Awesome reaction and commentary on the use of camerawork, music, lighting, jump scares, etc. The tension is so well done, especially when Ripley must read detailed instructions on how to detonate the ship. I'm big on character development so I love that the crew and their relationship dynamics are nuanced. A lot of sci-fi and action films settle for one-dimensional characters, which is unfortunate for the actors and the audience. Anyway, thanks for the shout-out and reacting to this iconic film!
Thank you again for the recommendation! Unfortunately most of my character development shots had to be cut since all of it can't be over 10 mins. There are so many other things I talk about that don't make it to the final cut. I'd say almost 60%. Maybe I should address it by making the outro review longer but from what I've seen, the audience retention drops dramatically. The whole reaction should be on patreon this week though! Thanks again and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Mandalorian Ep 1 and Aliens coming up next hopefully!
@@ShanWatchesMovies here's some great recommendations for reactions RoboCop(1987) The Thing(1982) Christine(1983) Halloween(1978) The Birds(1963) Rear Window(1954) North By Northwest(1959) The Outlaw Josey Wales(1976) Carrie(1976) The Sixth Sense(1999) Blade(1998) The Lost Boys(1987) The Goonies(1985) Poultergiest(1982) The Matrix(1999) Heat(1995) Pet Sematary(1989) Sin City(2005) Goldeneye(1995) The Ring(2002) Zombieland(2009) Inglourious Basterds(2009) Men In Black(1997) The Evil Dead(1981) Evil Dead 2(1987) Army Of Darkness(1992) Candyman(1992) Casino Royale(2006) Goldfinger(1964) Total Recall(1990) Raiders Of The Lost Ark(1981) Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) First Blood(1982) Die Hard(1988) Child's Play(1988) Beetlejuice(1988) Willow(1988)
@Ada Lester First of HOLY CRAP! Thank you for SO MANY film recommendations! You have no idea how much it mean to me! I've watched: Rear Window The Sixth Sense Blade The Matrix Trilogy Heat Sin City Golden Eye Zombieland The Ring Inglorious Basterds Men in Black Casino Royale Total Recall Indiana Jones Series Die Hard Series Child's Play I've seen Beetlejuice and the first 2 Rambo films when I was very young but I don't remember much at all. The rest I haven't watched and are going to the List! Thanks again!
@@ShanWatchesMovies I'll also add some random suggestions for your list😊 I don't know your preferences or what you've already seen but how about... Green Room (2015) Enemy (2013) Road to Perdition (2002) Moon (2009) The Thin Red Line (1998) To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
I saw this in a big, old-fashioned theater when it came out. Watching it with a packed audience full of excited, expectant people who had absolutely no idea what to expect (the trailers were VERY vague) was one of the most thrilling and satisfying moviegoing experiences of my life.
Ridley Scott kept the entire cast in the dark about the famous chestbursting scene except for John Hurt. Their reactions were absolutely genuine and mirrored the audience's response! Squeamish Veronica Cartwright got sprayed by fake blood and fell over backward. They only filmed the scene twice. It remains one of the most ICONIC IN CINEMA HISTORY! The Swiss artist, H.R. Giger, who designed the xenomorph tapped into insectoid and reptilian features that evoke primal fear. The final product is an iconic movie monster that is pure NIGHTMARE FUEL! His artwork is very bizarre, erotic and has a distinctive look called Giger-esque. The creature's life-cycle and biology is explored throughout the series. By the way, the alien's retractable inner jaw is found in nature in a deep-sea fish! THE COMPANY (Weyland-Yutani) is an international conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar travel and terra-forming. They have a stake in every colony world and are basically the 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- through 19th-centuries. They are a ruthless corporation looking to exploit or weaponize the xenomorph for profit regardless of the negative consequences. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of all the Alien movies. In the AvP films, you actually meet the company founders before their merger, Mr. Weyland and Ms. Yutani. This crew is not a group of explorers, scientists or colonists. They're just SPACE TRUCKERS hauling rocks. This was a First Contact situation they were wholly unqualified for. Hence, all the bumbling and bad judgment calls. Their chief concerns were company policy and pay inequity. Ripley was the only one with the willingness to make difficult command decisions that would have saved all their lives except for Kane's had she not been undermined by Ash. Of course, Ash was privy to a secret corporate mandate. Parker is MY FAVORITE supporting character! Yaphet Kotto played him to the hilt! He's the blue collar EVERYMAN who just cares about payday and who enjoys deliberately antagonizing his superiors but ends up sacrificing himself for a fellow employee. The giant elephant-headed alien pilot of the derelict spacecraft is one of the GREAT MYSTERIES of the franchise. Was he a zoologist, a biowarfare specialist, an exterminator, a trader in exotic organisms, a waste disposal tech or a trucker like Ripley's crew? No one knows. The prequels attempted to unsatisfyingly answer the question claiming his species designed the alien. The elephant head was just a helmet.
