nan | 楠木

It is very difficult to write something meaningful about a true classic, without coming off as clichéd. I must have first saw Alien when I was around 10 – and since then this film has never failed to amaze me. It also left me with plenty of nightmares and “afraid of the dark” moments.

I recently saw the “Director’s Cut” version, which according to director Ridley Scott, is not really a director’s cut but just an alternative version with some deleted scenes restored (Mr. Scott claims to prefer the original theatrical version). Most notably, there is a scene during the climax where Ripley encounters Kane cocooned by the alien. It is a tasty little revelation on how the aliens reproduce; but as Tom Skerritt (who played Kane) notes, this interlude completely breaks the pace of the climax.

That aside, what are the truly great things about this film? I think perhaps a few points should be mentioned (nothing original, just a summary of what I’ve read really).

First, the innovative plot. Alien is probably the first horror set in space, and remains the best of this sub-genre. The narrative is also a clever use of the slasher genre, in which a bunch of characters are killed off one by one, leaving the audience guessing who will live to see the light of day.

The art design. H.R. Giger’s phenomenal artistic vision lead to the creation of the alien, which is perhaps the most haunting monster on screen ever. Besides that, the whole cyberpunk feel of the sets, and the great industrial look and feel are mesmerizing (the scenes in the lower decks, where the air seems to be humid and the surroundings reminiscent of a gothic torture chamber are brilliant).

The characters. “Truckers in space”, as Mr. Scott puts it, was another stroke of genius. The characters are immediately identifiable by the audience – these are not scientists or futuristic marines, but just ordinary blue collars delivering a shipment. And the idea of making a female the lead (which was very original at the time) gave the film a subtle feminist angle, which created depth for the film’s narrative (for example, the scene where the android Ash attacks Ripley, can be interpreted as a “rape” scene and therefore a discussion of feminism).

10/10