Fig. 1. Alien poster
Ridley Scott’s Alien
(1979) is a suspense filled rollercoaster, that grips and drags you in to the
point where you feel as if you’re part of the story. Alien is a very well executed sci-fi horror that will not disappoint.
Every aspect of the film works hand in hand to deliver a heap of suspense and
jump out of your skin moments.
Fig. 2. Breakfast scene
Scott does an excellent job at making you feel as if
you are there, using a lot of steadicam up close and personal to the characters
at the beginning, almost making you feel as if you’re part of the crew. To the
extreme hand held shaky camera shots, that gives you a direct connection to the
panic, the fear, the horror that’s taking place. The little details that Scott
deals with during a setting that is so futuristic also adds to the feeling of
it all being real, like the scene where they’re gathered around the table
eating breakfast and complaining about the wages for the job (see fig.2.). As Tse points out ‘It was Alien's gritty realism, relentless
horror and gradual pacing that made the film such an unforgettable experience.’
(Tse, 2014).
Fig. 3. Alien still
The art for Alien
is probably the reason that it’s stood the test of time so well, as Jones
mentions ‘The top-notch acting
(super-astronaut Sigourney Weaver) and imaginative bio-mechanical production
design (with the alien created by Swiss artist HR Giger) succeed in flattering
a script culled from many cult sci-fi movies, including It! The Terror from
beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires.’ (Jones, 2014) the art amongst other
things really help the film together as the narrative is very much an old
haunted house style film. With clever use of lighting the alien looks real
throughout most of the film, the only exception is when it’s ejected from the
shuttle at the end.
Every little detail of the film has been designed in
depth; it’s possibly that this is due to Scott’s previous experience in
advertising. ‘Scott, a recruit from
advertising, where instant atmospherics has to be the order of the day,
manipulates his audience in a far stronger fashion than he managed with The
Duellists.’ (Malcolm, 2013) Using
his advertising background, Scott has a far heightened sense of how to draw the
audience in. He achieves this by using clever shots and the use of quiet voices
that make you feel as if you’re actually there.
Overall Alien
is definitely a film that still stands tall even today, stunning visuals and a
thick layer of suspense will leave your blood pumping.
Illustration
List:
Scott,
R. (1979). Figure 1. Alien poster. http://www.classichorrorcampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/alien-1979-poster.png
(Accessed on 23/10/14)
Scott,
R. (1979). Figure 2. Breakfast still http://media.aintitcool.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/7888/original/alienattacks.jpg?1341783250
(Accessed on 23/10/14)
Scott,
R. (1979). Figure 3. Alien still http://media.aintitcool.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/7888/original/alienattacks.jpg?1341783250
(Accessed on 23/10/14)
Bibliography:
Jones, A.
(2013). radiotimes.com. http://www.radiotimes.com/film/zwts/alien
(Accessed on 23/10/14)
Malcolm,
D. (2013). theguardian.com. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/derek-malcolm-alien-review
(Accessed on 23/10/14)
Tse, D.
(2014). jam.canoe.ca. http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Reviews/A/Alien/2003/10/29/752149.html
(Accessed on 23/10/2014)
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