The actor who played the xenomorph was Bolaji Badejo. It was first and only role. Apparently when Riddley Scott was on vacation he met the young man and was impressed by his height (6'10) and asked him to play the part. Unfortunately he died at age 39 from Sickle Cell Disease. Rest in Piece
Quite amusing how at the premiere the actors thought people were leaving, but they were frightened to the point of moving back in the theater. Now that is well done. Hehehe
During the part where they land, that's not a smaller shuttle, it's the entire Nostromo ship. The huge part they leave in orbit (with the domes underneath) is their cargo, an automated ore refinery that they're towing back to Earth. It's like a semi-truck detaching from its trailer.
Oh! that makes more sense because the ship Ripley escaped in looked significantly smaller than the spacecraft that landed on the planet! Thanks for that!
The scariest part of this movie is when the light flashes on Jones The Cat's face while Harry Dean Stanton's character is being eaten. Jonsey survives to appear in the sequel!
Glad you enjoyed it. I saw “Alien” on opening day back on May 25, 1979. Easily one of my greatest movie experiences in a theater. I’m sure you’ll enjoy “Aliens” which is more of an action film but extremely well done. Try and watch the extended version which is much better.
Wow! Must have been an amazing theatre experience with everything being dark! Another comment mentioned Weaver got an oscar nominations for Alena so Yes! I'm doing Aliens after One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Mandalorian Ep 1. Should be up by next week!
Shan Watches Movies Yeah, it was great especially going in and not knowing anything about the film. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Oscar for “Aliens” and she is really good in it. Looking forward to seeing how you like it.
I too saw this movie when it opened. I think I saw it again three more times in theaters.Sigourney Weavers character Ripley was so unique for the time. This was the first time I had seen her in a movie . It was her first lead. It was unique to see a female lead in an action film that was so intelligent and strong. You didn’t immediately know she was the lead of this film but you grabbed on to her character right away because she was so smart.Great film. Great reaction
Yea, I saw it day 2 when I was 14. My friend's stepdad (a 6'4" former Marine) had to go up to the lobby for the rest of the film after the 'birth' scene. Still one the most memorable theater experiences of my life.
I love your reviews shan , it is refreshing to hear a reviewer make such smart observations , you do not speak unless you have a intelligent comment to make , thank you so much. great work !
The budget for Alien was 11 million dollars in 1979. Scott & his design team made use of every dollar. A lot of the set on the Nostromo came from an aircraft graveyard. Steadicam had been available since 1975. The tracking shot (when you mention this) when they're approaching the hypersleep chamber was a traditional Dolly shot. As far as I know everything was either dolly or hand held. If there's enough oxygen to breathe, there's enough to smoke in. When you mention non-diegetic music you might have been referring to the sound design overall. Needless to say, I'm impressed by anyone who knows what diegetic means. Scott comes by his acute color palette honestly. He was an art student and did all his own storyboards for this film. Only one of the things that separates him from the pack is his keen sense of design. If nothing else, his movies always look good. One of the things that makes your reactions so enjoyable is the fact that you clearly have a grasp of the many facets in making a film. Best. Leo.
First off thank you so much for your compliments. Most of what I know about film are the two courses i took about film-making during University. I'm really glad i did those courses because it opened my eyes beyond just the plot. Ever since then I cant help but think of whats happening behind the scenes as I'm watching a film. It might be or not be a good thing though! I've been learning a lot about Steadicam through the comments, that dolly shot was amazing though! And about the smoking thing, I know its possible but what I guess I meant to say is that if they already banned cigarettes in commercial aircrafts and raised taxes to much to discourage people from smoking, its unlikely it would be a common sight to see a couple of hundred years from now. Thanks again for insightful comment!
@@ShanWatchesMovies In regards smoking: who knows for sure? In 79 we were still more or less on the cusp of The Great Smoke Out. As a former smoker I'm still sympathetic to the plight of those still in the grips of devil nicotine. I don't, however, find it that big of a stretch to believe people will be smoking 200 years from now and that it would be allowed on a grungy commercial vessel such as the Nostromo. And let's keep things in perspective. The crew had other concerns beyond secondhand smoke. I, too, am a victim of a formal film education. When I watch something I have to make a concerted effort not to be over-analytical and just enjoy whatever it is for what it is. It's tougher for you because viewers are expecting you to use a critical eye at the same time you're trying to enjoy the thing. Best. Leo.
