‘Alien’: Movie Review
Slightly long, but intriguing and memorable
There’s a trick to watching these simple-ish old movies. First, do not read the synopsis; read the genre, and if it fits for you, watch it. Second, don’t get bored by its simplistic title. Instead, embrace the simplicity throughout the movie. At most times, the trick succeeds, and you’ll love it just like how people ‘back in mah day’ did. My first try at this is with 1979’s Alien.
It could’ve been a major concern to me that the movie is (factually) predictable. At least it still is a concern. However Alien doesn’t try to be unpredictable. It exploits predictability and tries to build an intense, thought-provoking atmosphere around it. And personally, I enjoy it, right from the start. The movie may be easy, but it is influential, inspirational in many ways, and throughout, it feels like you’re really following these Nostromo space tug folks.
What I can conclude from reading critical and audience reviews is that I’m the only person thinking certain scenes on the planet are too long. This movie is — what — 2 hours… it could’ve been trimmed ~10 minutes and the suspense still hangs. However retrospectively, I remember feeling those moments zipping by quickly, and the movie still retains its style. I don’t remember thinking it’s inconsistent, because that’s what good movies do.
Alien is a movie that should be watched by every horror screenwriter, in order for them to really understand the horror genre. The movie manages to give you a break from its jolts and drugs, giving its universe a little humanity by throwing humour, lighthearted scenes, and emotional ones throughout. Partly they influence the story. But when not, I don’t ever feel like closing the tab, because although certain of such sequences lacked what I was watching it for, it felt so close I wanted to see how it ends.
Amped up by the state-of-the-art cinematography and ominous score (undoubtedly), writer Dan O’Bannon finds an original, charming storytelling technique, locking the viewers’ perception into wherever the characters are — or even in them — thus making an easy Alien traumatizing and vivid. When something terrifying happens, I remember clenching my fists and moving a bit, which I usually do when scared or terrorized: a feeling only certain horror movies can do to me.
GENRE: Sci-fi, horror
DURATION: 1 hour 57 minutes
WATCHED ON: Disney+ Hotstar
AGE RATING: 14+
LANGUAGE: English
