For starters, there were always creepy sci-fi movies about aliens for many years before this film came out. So the concept, though unique in the way that it was written into the plot, was not something that the audience had never seen before. There were considerable differences between the creatures that were featured in this film against the beings that came before it.
The main difference was that these beings did not just stand around and look creepy. They don't take you up into their spaceship and try to learn more about you. They kill you, or they use your body to grow new beasts inside of... Plain and simple. Also, most extraterrestrial beings up until this point still looked a particular way that people expected them to look, but they were nothing like the minds behind this film had in mind.
These were beasts of prey and terror. They had long tails and often walked on all fours. They had rows of teeth and heavily salivate a toxic substance. This was not what people think they saw at Roswell, this is far more sinister and terrifying than that. Not to mention, they are all just peons that work for the much larger, and much scarier queen alien. You don't learn about these until some of the sequels, though.
The humans of the film are part of a mining expedition out in space when they hear a distress signal coming from a planet that they are passing by. So they unload their tow and leave it in orbit while they head to the planet to see if they can help. It doesn't take them long to learn that this was no distress signal at all, and they are most certainly not alone on the planet. Dallas and Kane, two crew members head out and encounter the creatures first when one attaches to Kane's face and won't release.
But the little creature is not the one they really need to worry about. You see, they were unknowingly destined to show up on the planet from the company that they work for to get a specimen of these creatures to take back to Earth with them. In trying to escape many of them die, except for Ripley who manages to escape on a shuttle, with a creature still trying to get to her. She ignites the engines, incinerating the alien and allowing for her safe escape.
Powerful performances make this movie a classic. Perhaps the most important of these roles was that of Ripley which was portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. But hers was not the only impressive performance that made this movie so incredible, you might also look for great acting from Tom Skerritt (Dallas) and John Hurt (Kane).
There is a good bit to know about the movie "Alien", but this should give you a proper introduction to the film. While this movie is quite a classic, you might want to check it out as well as the several sequels to the film that followed after (most of which feature Sigourney Weaver in returning roles as Ripley).
About the Author:
No comments:
Post a Comment