@@michaelbastraw1493 I think you might be right on both counts. 100 years ago people thought we would get rid of disease and addiction but here we are 100 years later, improved but not irraticated. Same might hold true for tobacco. Actually coming to think of it, it might not even be tobacoo they are smoking haha. See? Now I'm getting more into science fiction. And here's where you are right on the second point I can't just watch a movie and take in the plot. I involuntarily take in so much information that sometimes it's hard to distinguish the fiction (the plot) from reality (the film making process).
I have bubble gum trading cards from this movie, that my older brother and sister gave me back when the movie came out. Just looking at some of them would terrify me, then years later I was given a free copy of the soundtrack, and it terrified me even more. It was not until I was 17, and Aliens was announced, that I finally watched this. It was just as scary as I imagined as a kid, but I loved it!
This was made for about the same budget as the original Star Wars ($11 million), which was considered fairly cheap for the scope of the films. When watching Aliens you might wanna consider watching the longer version. Some people advocate really strongly for that cut because all the extra scenes are so good. I personally think the shorter theatrical cut flows a bit better (the difference is 17 minutes), but I don't have anything negative to say about the added material, especially considering the fact that it's all character stuff, and Sigourney Weaver was actually nominated for an Oscar for that performance.
Only $11 million? They did a great job with the budget, especially the set design. About Aliens (which I'll be doing after One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Mandalorian Ep 1), I knew two versions existed but I own the Director's cut. I'm assuming that it's probably the longer version? I didn't know about the Oscar nod too, so I'm very much looking forward to her back as Ripley!
I am sure someone mentioned. But the chest burster scene. Only John Hurt and Ridley Scott knew what was going on. So all those reactions are 100% real. Everyone jumps to "Aliens" but "Alien" is such such a great movie
ALIEN introduced an aesthetic no one had ever been exposed to before, thanks to the work of Hansrudi Giger. It was a revelation to me as a 14 year old back then. A spiritual experience.
Man, i just love your reactions. Keep being honest with emotions and keep doing iconic movies and you'll have 100k sooner, than you thougt) subscribed as well
Well done sir. Very good commentary on an exceptional film. One of the very few science fiction films that have aged exceptionally well considering it is over 40 years old.
Thank you so much for your compliments! Watch out for my Aliens (1986) reaction coming this weekend. Ill be releasing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest before that, so keep an eye out for both!
Ian Holm, the android, played a very different role in Trading Places. I loved how you caught the camera angle/control aspect of Ridley Scott’s direction. I never saw that before. Brilliant analysis.
I saw a double feature at a drive-in theater of Jaws and Alien when I was 10 years. I hate the beach to this day. Just found your channel and I am loving it. I'm binge watching.
i saw this when it first came out on a bigscreen cinema in Georgetown (DC). sat in the front row... started getting queasy from the first rocking uneasy space shots (i can take a lot) This was the first film with a major female protagonist. it was brilliant. still watch it over and over again today and i'm sixty three.
Fun fact: Veronica Cartwright (Lambert) appears as Rod Taylor’s kid sister in the Hitchcock classic “The Birds” and also is in the remake (from 1978) of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”.
Alien is a classic for me. So scary and I love the tension. It’s one of the first times the Captain dies in the middle of a movie and the woman is the hero. Ripley is a badass. Ian Holm is the actor who played Bilbo in Lord of the Rings. He was so good as the bad guy. This was so well done. Good reaction!
Fun Fact: one possible ending had the Xenomorph biting the front Bart of Ripley’s brain out, and then speaking in her voice to record the ending monologue, implying that the Xenomorph now had human knowledge and could use Ripley’s knowledge to get to Earth. This was scrapped as it was... well... the implication no matter how frightening, it would have looked silly.
Best monster movie ever made in my opinion. As a kid I liked Aliens better (and I still really love it, don't get me wrong) but in my old age I've come to appreciate the slow buildup that this movie brings. You just know if they made this today they'd feel compelled to show the alien kill someone in the first five minutes.
I'm really enjoying your channel. Your take on films is very detailed and interesting. You should rent 1977's "The Duelists" for your own personal pleasure. This was Ridley Scott's first major motion picture and it is a feast for the eyes. It was this movie that made me realize how wonderful great cinematography could be and how it adds immeasurably to films. I doubt many people have seen or remember this film, which is truly a shame.
I second this. The Duellists is a phenomenally gorgeous film to look at. The locations around France are stunningly beautiful. The only film that tops it as a visual feast would be Kubrick's Barry Lyndon -a film so sumptuously stunning that every scene looks like a painting.
The prevalence of low-angle shots you mentioned were because most lighting was part of the sets which were completely contiguous, with no wild sections. Best. Leo.
