"For those who want to be scared in a primal way."
OK, so tell me with a straight face that you can watch Alien in a dark silent room and it's not scary? Well, you're a damn liar.Look, it's simple: You're in this giant, cold, wet, drippy, metal and steel maze (that literally has no escape) and there's this giant killer monster out there, only it keeps changing, so you will never know what it looks like. You have no real weapons, but the thing bleeds acid that can melt your skin, so you don't really want to hurt it. There are a few others around, but you're easily the smartest and you're already near panic.
There's your scenario. Throw in some dark and foreboding music and lighting, that's Alien. Director Ridley Scott shows with Alien (and Blade Runner) that he is a true visionary. (We just need to hope he always gets scripts like these.) The cast is solid, with Yaphet Kotto, Tom Skerritt and Ian Holm as standouts. Of course, this is where Ripley got her start, and she plays the role brilliantly, with equal parts intelligence, fear, common sense, and humanity.
Alien has proved to be one of the most influential science-fiction movies of the past 30 years, and it's also one of the most entertaining. It's smart, graphic, gloomy and dark. This one is an absolute must for any self-respecting movie fan.I watch it every time it comes on cable. It also has a great distinction of having an equally brilliant sequel, but Alien will always be a classic in my book. Another of those "It changed my life when I saw it as a kid" movies.
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