Alien Movie Review: A Classic Haunted House in Space

Ridley Scott’s Alien spawned a massive franchise with seven films in the main story arc and another two in the Alien vs. Predator storyline. There are also many novels, comic books, and an in-development TV series. In the film, the Nostromo is an absolute monster of a spaceship carrying cargo back to Earth when it is suddenly stopped far from home because it has picked up a mysterious, repeating signal from an uncharted planet. The seven-member crew is brought out of cryo-sleep to investigate the signal as per the small print in their contracts. On the planet, the crew discovers an ancient spaceship filled with alien “eggs.” One of these eggs hatches and attaches itself to Kane (John Hurt), the executive officer. 

Back at the ship, the captain, Dallas (Tom Skerritt) and the navigator, Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), beg Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) to break protocol and allow the three back into the ship even though the alien attached to Kane should be subjected to a strict 24-hour quarantine. Ripley is having none of it; rules are rules, but Ash (Ian Holm), the ship’s science officer, ignores Ripley and allows Dallas, Lambert, Kane, and, since it is attached to Kane, the alien, inside the ship.

There is much to admire in Alien as both a science fiction and horror film. The sense of dread is real, and the tight, dark corridors and ventilation system add to the burden of being stuck in a cage with a ruthless, nearly unkillable enemy. The H.R. Geiger-designed alien (Xenomorph) is iconic for its frightening intelligence, acid blood, speed, strength, and protruding steel-like teeth within even more steel-like teeth. 

The entire cast is top-notch with Weaver as a strong female lead who believes in protocol and abides no nonsense. Skeritt is the flawed skipper who may care too much for his crew. Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton serve as comic relief. Holm is slyly sinister in his android-like fascination with the Xenomorph and his willingness to buck the rules to get to study it. While Hurt and Cartwright give fantastic performances, their roles are more limited in scope.

The writer, Dan O’Bannon, allows the spectator to fill in the blanks on the science fiction side of the story. Based on the enormous Nostromo and its mission, we can tell that the story takes place centuries in the future. Unfortunately, much of the horror is garnered from jump scares, and those are as likely to come from the ship’s cat as they are from the Xenomorph. For the most part, the action is fast-paced and character actions are explicable; however, there are two extended scenes where characters wander off alone to search for that stupid cat. On the whole, though, the story is gripping, the characters are compelling, and we are introduced to one of the greatest heroines in cinema history with Weaver’s rendition of Ripley.