Review of “Alien” – Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic fascinates and horrifies at the same time

I was really late with the Foreigner franchise. I grew up terrified of the Hollywood Studios part. Great film ride thematically reminiscent of the iconic Ridley Scott film (that stupid alarm still haunts me), and even after this attraction was unceremoniously removed from the Disney Parks, I was hesitant to get involved with the films, despite several people telling me that I would be missing out on one of the greatest horror icons in film history. It literally took a need to Aliens 3 this year for a podcast about one of the film’s supporting stars that made me finally get into it. It may be the strangest reason I’ve ever spent a weekend consuming six hours of film, I’ll admit, but it got me into it in the end anyway.

I am at a disadvantage because I have decided to catch up after The 1979 film came before the Alien: Romulus. My bad timing means I experienced the film outside of a dark, silent theater, which is of course the ideal experience, especially for a high-stakes horror film. Foreigner from the big screen to my (admittedly still quite large) TV at home does not detract from its appeal. Even at first glance it is clear why it has become such a popular movie, because At first glance, it is much more atmospheric than I would have expected from a science fiction horror film. It’s a study in what lurks in the shadows we tend to ignore, and a lesson in why irritating the bear (or egg, if we’re being literal) is usually the worst idea of ​​all.

“Alien” contains an unexpected source of terror

As a first-time viewer, I was surprised to find that it is not the final evolutionary stage of the titular alien – if we are to use Pokemon terms – that scares me the most. The fully grown Xenomorph, which my Lexapro-fuelled brain imagined to be a mere man in an incredible HR Giger-designed suit is a feast for the eyes for the horror, but does not unsettle me in any way. No, this award goes to the Facehuggerand the breast-bursting embryos they implant into their victims. It is not even necessarily the blood and guts that result from the breast-bursting – although I have been desensitized to Johannes Hurt‘s unfortunate passing after years of watching Space balls — that scares me, just like the idea that my body is being attacked by a foreign parasite. That idea alone, coupled with the spider-like design of the creepy little buggers, brings with it internalized fears of pregnancy and penetration—fears I was essentially born with as an AFAB person—that disturbed me far more than the destruction the full-grown monster brought with it.

Maybe it’s because we hardly ever see the adult queen herself. The Great White Shark argued that the less you see of the titular monster, the greater the suspense, but for a two-hour movie, most of it consists of a hell of a lot of sitting and waiting. When a title like Foreigner is considered the horror king, the part of me that is exposed to everything, from The Faculty To Terrorbringer expects a certain kind of story, a certain kind of action. That doesn’t mean that my horror films have to be action-packed like Foreigner‘s little sister, Aliens – far from it. But calling something horror brings with it certain genre expectations, and Scott makes almost no effort to adhere to them.

Ridley Scott’s style doesn’t really fit horror

Of course, Foreigner itself is a proto-invasion film that was released just one year after Halloween changed the name of the game, and before the concept of the last girl — a title that most can agree with Sigourney Weaver“Ripley Falls” – has really established itself in pop culture. The landscape of horror was changing almost constantly at this point in film historywhich also includes publications such as David Cronenberg‘S The brood and the original Horror movies in Amityvilleso it feels a little unfair to judge the Xenomorph in comparison to other horror icons. But it also feels a little like Scott just… missed the mark?

Before the cries of “Boo, tomato, tomato” start, I am not saying Foreigner is bad. I never really agreed with Scott’s style – I always liked his brother Tony Scott‘s adrenaline-fueled approach to filmmaking – and I can be honest when I say that part of my criticism of the film stems from the fact that Scott always seemed to me to be more concerned with a good-looking picture than a compelling story. (I spent a lot more time reading as a child than watching TV, so story and characters were always more of my personal concerns.)

But more importantly, what I saw was completely different from what I expected. I remember horrified through even the small parts of the original cinema trailer, which was shown in the pre-show for the Great film rideand the general discussion/hype surrounding the film conveniently ignores the fact that the film is, for the most part, a very quiet waiting game. In reality, unlike the monster movies I’ve come to love, it’s a film that resonates just long enough that, for someone who knows most of the iconic scenes from growing up around other film lovers, all the air is let out of the metaphorical balloon. They’re great set pieces, I can’t deny that, but the space between them feels strange compared to the image I had in my head. (I know, I know, you’re not supposed to judge a book and all that.)

Even with spoilers, “Alien” still holds up

However, there are also surprises, even though all the important scenes were revealed to me before I could even understand them. Ian Holm is secretly an android whose task is to bring the Xenomorph home to use it as a bioweapon (and that the “emergency call” was actually a deliberate intervention) was a jab out of the blue and an interesting facet of the entire franchise that I was surprised I had never heard before. I’m sure it would be of interest to us today, in the age of Jeff Bezos And Elon Musk and companies don’t even pretend to care about people any more than they did in 1979.

Perhaps that’s what kept the film from being truly terrifying for me. The thematic elements lurking just beneath the surface of the monster movie/Final Girl hybrid set my academic brain on fire, and every theory I’ve ever learned in literature class was itching to be applied to this superficially simple man vs. animal type film. The concept of biology as a weapon (and the autonomy it takes away from us as women/humans/etc. when the turn in Aliens 3 is a hint) exceeds the fear of being skinned alive of an alien with a kitchen tool for a head. Foreigner endures, not because it fits in with the slasher and monster movies of its time, but because it doesn’t.

REVIEW

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott’s Alien is a science fiction classic that fascinates and frightens, even if the second film is still better.

Release date

June 22, 1979

Duration

117 minutes

Main genre

Science fiction

Per

• The film is very complex both in terms of theme and presentation.
• In a world controlled by wealthy corporations, the changes this brings are particularly noticeable today.
• It is precisely because of its uniqueness compared to other films in the genre that “Alien” proves to be a lasting role model.

Disadvantages

• Scott’s style doesn’t quite fit here.

Foreigner is available to stream on VOD in the US

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