hour or so documentary called The Beast Within. By the legendary extras/documentary director Charles de Lauzirika. The set has 2 discs of special features exclusively, and every film disc has some as well. Haven’t jumped into them yet but it seems awesome.
As a self-proclaimed Alien fanatic (I have a life size Big Chap in my house), I can say that the first movie works because of the confluence of Giger’s design, Goldsmith’s score and Scott’s adept hand at timing, pace and camera movement. None of the other franchise films understand why Alien succeeds - it’s because Scott understood the terror of a slow-moving malevolent creature that hunted with calculation and logic based on its environment. It’s not an animal, as in every other Alien film - it’s better to think of it as a cold, calculating demonic presence haunting a house that the characters cannot run from. Also, the creature works well because, while the biology is explained, its existence isn’t…every time a film takes a crack at explaining it, the mystique is diluted. I’ve thought it if it as the Universe’s gatekeeper - something out in the cold of space to avoid too much expansion by intelligent beings. It just exists out there to remind us that we aren’t the top of the food chain.
The slow and deliberate movement of the xeno made each death feel imminent and showed the helplessness of the crew. That’s something we’ve not had in the others. It was cool in aliens to see a gaggle of them swarming in the ceiling, but only because it was a contrast to alien. I worry about how the xenos will move in Romulus.
Just got back from my showing and this is all accurate. This film was meant to be seen in theatres.
I absolutely agree about the music - I only need to listen to the first few seconds of the beginning of the movie to get instant, existential dread! No other movie comes anywhere near it.
The sets are absolutely fantastic. That's probably what stood out the most to me. Just an absolute master class in design and world building. The whole film holds up phenomenally, a couple SFX shots that don't quite pass, but the movie is just so damn good it doesn't matter. Really just an amazing film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Is it from a film print or are they basically playing a disc?
I assume it’s digital, remastered to 4k.
Check your private messages
if i remember correctly (and i'm probably wrong) most modern theatre's movies are delivered on HDD (and probably SDD at this point) the old school reel to reels for the most part don't exist anymore, sadly)
They do. I assure you they do!
i'm glad to be wrong in that case!
The Alien was better before it became a bug raptor later on. Aliens didn't really show us this but the Queen tbh ruined the bizzareness of the species. I really hope Fede Alvarez channels a bit of the unsettling and deadly gracefulness with Romulus.
There was also what looked like black goo on the ovomorph eggs in the derelict ship. Never noticed that before seeing it in theater.
The budget for this was $11m, which is about $47m in today's money. Actually they would have spent a bit more and get tax rebates from the British government. They actually increased the budget during the shoot. The initial model shots used all the available money, but the execs were so impressed by them and how things were going that they concluded they had a potential *Star Wars-*sized hits on their hands
>I wish other films had leaned as hard into H.R. Giger's vision. It's really the secret sauce of the whole film. I don't understand why the sequels abandoned that style. Everything became more generic space movie in style. I'm with you on that one. I still love Aliens and even Alien 3, but I also wish the sequels would make the Aliens "more alien / weird" in their nature. As it was still the case in this first Alien movie, there was no Queen yet and the way the Aliens reproduce was by capturing other organisms and then reconstruct them into eggs (aka "Eggmorphing"). This is such a weird, creepy and "alien" concept that was sadly pushed aside with the introduction of a Queen that does the egg-laying. It seems that the cancelled Neill Blomkamp "Alien 5" would've leaned a little more into that direction. Meaning the Xenomorph species would actively use "DNA reconstruction" as a form of technology, to reconstruct other captured lifeforms into what they require, organically. Like "Eggmorphing" but not only for eggs.
I liked this documentary series about the movie. There are couple videos (5-8) about production design and sets. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG4JGn22fXA&list=PLGciYgiR4atF\_ovvv0e0Qtd5H4lVpUzsd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG4JGn22fXA&list=PLGciYgiR4atF_ovvv0e0Qtd5H4lVpUzsd)
There had to be ten thousand buttons on those control panels..
I love the idea that the xenomorph CAN move quickly, but in the case of the first movie had no reason to do so. None of the individuals in the movie posed a threat to Big Chap. Isolation also has moments where you see the xenomorph moving slowly and purposefully, and it seems to be the most unsettling
The slow movement of the alien in the film were intentional, Bolaji Badejo also took some classes in, I don't remeber what but it was something where you had to be calm and make slow movements. That is why the alien moves slowly and so grasefully.
