Review of Alien

Introduction

So influential was Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic, that most of the film’s radical inventiveness and daring has become virtually second nature in a horror landscape filled with female heroines, bluff-climaxes and steadily mounting suspense, not to mention plenty of free-flowing blood `n guts. The true secret of the lasting brilliance of ‘Alien’ however, is its layered elegance, its chilling, sparse visual style and its subtextual complexity, which was sadly neglected in every one of the film’s subsequent sequels, even the intense, ultraviolent ‘Aliens.’

Video

Not only has the film been digitally remastered, but appears in its original windscreen ratio and an anamorphic transfer that is pure perfection. You’ve simply never seen ‘Alien’ looking this good.

Audio

If anything, even more impressive than the visual clarity. Not only do we get a clean-as-a-whistle cut of Jerry Goldsmith’s memorable, expressive, yet curiously playful score, but, better than that, we get every gloriously manipulated sound-effect, so vital to the silence/jarring cacophony juxtaposition with crystalline precision. Perfection.

Features

If you’re lucky enough to have purchased the ‘Alien Legacy’ box-set then you can enjoy a glorious new documentary about the making of ‘Alien’, which details in depth every facet of production, including a rare interview with Alien creator H.R. Giger. Its filled with wonderful anecdotes, including the rather surreal sight of John Hurt, his chest exploded, sipping white-wine and smoking a cigarette. A wonderful little freebie. On the ‘Alien’ disc itself however, you’re hardly short-changed: the animated menus are wonderful, utilising a technology far more complex than anything on display in the film itself. We get a whole bunch of trailers and TV Spots, both quaint and terrifying at the same time, proving that they really did know how to market movies those old-schoolers, without giving away the entire plot. The photo Gallery is superb, with a collection of Giger’s surreal, quietly distressing production images, A whole bunch of Ridley Scott’s storyboards, and loads of other stuff, too numerous to go into here. There’s an excellent clutch of deleted scenes and outtakes, including the famed ‘Cocoon’ scene which gleefully contradicts everything that happens in the subsequent sequels, a more explicit version of Brett’s death and an outtake which shows the menacing creature in its full ‘tall-guy-in-a-suit’ glory. There’s also a selection of alternative audio tracks: you can wallow in Goldsmith’s score (complete with lengthy patches of deafening silence) or listen to an alternative music track. Best of all is Ridley Scott’s commentary, where he reveals just enough to tantalise the imagination and holds enough back to let us think for ourselves.

Conclusion

With such a great transfer of a genuinely thrilling and intelligent film, this disc would be worthwhile even without the bonus material. Easily the best in a curiously aimless, albeit daring saga of films, ‘Alien’, if anything, becomes an even more rewarding experience with multiple viewing, hindsight providing just the kind of background we need to revel in Scott’s subtle character development and manipulative tension tactics. Forget ‘Alien Resurrection’, ‘Alien’ is the most sensual of the bunch, Giger’s beautifully seductive yet menacing and otherworldy images coming across in the movie loud and clear. Throw into this Sigourney Weaver re-inventing the woman-in-peril (the final scene, where she defends herself, up-close and personal, against the slobbering, phallic, alien monstrosity, is stunning) and you have an endlessly rewatchable fright-fest.