A drama you may enjoy watching is "Sling Blade" which won as Oscar for Adapted Screenplay written by Billy Bob Thornton who was also nominated for Best Actor but did not win. It's intense with sadness at times and other times with heartwarming moments. Never boring. I think you will be glad you watched it. Enjoyed your reaction to Alien which was a great suspense movie.
"The alien that they let onto the ship." If Ash hadn't suborned Ripley, she would never have let this happen in the first place. Her quarantine procedures were on-point.
Fun fact: the cast's reaction to the baby alien bursting out of the guys chest was completely real/genuine. No one was told that that was going to happen (they knew something was going to happen of course,but the director didn't tell them what)
The budget for this movie in 1979 was $11M ($34M in 2012 dollars). Aliens' budget was $18.5M ($36M in 2012 dollars). Alien 3's budget was $50M ($80M in 2012 dollars). Alien Resurrection was $70M ($100M in 2012 dollars). Alien Prometheus was $130M. Alien Covenant was $150M.
I like the fact that in a horror film, the writers took the time to give the characters story arcs. Ripley starts off as just taking crap from Brett and Parker, but she slowly steps up to command. At first, Parker only cares about money and is selfish, but at the end he attacks the Alien to give Lambert a chance to get away. At first, Dallas is laid back and lets Ash call a lot of the shots, but when Brett is killed Dallas asserts the he himself will go into the air ducts to protect his crew.
I haven't watched it yet thankfully! I know it's a classic and I will get around to watching it on the channel for sure! good idea about the 2 part thing!
@@ShanWatchesMovies There's actually multiple versions of the movie and I don't even think any of the available ones are 3 hours, it's usually 2hr 28 mins approx.
I highly recommend Ridley Scott's commentary on this film from the DVD. You'd be surprised how much of this movie's artistry was due to having a lower budget than Scott would have liked.
The ship that goes down to the planetoid is the Nostromo itself, not a small exploration vessel. What it's attached to is the refinery that it's towing. No scenes take place inside the refinery. Funny how two times you commented on the music, it was for pieces from Jerry Goldsmith's 1962 score for Freud, which the editor put in as temporary track but Scott wanted to keep it. A lot of Goldsmith's original score was unused, redone, or moved around during editing. You also mention a lack of music during scenes where Goldsmith actually recorded not one by two versions of unused score. Interesting.
One thing I really love about this movie is the passive realism... by that I mean as an example, when they are redirected to inspect the distress call the mechanics on board are curious if they're gonna get paid extra for this. Even in the future, people wanna know if they're gonna be compensated for extra work.
Very good analysis. The flashing lights and camerawork made me panic when I first saw this in the movie theater in 1979. This film (especially the last 1/2 hour) scared me like no other. By the way - She’s actually singing “You Are My Lucky Star”, not talking.
My all time favorite movie. Great story with so much suspense. Fantastic acting and terrific characters. But the thing that really gets me is how visually fantastic this movie was. Another great movie by Ridley Scott that gets very little attention is The Duelists. It takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, and the cinematography has every scene looking like an old Masters painting (like a Rembrandt)
There was steadicam in the seventies -- funny story, the inventor was from Philadelphia and had a demo reel of running up the steps like Rocky. This, was what inspired the steadicam sequence in Rocky.
I haven't watched Rocky in 20 years, maybe that's why I didn't know. The first film i saw the Steadicam used is the Copacabana Scene in Goodfellas. Thank you for the knowledge bomb though :)
Actually, Bound for Glory, the first movie to use steadicam, was made in 1976. So I wouldn't be surprised if those moving shots were Steadicam, since Ridley has always been an early adopter of technologies.
@@ShanWatchesMovies I remember the Academy Awards that year when steadicam was not only awarded as a new technology, but they actually had a steadicam operator, connected to the broadcast as a source video so everyone could see the image it produced, come down the aisle and up to the stage using it. Game Changer!
If you watch the movie again, pay attention to the background in the shuttle at the end, you can see the alien a few times hiding in plain sight befor the "jumpscare"
If you like Ridley Scott, which I do, I recommend, "The Duellists"; 1977 Cannes Festival award winner. This isn't at all spectacular, nor was it meant to be that way. It's just a really cool story, done very well, and in a way that I'd call a style that's European rather than American.
The scene when the baby alien came out I read in an article of the making of Alien that the actors did not do a pre-test of that scene before they shot it. They had no idea what was coming. The director wanted to get a real horrifying response. When that actress says,,"oh god" that was not scripted.
Wow! I had no idea, thank you for that but of trivia! Once I think of it, the response was genuine and I see why Cameron chose to do that! Great filmmaking!
That poor actress (Veronica Cartwright) has been treated that way by directors a bit too much (good for us but terrifying for her!). Another genuinely shocked reaction from her in the iconic scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). A film I love that hopefully Shan might consider if he hasn't already seen it.
