Alien chronicles the story of the crew of starship Nostromo. The Nostromo is a commercial cargo ship tasked with transporting its load to Earth. All seems to be going well as the crew awakens from cryogenic sleep and prepares for a short trip back home. It is only when the ship receives a distress signal from a local planet that the true horror of the film is unveiled.
The crew are hesitant to respond to a foreign signal, but the newly appointed science officer Ash, insists they investigate on the grounds that company policy demands the crew respond to any and all distress signals, regardless of their origin. The crew snoops around old catacombs on the planet, and in a turn of events, Kane, the ship's executive officer, is attacked by a creature that fixes itself onto Kane's face, causing him to slip into a coma. Kane is taken into the auxiliary landing ship and given medical attention. Despite being a violation of quarantine protocol, Kane is taken into the Nostromo for further medical treatment at the digression of Ash, the science officer.
As foreshadowed earlier, Ash's decision to move Kane to the Nostromo backfires horribly. Kane, at first, appears to make a full recovery, but it is soon discovered that the opposite has occurred. During dinner, Kane begins to convulse and writhe until eventually, a creature erupts from from his stomach. The creature runs off and plays a game of hide-and-seek with the crew.
The Alien matures incredibly quickly, and one by one, kills of the members of the crew that dare pursue it. During this time, it is revealed that Ash, the science officer, is actually a "Synthetic Sleeper Agent", a robot with one goal in mind, bring the Alien home no matter the cost.
After all her fellow crewmates are killed, Ripley, the protagonist, makes a last ditch effort to escape by setting the ship to self-destruct and running for the escape pod. This scene is potentially more tense than the serious plot twist at the end of the film, as convenient writing allows for the escape pods to be located on the opposite side of the ship, resulting in a great sequence that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats.
Ripley narrowly escapes the ship, explosion in the background, sigh of relief, Ripley is about to enter her pod and awaken on Earth. Credits roll.
But they don't.
Ripley must face one more challenge before she can be released from the hell she has lived. The Alien has snuck into her escape pod, and is hiding in an alcove. Ripley stealthily climbs into a space suit, and pulls the airlock latch, expelling the Alien once and for all.
I love this film. I love everything about it. I think it is a flawless example of modern day horror. The atmosphere of the film is claustrophobic and dark. It is a movie that is constantly threatening the viewer, leaving them constantly frightened of what is to come next.
HR Giger's artistry in creating the Alien elevates the horror of the film to a new level. Not only are viewers terrified of the monster, but they are intrigued. Giger creates a monster that viewers want to see on screen, but whose presence terrifies its audience. Giger is a master of his craft, and well deserving of his academy award for his work on Alien.
Overall, Alien is a masterpiece. It's captivating, terrifying, and thrilling. This film defines a generation of horror. Alien raises the bar for what a horror film should be, and forces other films to be better if they want to compete.
No comments:
Post a Comment