Written by contributor Sophia Mattice
Happy anniversary, Alien!
Forty may not be the new 20, but in the case of Ridley Scott’s science fiction/horror classic Alien, it’s not trying to be. Re-released in theaters this month courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics Series via Fathom Events, Alien celebrates its 40th anniversary, and as all the kids are saying these days, we stan. Anyone who knows even an iota about movies knows that Alien, which premiered in 1979 and launched a relatively unknown Sigourney Weaver to stardom, was an unknowing prognosticator of sci-fi and space horror films to come.
Over the years, numerous critiques, homages, film graduate papers, and YouTube think pieces have been dedicated to the crew of the Nostromo and their galactic run-in with the sexually androgynous nightmare of an alien that picks them off one-by-one like hors d’oeuvres. To think I have anything new to add to that long list of commentary would be a bit vainglorious on my part, so instead here is a run down of what it was like to finally get to see one of the most iconic films on the big screen….
It’s 15 minutes before the movie starts and my friend Chris, who saw the film when it first hit theaters, regales me with tales revolving around that scene. You know the one, even if you haven’t seen Alien. He tells me that when baby xenomorph was born, a couple of people walked out on shaky legs. Ah, I really do love people’s memories of the movies.
Looking at Fathom Events upcoming features, it’s always a mixed bag, with classic films, opera, ballet, anime and the odd Kevin Sorbo, faith-based action flick. Praise Figaro and pass the ammunition!
Just before the film starts we get special commentary from TCM primetime host Ben Mankiewicz, who is, and always has been, the coolest uncle in the room, probably even when he was a teenager.
And we’re off! The film starts and an absorbed focus permeates the theater. Yet another thing I love about fellow film nerds, we’re all so into the cinematic experience that you won’t catch the glow of cell phones dotting the darkness or someone who thinks it’s a good idea to bring their five-year-old, at least not in this crowd.
Seeing Ridley Scott’s version of space on a 30-feet wide screen is something to behold. Ron Cobb, who was involved with another of my favorite gothically influenced films, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, was in charge of designing the Nostromo, inside and out, while more famously known Hans Rudi Giger was tasked with designing all things relating to the appellative alien. Their efforts are brought to bear gloriously on the big screen, and it gave me a better understanding of why some critics lovingly refer to alien as a haunted house movie in space.
At about the 45 to 50-minute mark there was an unfortunate sound fubar that took me out of the moment. There were some obvious issues with dubbing where the background sound was cut out completely for snippets of dialogue between Ripley and Nostromo crewmen Parker (Yaphet Kotto) and Brett (Harry Dean Stanton). Not sure why the studio decided to do that for the re-release, but it was jarring in comparison with the film’s otherwise engrossing aspects.
We arrive at the scene. The anticipation in the theater is eager and weighty. No one takes a drink of soda or rustles a popcorn bag. When Kane (John Hurt) begins to convulse and thrash, you just feel for the guy, especially when you know what’s coming, and when it does, it’s bloody and brilliant. The audience responds with enthusiastic, brief clapping (okay, so it was just me. I got excited, what can I say?).
I forgot that Ripley goes back for the cat. Sorry to insult those with fur babies, but nope. Sorry, Jones, it’s every piece of xenomorph chow for themselves.
After the movie ends and Chris and I leave the theater, he comments that the special effects haven’t held up very well, especially the chestburster puppet, which he describes as, “a penis with fangs and a grill.” Thanks for that image.
The consensus though is that Alien still stands strong as a groundbreaking horror film and psychological thriller.
And a damn good time at the movies.