Shan, your comment about the quality of movie making today, as oppose to 20-30 yrs ago is accurate. Today it seems that the bigger the budget, the worst the movie.
What stands out above other 'slasher' movies, and it is a slasher movie except instead of teens and a guy with a knife we just have a creature and some space truckers, is just how 'lived in' the sets feel. When they're all around the table having a conversation it feels natural and having the camera right in there with them close to everyone makes you fell like you are there with them... It really is one of the greats. And, even though I know that this movie is better than Aliens I prefer Aliens.
No other media product these days does this movie justice quite like "Alien: Isolation" where you play through a similar but even worse situation as Ripleys daughter 'Amanda'. My favorite survival horror game everrrrr.
I just found you today. I watched you watch Aliens. And at first... I didn't know if I would like you talking through the movie. But.... That being said... I actually loved seeing you appreciate the same aspects of the film I appreciate. It was fun seeing you get into the movie and love it like many people do. After Alien/Aliens... There were so many "knock offs". They don't come close to the original. Great reaction! Edit: I also agree with you. I love when movie makers go with really good props for visuals instead of CGI. That's all we see now... And I feel like that's an easy out in film making.
This film and "The Terminator" were stand alone films when they first came out. It was only later on that they made the sequels and they became franchises.
"I can imagine kids getting nightmares ...." I was only 11 or 12 when I accidentally saw this on TV ... I joined it when the three spacemen were exploring the Alien vessel, and then FUCK! .. I have never been so scared in all my life! And then came the chestburster! - John Hurt was eating beansprouts before it happened - I thought that maybe one of the beansprouts was a mini-alien ... I didn't eat ANY beansprouts for two months afterwards! I got nightmares for weeks ... ... but, even then, "what a COOL movie!" :)
+ShanWatchesMovies: It's the future as there are currently no space ships that exist at that capacity today or even exist at all. I'm pretty sure if the crew can sleep through their trip back to Earth that the ship is manufacturing oxygen. Therefore, there is no limited oxygen and they can smoke in there if they want to. Also, since you've already watched Aliens, you might have noticed that the company is terraforming a planet for their colony which means they make oxygen.
Best movie trivia question: what song does Ripley sing to herself at the end, to keep panic at bay as she blows the airlock? Worthless hint: it's from a play called "The Boyfriend" and it was used in the film "Singing in the Rain."
3:00 The "freight elevator to Hell" begins. I've since learned that "Alien" shares the "enclosed set" design of "Das Boot." Thus, the camera operators and crew are "on a location shoot," instead of having the luxury of a wide open set. 4:06 They're responding to a "systematic signal," which may/may not be a distress signal; it's a warning! 4:58 "Four of them are on the surface and three are in the mother ship"!? It's the reverse; Dallas, Kane, and Lambert are on the surface. 6:41 That's "Science Officer Ash," not "Capt. Dallas" on the microscope. 10:19 When "Ripley" smashed "Ash" into the side of the compartment, and he didn't react, that was my "WTF, he's not Human!?" clue. 14:02 I also thought that "Ripley"was talking to herself, but she's "singing" this song: ua-cam.com/video/CD1j4buZnJI/v-deo.html This movie, along with followup film "Aliens," made Sigourney Weaver a najor movie star. There has been a (totally) irresponsible "adult" who exposed a minor child to "Alien," for a "funny Internet video": www.dailymotion.com/video/x6g94t6 Not even "Brett" would say: "Right.":(
WOW! Thank you for your detailed and wonderful comment with time-stamps! Those are very astute observations! Also thank you for including the youtube link to the song!
I like that you point out how good the lack of sound can be. Breaking Bad did this sometimes as well and it stood out to me. It feels like nowadays directors try to improve/emphazie everything with music. But, like using too many adjectives in literature, too much music can ruin something.
Hey, Bilbo Baggins! (Ian Holm) As an android! He was in my older favs: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and The Fifth Element (1997) too.
Liked your commentary on the technical aspects of filming. I had to wait until I was 16 before I could see this for the first time. Was hanging out from about the age of 11 because I wanted to watch it so much. Ian Holm (Ash) played Bilbo Baggins in the LOTR films among many other roles.
Thank you so much for your comment! I'm trying to make my content different to other reaction channels. I genuinely enjoy talking about the technical side of filmmaking. I see a lot of channels just talk about the plot or acting, but I feel like a film is a sum of all it's parts. This includes the directorial choices, editing, cinematography, set design, music and so many other aspects I can't think from the top of my head. About Ian Holm, I had no idea he played Bilbo Baggins! I watched LOTR back when it came out when I was in my early to mid teens, so I didn't make the connection. maybe I need to watch the whole of LOTR again!
saw this at a Drive in theatre . less than a handful of movies this good at that time ..a clear stand out. Amazingly Aliens managed to improve on this.