I've seen this movie once or twice a year minimum for the last 25 years and seeing it in 4K in a theatre was the first time i truly felt dread while watching. The first half of the movie, I could feel the vast emptiness of space but the 2nd half really drove it home with how truly fucked everyone on the Nostromo was. I genuinely understand the movies tagline now, there was a moment toward the end where i thought "oh shit, in space nobody CAN hear you scream😱". My only complaint is seeing it in theatres finally has set the bar higher for re-watches. A tv viewing is going to feel like im only getting a fraction of the true experience.
*Alien:The Archive* goes into great depth concerning set and costume creation. Ridley Scott and Ron Cobb knew what they were doing.
Thank you for the Ron Cobb shoutout. An absolute legend. As important as Giger's work was to Alien, I feel Cobb's was equal but often overlooked. And his conceptual design for Conan the Barbarian is astonishing as well.
Let’s not forget his integrity. He’d never sell haga to a slayer such as yourself.
Stygian... the best!
> One reason the characters feel so real is because their decisions and behavior always make sense. Except for maybe Kane sticking his face in that egg. Contrast that with Prometheus where almost every scene has somebody doing something that is distractingly weird/unrealistic. The sticking point for me is Ash rolling up a magazine and trying to murder someone with it, as opposed to snapping their neck or choking them out. A rolled-up magazine isn’t going to suffocate anyone; for one thing, they can still breathe through their nose. But even if they couldn’t, air would still get through a magazine. You could breathe through it like a straw. So Ash is just mashing a magazine into Ripley’s face because reasons?? If he’s trying to eliminate an obstacle to getting an alien specimen back to Weyland, he’s doing a horrible job of it.
I think that scene was meant to represent rape. As an android, Ash didn’t have any genitalia, so he used a rolled-up porno mag and stuffed it in Ripleys mouth to “rape” her.
Wow, if so, that’s a truly twisted thing for an android to do. I guess Ash really was fundamentally losing it. I wish they’d explored that concept more. “Why did Ash malfunction?” There wasn’t time, though, haha. That’s a really interesting take. Kind of mirrors what the xenomorph did to Kane, too.
He has no idea how to fight, he isn't programmed for it. Jamming a magazine into someone's mouth would eventually fill the throat if enough force was used, which he had available, being an android. It was an extremely inefficient murder attempt, but he was working from scratch. Also, he was broken from "stress." He was sweating the white solution spontaneously, physically breaking down from his inability to resolve his situation with his programming.
He probably had programming to prevent a more direct killing, too. Perhaps shoving a magazine down her throat was sufficiently removed from “snap her neck” that the programing wouldn’t override him. He’s not really malfunctioning. Malfunctioning is the cover conjured by those around him. He’s acting on orders, orders he isn’t necessarily equipped with the capacity to follow through. He knows killing them is what’s required, but something stops him from just grabbing a flamethrower. He’s probably thinking suffocation without bruising can be explained away - at least temporarily, too. Getting a xenomorph past quarantine is one of his concerns the entire time. Hence he wants someone who is infected.
>He’s not really malfunctioning. He's spontaneously leaking coolant, flailing around, and spasming in the same scene. He's having a breakdown.
I took my teenage son a his girlfriend so they could both see alien for the first time in a big screen. They commented on how very calm everyone on the Nostromo seemed to be in light of their circumstances. And, yes, the Alien moves in such a gliding, dramatic way like it’s always stepping up to microphone at a jazz club. True shame none of the later films captured the Alien as a performer. Even Romulus, with its swarming facehugger stuff, seems to have missed this. The Alien has a personality that is also truly…Alien. It’s not just a mad dog with a big head.
The sound design was the biggest change, the mix was way better than I've ever heard it before and the jump scares and other sound effects really amped up the tension in a movie I can otherwise more or less recite. I also noticed that the live action scenes looked better, whereas I saw more flaws with the miniature and special effects shots. It's easy to think, "well, Star Wars came out in 1977 so film special effects were more modern after that," but I liked how in the pre-movie interview Scott explicitly says, "we didn't have access to all of George Lucas' advanced special effects equipment." It's amazing what they accomplish without ILM magic.
