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- Alien Special Edition - US DVD -

Tagline:-

"In space no one can hear you scream."

Synopsis:-

The crew of a deep space commercial mining ship, 'The Nostromo,' are awoken from 
hyper sleep to investigate a strange signal from a nearby planet. While investigating 
the signal, they discover it was actually a warning, and not an S.O.S. They discover 
a derelict alien ship on the planet. They send a party out to investigate the ship 
for signs of life. An alien boards the ship in a very gross but fascinating method. 
So the battle begins. 


Story/plot:-

The basic story is pretty simplistic: an alien boarding a ship and attacking the 
humans aboard. But there's more than meets the eye to this movie. The way the alien 
boards the ship is gross and disturbing, yet unique and original. The origin of the 
alien is unknown and it makes the viewers obtusely curious. I know I've thought of 
several possible origin stories. That's the magic of "Alien" for me, the intrigue 
and thinking brought on by the story.

Atmosphere:-

The atmosphere is truly eerie. The dark sets, confined quarters, the veil of foggy 
smoke, the building tension and never knowing where the next attack will come from 
all work together to create a unique horrific atmosphere for a movie which takes 
place in space. It's like a futuristic haunted house in space.

Cast/characters:-

Sigourney Weaver plays 'Ripley,' the true "human" star of this film. This is one of 
her first movie roles but I feel that she did a great job, as well as seasoned veteran 
actors. Her character is second in command. She starts out passive but a stickler 
for the rules when she gains command. The crew doesn't really accept her so there's 
great tension between them. She just gets tougher, stronger and in more control. Great 
job!
Tom Skerritt plays 'Dallas' the captain of 'The Nostromo.'
Veronica Cartwright plays 'Lambert,' the other female crew member. Her character is 
rude and later very scared to the point of almost breaking down. She does great at 
her role, showing intense emotions.
Harry Dean Stanton plays 'Brett,' one of the crew. Although a veteran actor, he has 
the weakest performance here. His character is too passive most of the time but it's 
doesn't deter from the movie.
John Hurt plays 'Kane,' one of the crew. His character endures the most horrible and 
disturbing death of the crew. Good acting.
Ian Holm plays 'Ash,' the crew's scientist / doctor. Great acting.
Yaphet Kotto plays 'Parker,' the crew's only black man. His character is very brazen 
and likes to jump into action without much thinking. Again, great acting.
Bolaji Badejo plays the Alien. He's black, 7' 2", and very thin and sinewy. He wears 
a very thin costume. All of his movements look perfect--alien and lizard-like.

Cinematography:-

It has great cinematography! Alien adheres to the concept of seeing less is better 
and more suspenseful and in this case, it's true! 
Everything is dark and foggy. You can't see what is in the shadows and it's truly 
frightening. 
The shots are fast-paced and clear with perfect lighting--bright or dark when needed.
H. R. Giger drew the concept art.

FX, sound, etc:-
The FX and props are top-notch, even by today's standards. The ships, interiors, 
alien terrain, and the explosions are perfect. 
The true star effects are the various developmental stages of the alien (face hugger, 
chest burster, grown alien). I've never seen a more unique and disturbing alien in 
any movie ever. 
H. R. Giger's (Swedish artist) designs are truly genius and these are weak doses of 
his usual work! 
The music is very tense and adds to the overall terror and suspense. The audio effects 
were impressive as well.

Final Thoughts:-

I loved this movie! 
It's more horror than sci-fi in my opinion. It's not too futuristic or sleek enough to 
give me the impression of a purely space movie. It just feels like a horror in space. 
This is a true classic by all standards. Even now, 25+ years since the original release
and it's still stands up to the best of today's horror/sci-fi films. My only gripe is 
that the full-grown alien isn't shown as much as I would've liked. It is fantastic! 
If you haven't this yet, where have you been?? Rent or buy the DVD ASAP!!

DVD Features:-

On Bonus Disc (#2) deleted scenes, artwork and extensive photo galleries, original 
storyboards, the first draft of the screenplay, several featurettes covering pre-production, 
production and post-production.

5/5 stars

Reviewed By Wolf By Night

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