In a deleted scene, Ripley when making her way through the ship with the flame thrower, she finds the Captain cocooned into the wall and another crew member nearly completely transformed into an face-hugger egg in a kind of hive area the xenomoph excreted/created... the Xenomorph is as intelligent as a human btw ua-cam.com/video/LuTk4Qc7JGI/v-deo.html
Hey, Shan. The steadicam was invented in 1975, and pretty much became a standard tool by 1978, so no, that was a steadicam technique you saw at the beginning of the film.
If you enjoy Ridley Scott a must see is 1985's LEGEND, starring a young Tom Cruise and Tim Curry of Rocky Horror Picture Show and IT fame. The effects are visually stunning when considering that CGI wasn't around yet.
Thank you so so much for the recommendations! Out of the ones you suggested, I haven't watched Zulu, Hoosiers, Unforgiven and Adaptation. I know Unforgiven and Adaptation are classics but I'll be googling the rest asap for sure!
Just like JAWS, this movie ends with a comforting lullaby as a reward for the audience. Jerry Goldsmith's original end credits music is brilliant (try to find the live orchestral performance video on UA-cam), but this existing classical selection chosen by Ridley Scott instead is, I think, more of an emotional catharsis. Speaking of alternate music, Goldsmith himself was shocked during the film's premiere to find that much of the music he wrote for ALIEN was replaced by Scott with Goldsmith's own music for the film FREUD. Thus, the soundtrack album for ALIEN contains much music that isn't even in the movie.
The outside shots of the alien ship and of the alien in the chair had children in the space suits to make the ship/alien look larger. I also saw this opening day in the theatre - an amazing experience. The cast had to sign a non-disclosure form and not talk about the movie (after they land on the planet) before the movie was released. The same for the publicity, nothing was reveiled after landing on the planet. The role of Ripley was originally intended to be played by a man but the studio had it cast with a woman.
It's difficult to find completely new reactions to these sorts of movies, due in no small part to how acutely it's ingrained in the pop culture, so I'd like to explain something about the dinner scene. Part of it's effect, at least to those who saw it for the first time in theaters, was it's abruptness. One moment, everyone's laughing and joking like they'd been after waking up; it played for the audience as a moment to relieve built up tension left over in the previous encounter. The scene that followed -- the gasping, the crying, blood & the twisted monster forcing it's way out of his chest: this was one of the precursors to today's jumpscares, focusing on an abrupt tonal shift and the shock it delivers. The director wanted the audience to feel as scared and as dumbfounded as the crew, which is where my next tidbit comes in. The shock of the cast was real. Besides John Hurt (understandably), the actors in that scene were kept completely in the dark about what was going to transpire. They only thought that scene would be where the creature would make it's debut. So when Hurt began to double over screaming, they thought it was a real medical emergency. Ridley Scott wanted the audience to see genuine fear on their faces. The entire scene was a single take and the blood & entrails were real offal bought from local slaughterhouses. After the shoot was done for that day, there are stories about the cast members being so disturbed at what they saw; one went home to his wife, said nothing, locked himself in the bedroom and refused to speak to anyone for the rest of the day. Another actually fainted outright during the chestbursting.
I was seven when this came out. I was likely eight or nine when I saw it on HBO. Loved it, and loved Sigourney Weaver. Screamed my head off, was heated with Ash, and hated mostly those that showed any level of common sense get killed off.
Hey Shan! I'm enjoying your insights and commentary! Your comments on this film regarding silences made me want to recommend watching "A Quiet Place". It may be that the choices in it have a greater impact in a movie theatre, but I think it would still be an interesting watch for you. :)
Awesome reaction and commentary on the use of camerawork, music, lighting, jump scares, etc. The tension is so well done, especially when Ripley must read detailed instructions on how to detonate the ship. I'm big on character development so I love that the crew and their relationship dynamics are nuanced. A lot of sci-fi and action films settle for one-dimensional characters, which is unfortunate for the actors and the audience. Anyway, thanks for the shout-out and reacting to this iconic film!
Thank you again for the recommendation! Unfortunately most of my character development shots had to be cut since all of it can't be over 10 mins. There are so many other things I talk about that don't make it to the final cut. I'd say almost 60%. Maybe I should address it by making the outro review longer but from what I've seen, the audience retention drops dramatically. The whole reaction should be on patreon this week though! Thanks again and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Mandalorian Ep 1 and Aliens coming up next hopefully!
