Atmospheric Suspense Filled With Vivid And Disturbing Combinations

With each defining science-fiction film that has come and gone over the history of cinema, there has always been distinguishing motifs that has made the much recognisable films stand-out from the vast array of others. Whether it’s the adventurist inspirations that the original Star Wars films utilised or the metaphorical constructs that James Cameron implemented within his film of The Terminator, which primarily echoes the encroaching anxieties of technological advancement, it’s clear to notice just how the best science and high-tech heavy films not only infringe the way in which we think and talk about issues in everyday society, but amalgamate themes from different genre’s to differentiate from the vast array of similar types of films. This can very much be seen in the now highly-praised science-fiction feature of Alien, a Ridley Scott film which not only broke the mould by cleverly incorporating horror-generic formalities that challenges our viewing experience through an ever curious camera and subtle suspense, but stands as an original piece of cinematic work that has seen many other films copy its formula; as seen in the cases of Even Horizon, Lily C.A.T. and Daniel Espinosa’s recent filmic entry of Life. Being that many films have integrated its narrative specifications and has spawned a beloved franchise of its own, does Alien still uphold itself in this day and age? Or, does it simply lack in comparison to other, arguably more noticed, sci-fi features?

When the commercial spacecraft of the Nostromo, heading back to Earth, intercepts an SOS signal from a distant moon, the seven-member crew are woken-up from their hyper-sleep and are under obligation to investigate. After a bad landing on this moon, three of the seven-member crew discover a derelict spaceship and a huge chamber inside it; containing a hive colony of thousands of eggs. After one of the eggs is disturbed however, the crew don’t realise the danger that they have set for themselves…

As many of you reading will have already known of this film, Ridley Scott’s feature of Alien stands today as one of the most revolutionary sci-fi films to have graced the silver-screen; Not just from a special effects standpoint, in terms of moulding miniature and practical effects to perceive a sense of authenticity, but also from a concept point-of-view and how it utilises horrific-genre tropes to inert an intense sense of verisimilitude. Indeed, there are many formal and contextual aspects to appreciate in this lauded sci-fi feature that, as mentioned in the introduction, many films have tried to imitate. However, one of the more unique features that makes Alien standout from these replications, and in the sequels that proceeded it, is the atmospheric production design and monochrome visualisation that H.R. Giger artistic input in relation to the alien aspects of the film. Predominantly creating monochromatic designs to enthral and disturb the audiences’ gaze as well as diverging its biomechanical designs from the industrial and ‘clean’ look of the Nostromo ship and its human elements that feel as though they’ve been really lived in, Giger’s artistic influence is viscerally made known and subtly emphasises this disturbing manner of sexualisation. From the design of the alien creature itself to the way in which the ‘face-hugger’ attaches itself onto a persons face and impregnates you subsequently, it’s clear that there is a faint yet deranged metaphorical sensibility on the idea of sexual violation, as seen in many horror films, that purposefully makes you feel uneasy. It earnestly violates our recesses of our minds, from the way in which these unique creatures give birth to the way they kill you; in which the xenomorph’s mouth opens up and another smaller mouth comes out. It’s uniquely and psychologically disturbing to say the least. What we can fathom from what has just been discussed, in relation to the backdrop-design and how it not only metaphorically highlights a trope common in many horrific genre pieces but contradicts itself with the outlay of the alien ship and the Nostromo, is the varying formal and contextual combinations that Scott purposefully utilises to create a science-fiction feature that consistently upholds an eerie suspension. As seen in the subdued yet oddly ghostly opening sequence of this film, Alien achieves its goal of being hauntingly apprehensive by introducing us to an opening scene that is completely devoid any dialogue or musical scores, and instead opts for visualisation that moulds together different aspects of cinematography and editing. From the way in which the camera willingly moves in a continuous motion to outlay the dirty and mechanical scenery of the Nostromo to the way in which the editing subtly and seamlessly changes our own perception of the proceedings, not only is Scott trying to convey the inevitable-creepy happenings that will be bestowed upon the seven-member crew, he’s also trying to get across how the world we’re witnessing. although it maybe a contained space, is tangible and can be metaphysically attachable. As much as this film centralises on a horrifying premise, situating itself around the ‘monster syndrome’ hall-mark, as seen in Jaws where the ‘monster’, in this instance the alien, gradually picks of the cast of characters one-by-one in either a gruesome yet incognito-esque fashion, it’s clear from the way in which the seven-members of the Nostromo interact with one another and how the mise-en-scéne is constructed that Ridley Scott, along with the writers and the rest of the production crew, wanted to portray a world that feasibly worked; despite it being a pure sci-fi flick. There’s an omnipotent sense of a grounded realism that audiences will correlate with in relation to what each character member does or doesn’t do. This ‘realism’, in turn, leads to other themes being fleshed out; motifs that are synonymous to the science-fiction genre that warrant discussion and exemplify our general anxieties. While it’s clearly something that Scott, and the writers, didn’t want to coherently focus on, in relation to the context of the film and how the narrative maneuvers itself towards the claustrophobic and contained horror of the alien creature, one motif that is subtly displayed to flesh out Alien, is this idea of ‘technophobia’ that is surrounded around the character of Ash and the crew’s realisation that he’s in fact a programmed android. From industrialisation to atomic power and modern computing, new technology has always upset the status quo, and films over the years have always been quick to explore the potential repercussions of technological change. While it isn’t strictly a film driven, or even dependant on technology, in the metaphorical undergrowth of Scott’s Alien is a subtly of ‘technophobia’, a fear of what science and technology mean for humanity and what the future might bring. This is, of course, displayed through the erratic actuality of Ash being an android all along; revealing that he was programmed to retrieve analysis of alien and taunting the Nostromo crew of their chances of survival against the “perfect organism”. The inclusion of this slightly different portrayal of technological terror indeed adds another dimension to the contextualisation of the proceedings; emphasising that there’s not just the threat of the alien entity, but there’s also an internal/humanitarian menace that quells the progression of the crew’s efforts in annihilating the initial danger.   