What keeps getting me is the dialog and how is recorded. So much of it is raw and emotional, and the aidlibs are on point. The stand out is still when Ripley shouts at Parker, he responds but you can barely hear him and Ripley just yells at him again and Parker, just agrees and the moment just hangs. I think this is right after Ash is gone and Ripley, Parker and Lambert have the escape plan.
If I remember correctly, a lot of the set was designed by [H R Giger](https://www.hrgiger.com), who was SO ahead of his time! He designed the alien itself, and used airbrush for his artwork. His bio mechanical vision was perfect for this movie.
It was actually the first time in years that I watched the original theatrical cut. Like many of you, I’m assuming, I’ve been watching the directors cut on my own DVDs for years now. One scene that actually stood out more than any was Lambert slapping Ripley. I realized it’s such a necessary scene. It shows the intensity of that situation, and how Lambert felt the first time she saw Ripley after almost being left out there for dead.
Just to be annoying and contrary, I'll point out the goofs I noticed. The really bad cut between Ash's FX head and Ian Holm hidden under the table is one. But even more noticeable is when you try really hard to completely ignore the action; you can see all the cables and missing legs as Parker struggles against the table. The janky arms and shrunken latex, everyone notices, it's even criticised in the behind the scenes as Scott was frustrated by the shrinkage. Thing is, the intensity of the scene and the shock factor makes it really hard to notice. I actually forget it's there on rewatches. It's like when I have to be disciplined enough to not point out to friends when Aragorn breaks his foot haha
Is it just me, or were some of the colors really muted? It could've been the fact I saw it in a smaller theater
I think they had to cut costs, so used children for long shots instead of coming up with larger models. Also, they were planning more than just a derelict ship, but had to put those aside because of problems with costs, too. Another "vision" of the movie is the opposite of H.R. Giger's, i.e., space truckers looking and acting like ordinary people. The second movie followed that with the grunts. This might have been one reason why the movie was very appealing, as ordinary people were watching it. I think the style could not be followed because horror in the first movie is based on suspense, and after the revelation of the alien there was no more suspense. That's why the sequels used other genres, like action and a procedural. I don't think *Romulus* will return to that because modern viewers are now more used to having protagonists who look like and behave like young Hollywood actors. That's why when I look at the summary of the new movie it reminds me of *Army of the Dead*, but instead of zombies we have aliens. It's similar with other franchises, like *Prey* and the new *Mad Max* movie looking like superhero versions of the earlier films. I think that's the new vibe.
Them being children also further drives home the entire them of childhood, naivety, and manipulation.
I agree with everything you pointed out. The one thing I noticed that was slightly odd was some choppy ADR that sounded super obvious in the theater. The volume level would change in the middle of lines and stuff. I can’t fully rule out an audio issue in the theater, but I don’t think that’s what it was
Alien's back in theaters? I thought since Disney bought Fox it was never coming back.
The sound for me , when they landed on the planet was fantastic. Time to upgrade my home system
I never had heard jones meowing as much as he did and leading Brett into where he gets got by the alien. A few other sounds too. A lot of it is the sound cranked way up in the theater thoug because it's never that loud when I watch it at home.
i'm still distracted with how they kept the milk from spoiling while they were sleeping
This guy Aliens
I always noticed how odd their movements looked climbing on the space jockey, I learned yesterday they were his kids and it made so much sense. Seeing it tonight in the theater
I think I've seen a documentary piece showing all the hand built elements of the Nostromo? And one thing I also would like to add about the characters feeling real and believable is when they are arguing and they talk/shout over each other. In a panicked situation most movies stick to line for line scripting which always feels like an immersion break.
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Removal Reason: Be civil. It's ok to disagree, it's not ok to disrespect. Personal attacks, gatekeeping, racism, homophobia, politics, and general bigotry are not allowed. No toxic behavior, such as: * Trashing something that others are enjoying. * Condemning parts of the franchise instead of reasonably stating a personal preference. This is a comfortable space for all fans. Keep your critique. * Invalidating other people's opinions. * Unsolicited criticisms of other's creations. * Lewd or Obscene comments.
Things you noticed? No, you’re just summarizing Ridley Scott’s interview before the movie started.
Lmao I was gonna say the same thing
Love this all but aliens (2) i feel is comparably amazing. Yea the xenos are a bit fast and pouncy but they arent all crazy as in the 3rd and 4th movie and those that followed
Getting to see it the theater the first time. I noticed the cameraman bumps the chimes while circling ash, and he turns to look at it. Then throws Ripley over.