@@ShanWatchesMovies OK, cool. And I'll def. check out your thoughts on Cuckoo's Nest and Aliens. 😊👍
@@ShanWatchesMovies here's some great recommendations for reactions
RoboCop(1987)
The Thing(1982)
Christine(1983)
Halloween(1978)
The Birds(1963)
Rear Window(1954)
North By Northwest(1959)
The Outlaw Josey Wales(1976)
Carrie(1976)
The Sixth Sense(1999)
Blade(1998)
The Lost Boys(1987)
The Goonies(1985)
Poultergiest(1982)
The Matrix(1999)
Heat(1995)
Pet Sematary(1989)
Sin City(2005)
Goldeneye(1995)
The Ring(2002)
Zombieland(2009)
Inglourious Basterds(2009)
Men In Black(1997)
The Evil Dead(1981)
Evil Dead 2(1987)
Army Of Darkness(1992)
Candyman(1992)
Casino Royale(2006)
Goldfinger(1964)
Total Recall(1990)
Raiders Of The Lost Ark(1981)
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
First Blood(1982)
Die Hard(1988)
Child's Play(1988)
Beetlejuice(1988)
Willow(1988)
@Ada Lester First of HOLY CRAP! Thank you for SO MANY film recommendations! You have no idea how much it mean to me!
I've watched:
Rear Window
The Sixth Sense
Blade
The Matrix Trilogy
Heat
Sin City
Golden Eye
Zombieland
The Ring
Inglorious Basterds
Men in Black
Casino Royale
Total Recall
Indiana Jones Series
Die Hard Series
Child's Play
I've seen Beetlejuice and the first 2 Rambo films when I was very young but I don't remember much at all.
The rest I haven't watched and are going to the List!
Thanks again!
@@ShanWatchesMovies I'll also add some random suggestions for your list😊 I don't know your preferences or what you've already seen but how about...
Green Room (2015)
Enemy (2013)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Moon (2009)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
This movie had one of the greatest tag lines of all time, In Space No one Can Hear You Scream.
Couldn't agree more also Aliens had some classic lines my favourite "get away from her you bitch " spat with venom like only a mother could
But they can hear your ship explode! :)
I saw this in a big, old-fashioned theater when it came out. Watching it with a packed audience full of excited, expectant people who had absolutely no idea what to expect (the trailers were VERY vague) was one of the most thrilling and satisfying moviegoing experiences of my life.
Mine too. Scared the sh*t outta me.
@@MsAppassionata I was gonna say! Did OP need to change their pants after the movie?
I watched on a tiny black and white tv screens as a kid and shit my pants. I love this movie to death
Ridley Scott kept the entire cast in the dark about the famous chestbursting scene except for John Hurt. Their reactions were absolutely genuine and mirrored the audience's response! Squeamish Veronica Cartwright got sprayed by fake blood and fell over backward. They only filmed the scene twice. It remains one of the most ICONIC IN CINEMA HISTORY!
The Swiss artist, H.R. Giger, who designed the xenomorph tapped into insectoid and reptilian features that evoke primal fear. The final product is an iconic movie monster that is pure NIGHTMARE FUEL! His artwork is very bizarre, erotic and has a distinctive look called Giger-esque. The creature's life-cycle and biology is explored throughout the series. By the way, the alien's retractable inner jaw is found in nature in a deep-sea fish!
THE COMPANY (Weyland-Yutani) is an international conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar travel and terra-forming. They have a stake in every colony world and are basically the 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- through 19th-centuries. They are a ruthless corporation looking to exploit or weaponize the xenomorph for profit regardless of the negative consequences. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of all the Alien movies. In the AvP films, you actually meet the company founders before their merger, Mr. Weyland and Ms. Yutani.
This crew is not a group of explorers, scientists or colonists. They're just SPACE TRUCKERS hauling rocks. This was a First Contact situation they were wholly unqualified for. Hence, all the bumbling and bad judgment calls. Their chief concerns were company policy and pay inequity. Ripley was the only one with the willingness to make difficult command decisions that would have saved all their lives except for Kane's had she not been undermined by Ash. Of course, Ash was privy to a secret corporate mandate.
Parker is MY FAVORITE supporting character! Yaphet Kotto played him to the hilt! He's the blue collar EVERYMAN who just cares about payday and who enjoys deliberately antagonizing his superiors but ends up sacrificing himself for a fellow employee.
The giant elephant-headed alien pilot of the derelict spacecraft is one of the GREAT MYSTERIES of the franchise. Was he a zoologist, a biowarfare specialist, an exterminator, a trader in exotic organisms, a waste disposal tech or a trucker like Ripley's crew? No one knows. The prequels attempted to unsatisfyingly answer the question claiming his species designed the alien. The elephant head was just a helmet.
