On seeing 'Alien' again
Posted by: Tim Jones on 05 November 2003
When I first sneaked into the cinema to see Alien at the impressionable age of nine, it was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen - a visceral miasma of claustrophobic sexual terror. Since then it's become a personal favorite and I seem to know most of it by heart. Go figure.
So I jumped at the chance to see it again at the cinema last weekend (as part of the Halloween re-release). I went with my better half - who had never seen it - and many, many 'young people', who I don't think had seen it either.
First, while I was pretty desensitised, the shock effect still works in places - but the chest bursting scene just doesn't surprise anyone anymore because it's so familiar from comedy sketches and as a movie reference. This is a great shame in a way because it's such an important marker in the plot and for many years was thought of as one of the most horrific things in film.
Second there seemed to be a consensus that the film, at least in the first half, was 'too slow' and that too much time was taken up 'with people talking to each other'. Even in the second half there was 'too much concentration on Ripley and we didn't see enough of the monster'. This is a bit predictable - people expect horror (and especially Sci-Fi horror) to involve huge amounts of CGI, but it also led to some very interesting conversations as we left, about building tension and using the imagination of the viewer, etc. I also suspect that because the horror element was not so stark, people engaged a bit more with the symbolism and some of the subtleties of the script.
Not sure how long it's on - but if you get the chance to see this on the big screen take it!
Tim
'Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.'
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by garyi
No no PR, Alien is an excellent, followed closley by Aliens.
3 and 4 were abismal.
I also love the 1981 remake of the Thing and The Fog as well.
These are tru classic and no messing.
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by BigH47
Aliens for me is a "better" film.But both are VG. I am of the opinion that "monsters" are better the less we see of them, ie the first part of jaws without the crap shark. I remember having the crap scared out of me by The Haunting '60s version there was no sight of the "monster".
Howard
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by garyi
We watched The Excorsist the other night.
I guess I must be totally desensatised because I didn't find it scary as such.
The ending was appauling, but wasn't this film banned?
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by Mike Sae
quote:
at the impressionable age of nine, it was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen - a visceral miasma of claustrophobic sexual terror.
I was ten when I first saw it and I only thought it was really gross.
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by Geoff P
I am now going to be all older generation about this.
When Alien was released it's impact was significant. However the shock and tension that a large portion of cinema audiences felt should be put in context.
In those days you did not get your daily dose of live action from the latest war on TV. The goriness and brutality of life around the world was kept at arms length and the sort of scenes that for instance are taken for granted in such TV dramas as "Silent Witness" would not have even been used.
The fact that Ridley Scott by very clever use of atmospheric effects built tension in the same way that he did in Blade Runner was what differentiated Alien from other so called Horror SciFi at that time.
It also interesting to note that when James Cameron made Aliens he cleverly continued the same atmospheric technique used in Alien. That and a reasonably strong story line overcame the "sequel" effect for me. After Aliens it all went downhill fast.
A shame about seeing Sigourney Weaver stumbling on in the later films since she is a much better actress than her filmography would suggest.
GEOFFP
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by Two-Sheds
I saw Alien for the first time on the big screen last night. I've watched it several times before and own the dvd. It was and still is a great film, only a couple of things ruined it, the first was a couple of blokes a few seats away talking through the film ("ooooo this is a new bit...").
I prefer the version that was released on dvd a few years ago. Minor spoiler ahead for those who have not seen the rerelease yet...
near the ned of the film where ripley is running for the shuttle and she finds dallas again. I just found that it slowed the pace too much since at this point she was racing against the clock.
Posted on: 05 November 2003 by Justin
I haven't seen it on the big screen recently (and maybe not even as a youngster) but I have seen it on DVD and video, and i was always of the opinion that it was one of the smartest horror/sci-fi films out there.
First of all, the "life-cycle" of the alien is really original (although, maybe it wasn't--but I had not heard of it before and my guess is that many have not). It's smart in the sense that these aliens are so complex. Three distinct life-forms (the arachnoid form, the larval form and the infant/adult form). The very idea that the larva would need to grow within a person (I suppose any large organism would do) is startling, to say the least.
And good-God the adult is the scariest form I think I have ever seen in an monster/alien. Geiger had it all right. That double mouth thing is the opitome of terror. The exoskeleton is cool too.
In a certain sense the horror of it all is amplified by the "naturalness" of the aliens and the life-cylces. They are familiar too us, similar to an ant colony (arthropods, no?) with a queen and everything.
And those are just the monsters.
I love the way the first movie builds tention. That people find it "slow" is the result of current "pop horror" and action films that are designed to amaze with big explosions and STUPID action (look at Angles 2 if you want to see STUPID action).
I'd very much like to see Aliens again on the big screen. Hope we get it here.
judd
Posted on: 06 November 2003 by Rasher
Stand by your beds....
"Mr Domf..your three minutes on your specialised subject "Mass marketed and cult Horror movies 1975 - present day" begins.....Now.."
Posted on: 06 November 2003 by Ade Archer
quote:
near the ned of the film where ripley is running for the shuttle and she finds dallas again. I just found that it slowed the pace too much since at this point she was racing against the clock
Whenever I've watched the film over the last few years, this bit hasn't been in it, yet I was sure I had seen this scene in the film many years ago, but had convinced myself I must have been imagining it. Now that I've seen the clip again it's bought it back, but if this scene has been re-instated to the Directors Cut, I'm curious to know how I saw it many years ago.
Ade
Posted on: 06 November 2003 by TomK
Went with my son tonight and had the entire cinema to ourselves. It was superb. Not a single distraction. Best seats in the place, no idiots talking, no sweet wrappers crackling away, nobody squeezing past to get to the toilet. Thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again in the cinema and there were still a couple of scenes I jumped at even though I've seen it several times before. Well worth a visit.
Incidentally Ade the cocoon scene was very vidily described in the book of the movie. Is it possible you read that 20 odd years ago?
Posted on: 06 November 2003 by Two-Sheds
quote:
Whenever I've watched the film over the last few years, this bit hasn't been in it, yet I was sure I had seen this scene in the film many years ago, but had convinced myself I must have been imagining it. Now that I've seen the clip again it's bought it back, but if this scene has been re-instated to the Directors Cut, I'm curious to know how I saw it many years ago.
I think it may have been included in a set of deleted scenes on a DVD. I have a DVD, but I'm not one for watching extra's so I'm not sure if it has this on it, maybe I'll have a look at it over the weekend.
quote:
Went with my son tonight and had the entire cinema to ourselves. It was superb. Not a single distraction. Best seats in the place, no idiots talking, no sweet wrappers crackling away, nobody squeezing past to get to the toilet.
As I mentioned people were talking throught the screening I went to which p****d me off since it was pretty empty (less than 30 people) and mostly older people who I thought would know better (generally 30+). As opposed to last night I saw matrix revolutions to a full house, most people under 25 and yet no talking, best behavioud audience I can remember. Shame about the film.
Posted on: 07 November 2003 by TomK
"I think it may have been included in a set of deleted scenes on a DVD."
Yes, a slightly longer version appears on my copy (part of the boxed set). There actually were more extra bits (not full scenes) than I had spotted but it's a few years since I saw it last.
