My parents may have regretted taking me in 1979, but I sure didn’t! My favorite film of all-time. The 45th anniversary restoration earlier this year was amazing, probably my first big screen viewing since ‘79 (though many other times on cassette, DVD, and streaming).
I haven’t seen the restoration! I have it on blu ray. Hopefully they’ll screen it again soon as there seems to be a boom of screening old movies right now! It’s a perfect film.
"Alien" is perhaps my favourite film - tussling with "Blade Runner" and a few others for the top spot, but probably well ahead of them if I really think about it.
But what I loved most about it, what was so deliciously unsettling, were the unknowns. A bunch of space truckers land on a colony world, find something terrifying that they don't understand, the mysteries abound, people start dying, one person gets out alive, and everything is left behind, unexplained - at least at the time. Humanity dips a toe in the infinite ocean of mysteries that outer space contains, and instantly has its foot torn off.
(As much as I enjoy "Aliens", I wish Scott had left the story there, with nothing resolved or unpacked. A mystery box that nobody wants to open for fear of what's inside is a really haunting idea for a film.)
For me, this is one of the scariest ideas about humans heading out into the wider universe: what if we are not the tiniest bit ready for what's really out there? Not in a "evil aliens coming to Earth to enslave us all" way that acknowledges us as a threat to be extinguished, but in the way a mountain is terrifying? What if it's less a wagon-train to the stars and more like stepping out an airlock without a spacesuit?
Magnificent film. 10/10 would endure a lifetime of sleepless nights again.
“In the way a mountain is terrifying”. That’s exactly it! Something greater than ourselves that we can’t fully comprehend that, if only we had the indefinite lives of a computer game we perhaps could. But alas.
I always find horror terrifying until you know what you’re dealing with. The unknowns is always worse. The xenomorph remains that way once we see it because it feels so..unbeatable?
This is kind of why I love planet of the apes. It’s a wave of power that’s grounded in nature and science. It’s terrifying awe.
Love hearing about those initial reactions - I definitely watched many of the films of that time too young (Jaws comes to mind, and even the Empire Strikes Back was a bit too dark for little people!). I was spared the trauma of watching Alien too young though! And definitely want to read more about that designer.
I remember watching Saving Private Ryan a bit too young. I finished it and just couldn’t speak for about five hours 😅. My mum always used to say “you can’t unwatch these things so be careful!” Haha
Gareth, your review of Alien is fantastic! You nailed the cultural impact and innovative horror that made the film a classic. Your insights into the initial reactions and the groundbreaking work of Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver provided a fascinating glimpse into the film's legacy. It's a compelling and informative read for any cinema enthusiast!
My parents may have regretted taking me in 1979, but I sure didn’t! My favorite film of all-time. The 45th anniversary restoration earlier this year was amazing, probably my first big screen viewing since ‘79 (though many other times on cassette, DVD, and streaming).
I haven’t seen the restoration! I have it on blu ray. Hopefully they’ll screen it again soon as there seems to be a boom of screening old movies right now! It’s a perfect film.
Really enjoyed this.
"Alien" is perhaps my favourite film - tussling with "Blade Runner" and a few others for the top spot, but probably well ahead of them if I really think about it.
But what I loved most about it, what was so deliciously unsettling, were the unknowns. A bunch of space truckers land on a colony world, find something terrifying that they don't understand, the mysteries abound, people start dying, one person gets out alive, and everything is left behind, unexplained - at least at the time. Humanity dips a toe in the infinite ocean of mysteries that outer space contains, and instantly has its foot torn off.
(As much as I enjoy "Aliens", I wish Scott had left the story there, with nothing resolved or unpacked. A mystery box that nobody wants to open for fear of what's inside is a really haunting idea for a film.)
For me, this is one of the scariest ideas about humans heading out into the wider universe: what if we are not the tiniest bit ready for what's really out there? Not in a "evil aliens coming to Earth to enslave us all" way that acknowledges us as a threat to be extinguished, but in the way a mountain is terrifying? What if it's less a wagon-train to the stars and more like stepping out an airlock without a spacesuit?
Magnificent film. 10/10 would endure a lifetime of sleepless nights again.
“In the way a mountain is terrifying”. That’s exactly it! Something greater than ourselves that we can’t fully comprehend that, if only we had the indefinite lives of a computer game we perhaps could. But alas.
I always find horror terrifying until you know what you’re dealing with. The unknowns is always worse. The xenomorph remains that way once we see it because it feels so..unbeatable?
This is kind of why I love planet of the apes. It’s a wave of power that’s grounded in nature and science. It’s terrifying awe.
Alien/s along with Terminator/2 is a film I often say to my husband "Do you fancy watching-". Its brilliance never dies.
Yes! Whenever I rewatch them I still find myself saying “ffs this is so good” half way through, every time.
Love hearing about those initial reactions - I definitely watched many of the films of that time too young (Jaws comes to mind, and even the Empire Strikes Back was a bit too dark for little people!). I was spared the trauma of watching Alien too young though! And definitely want to read more about that designer.
I remember watching Saving Private Ryan a bit too young. I finished it and just couldn’t speak for about five hours 😅. My mum always used to say “you can’t unwatch these things so be careful!” Haha
Wise words from mum!
Gareth, your review of Alien is fantastic! You nailed the cultural impact and innovative horror that made the film a classic. Your insights into the initial reactions and the groundbreaking work of Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver provided a fascinating glimpse into the film's legacy. It's a compelling and informative read for any cinema enthusiast!
Aw thanks Jon! Appreciate it :)