Alien: The Director's Cut (October 24/03)

The first thing one notices while watching Alien is the lack of teenagers among the film's cast. Nowadays, the idea of making a horror film that isn't peppered with nubile teens is virtually anathema among Hollywood creative types. Alien is about adults attempting to deal with a problem in a real way; there are no lucky coincidences or deus-ex-machina type developments waiting to save the day.

Describing Alien's storyline is probably moot at this point, but here it is. The crew of the Nostromo is heading back to Earth after a long mission, when the ship's computer awakes them out of hypersleep. Turns out a lifeform has been identified on a nearby planet, leaving the crew forced to investigate. While one such crew member (memorably played by John Hurt) explores the terrain, an unusual creature attaches itself to his face. The rest, as they say, is history.

One of the primary differences between Alien and the majority of today's horror flicks - and the reason why it's managed to stay relevant after all these years - is the emphasis on mood and atmosphere above all else. Right from the start, with the ominous tour through the Nostromo, it's fairly clear that director Ridley Scott isn't interested in creating another slice-'em-and-dice-'em scary movie. Scott, along with screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shussett, toys with the audience by allowing almost half the movie to pass before we even see an alien - tightening the screws and keeping us in suspense even when nothing's happening. Because the film is called Alien, even if one were to walk into the movie fresh, it'd be impossible not to have that sense of anxiety hanging over you; you just know that alien is going to pop up (no pun intended) at some point, it's just a matter of when.

And that's what makes the film so great. It's not interested in appealing to the MTV generation, which would undoubtedly demand a faster pace and more gore (not to mention a more revealing look at the fully-grown alien). But Scott allows the events of the movie to unfold deliberately, giving us a chance to get to know these seven characters a lot more intimately than one would expect from this kind of movie. By the time the carnage begins, we've come to genuinely care about these people - to the point where it's impossible not to feel a twinge of loss once they begin vacating the picture. And though we don't really learn all that much about their individual backgrounds - well, okay, we don't learn anything about their respective pasts - it's the jovial dialogue and winning performances that turn these potential stereotypes into fully realized characters (and not bland cardboard cut-outs). And none of the crew members has all the answers; they become frightened and confused, and generally behave in the way any normal person would in such an absurd situation.

Though some of the special effects haven't aged all that well (it's never been more obvious that the alien is just a guy in a rubber suit), it's not something that one is likely to dwell on. The film is proof that computer graphics aren't always necessary, as the shots of the Nostromo lumbering through space are probably more realistic-looking than anything in The Phantom Menace. It's that sense of realism that has effectively cemented Alien's status as a sci-fi/horror classic. Seeing it on the big screen is especially rewarding, and certainly makes one hope that Fox continues the trend and gives the superior Aliens a similar re-release.