As much as audiences will perceive Sigourney Weaver’s character of Ripley as not only the central protagonist of this film, since she’s the penultimate individual who deals with the alien creature single-handedly, but also the central character of the other subsequent ‘Alien’ related films that marginally links the franchise together in a canonical manner, one of the aspects that is seamlessly executed and coincides with tropes seen within an atypical horror flick is the assemble of the seven-member crew being shown as the collective-protagonist. Although Ripley, as seen mid-way through the narrative, intervenes and manages to deal with the threat of the alien creature all by herself, there isn’t a clear-cut character from the 1st act that acclaims themselves to the screen in being the protagonist. We don’t really understand who the lead is until Weaver’s character steps up half-way through. Until that point, it’s really just the crew itself that is portrayed as the protagonist; the team which incidentally pulls you into their many different perspectives and makes you question which one of these individuals will grasp and steal our gaze. While the film tricks our perspective towards Tom Skeritt’s portrayal as Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo, we eventually find ourselves to look upon Ripley, the warrant officer of the crew who inhabits the screen and becomes the ‘superwoman’ – who manages to take up multiple roles when everything is turning into dire straits. Even though it’s intersting to firstly look at Alien to notice and appreciate the affiliation that the ‘protagonist’ is mainly comprised of the space crew, it’s equally pleasing to notice just how much the character of Ripley is fleshed out, to what she eventually becomes in the next few films, is fun to see for those who are already acquainted with the franchise. 

While it’s not as recognisable to ponder in the later features which inherited new cinematic technologies and differentiating stylistic choices that progressively changed the nature of the franchise from what it originally was, an aesthetic that culminates towards Scott’s Alien as being an original and distinctive film, in comparison to many other recognised films of the same genre, are the practical effects that accentuates towards the films attempted realism. Similar to what was previously mentioned when discussing the production design that H.R. Giger influenced, the effects used, in regards to the infamous ‘chestburster’ scene which provoked an honest and real shock of surprise from the characters in that specific sequence, equivalently pave towards a singular concept that disturbs the recesses of the audiences’ viewing experience. Again, it’s the combinations of differentiating filmic styles that Scott uses to provide the necessary sense of terror that is bestowed to us. The fact that we don’t get to see the full embodiment of this terrifying entity that is authentically crafted along with the the puppeteering involved in the gruesome death of John Hurt’s character, is enjoyable yet tense to say the least. 

Despite the arguable perception that many will apply themselves towards James Cameron’s sequel in the compendium of this lauded sci-fi franchise, Ridley Scott’s direction and unique visionary approach to Alien can’t be unprecedented since it told a haunting premise that coherently moulded different genre tropes with one another that challenges our gaze through suspenseful filmic formalities. Despite that many will favour science-fiction features that utilise cinematic technology that provides a grandeur of spectacle, there is no other film quite like Alien that upholds cinematic approaches that are unique and are fleshed out in such a contained yet viscerally designed space. The very fact that less-prudent film productions, over-time, have imitated the contextual aspects of this idiosyncratic, is an epitome of just how Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror provided a new perspective for the genre, as well as the film industry…👾

On this note, it’s time for me to end this weeks review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest review of Ridley Scott’s Alien and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read!! 😉. If anyone has an opinion on either my review or on the film itself, feel free to drop a comment down below. I do apologise if this review is a bit late, I’ll make sure that this won’t happen in the near future. I will bring you a review later this week, I’m just not sure what to watch/review yet…😑. Once again, thank you to everyone for reading this week’s Blog Post and I’ll see you all next week!! I hope you all had a nice Easter!! 😁✌🐇 Adieu!! 😀😎👍

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Alex Rabbitte