Alien (1979): A genre-defining classic
1979 • Ridley Scott • 2.39:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is the first film in the eponymous franchise. It follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo, who respond to a distress signal on a remote planet. After encountering an unknown lifeform, they unwittingly bring a lethal organism aboard their ship. As it grows and begins to hunt them one by one, survival becomes their only objective.
Blending industrial design with organic horror, the film establishes the aesthetic of the Xenomorph as a disturbing fusion of technology and biology, designed by H. R. Giger. The creature moves through the vast spacecraft, lurking in the corridors and air vents and emerging from the darkness that surrounds the crew in the dimly lit industrial maze.
Alien functions as a haunted-house film in a science-fiction setting. The shadows are dense, the lived-in environments feel hot and oppressive, and the creature remains largely unseen as it eliminates the crew one by one. It was so successful at delivering on its seemingly simple premise that it has become a genre-defining film.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: After receiving a mysterious distress call in deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo encounters a deadly extraterrestrial organism that begins to stalk them one by one. Read my review of Alien.
- Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto.
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Year: 1979
- Cinematographer: Derek Vanlint
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Genre: Sci-Fi / Horror