The actor who played the xenomorph was Bolaji Badejo. It was first and only role. Apparently when Riddley Scott was on vacation he met the young man and was impressed by his height (6'10) and asked him to play the part. Unfortunately he died at age 39 from Sickle Cell Disease. Rest in Piece
Quite amusing how at the premiere the actors thought people were leaving, but they were frightened to the point of moving back in the theater. Now that is well done. Hehehe
The late Ian Holm (Ash) was in the Lord of the rings trilogy/Hobbit as Bilbo
When we see Ripley, we hear sounds of the xenomorph. When we see the xenomorph, we hear sounds of Ripley. Pure genius from Ridley Scott, as usual.
During the part where they land, that's not a smaller shuttle, it's the entire Nostromo ship. The huge part they leave in orbit (with the domes underneath) is their cargo, an automated ore refinery that they're towing back to Earth. It's like a semi-truck detaching from its trailer.
Oh! that makes more sense because the ship Ripley escaped in looked significantly smaller than the spacecraft that landed on the planet! Thanks for that!
The long shot of the crew standing against the leg of the landed craft are actually Ridley Scott's children to make the model look bigger
The scariest part of this movie is when the light flashes on Jones The Cat's face while Harry Dean Stanton's character is being eaten. Jonsey survives to appear in the sequel!
Glad you enjoyed it. I saw “Alien” on opening day back on May 25, 1979. Easily one of my greatest movie experiences in a theater. I’m sure you’ll enjoy “Aliens” which is more of an action film but extremely well done. Try and watch the extended version which is much better.
Wow! Must have been an amazing theatre experience with everything being dark! Another comment mentioned Weaver got an oscar nominations for Alena so Yes! I'm doing Aliens after One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Mandalorian Ep 1. Should be up by next week!
Shan Watches Movies Yeah, it was great especially going in and not knowing anything about the film. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Oscar for “Aliens” and she is really good in it. Looking forward to seeing how you like it.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest is definitely an emotional rollercoaster and definitely one of the best movies on mental illness
I too saw this movie when it opened. I think I saw it again three more times in theaters.Sigourney Weavers character Ripley was so unique for the time. This was the first time I had seen her in a movie . It was her first lead. It was unique to see a female lead in an action film that was so intelligent and strong. You didn’t immediately know she was the lead of this film but you grabbed on to her character right away because she was so smart.Great film. Great reaction
Yea, I saw it day 2 when I was 14. My friend's stepdad (a 6'4" former Marine) had to go up to the lobby for the rest of the film after the 'birth' scene. Still one the most memorable theater experiences of my life.
I can remember leaving the theater with such a knot in my stomach from the tension. Awesome movie.
I love your reviews shan , it is refreshing to hear a reviewer make such smart observations , you do not speak unless you have a intelligent comment to make , thank you so much. great work !
The budget for Alien was 11 million dollars in 1979. Scott & his design team made use of every dollar. A lot of the set on the Nostromo came from an aircraft graveyard. Steadicam had been available since 1975. The tracking shot (when you mention this) when they're approaching the hypersleep chamber was a traditional Dolly shot. As far as I know everything was either dolly or hand held. If there's enough oxygen to breathe, there's enough to smoke in. When you mention non-diegetic music you might have been referring to the sound design overall. Needless to say, I'm impressed by anyone who knows what diegetic means. Scott comes by his acute color palette honestly. He was an art student and did all his own storyboards for this film. Only one of the things that separates him from the pack is his keen sense of design. If nothing else, his movies always look good. One of the things that makes your reactions so enjoyable is the fact that you clearly have a grasp of the many facets in making a film. Best. Leo.
First off thank you so much for your compliments. Most of what I know about film are the two courses i took about film-making during University. I'm really glad i did those courses because it opened my eyes beyond just the plot. Ever since then I cant help but think of whats happening behind the scenes as I'm watching a film. It might be or not be a good thing though! I've been learning a lot about Steadicam through the comments, that dolly shot was amazing though! And about the smoking thing, I know its possible but what I guess I meant to say is that if they already banned cigarettes in commercial aircrafts and raised taxes to much to discourage people from smoking, its unlikely it would be a common sight to see a couple of hundred years from now. Thanks again for insightful comment!
@@ShanWatchesMovies In regards smoking: who knows for sure? In 79 we were still more or less on the cusp of The Great Smoke Out. As a former smoker I'm still sympathetic to the plight of those still in the grips of devil nicotine. I don't, however, find it that big of a stretch to believe people will be smoking 200 years from now and that it would be allowed on a grungy commercial vessel such as the Nostromo. And let's keep things in perspective. The crew had other concerns beyond secondhand smoke. I, too, am a victim of a formal film education. When I watch something I have to make a concerted effort not to be over-analytical and just enjoy whatever it is for what it is. It's tougher for you because viewers are expecting you to use a critical eye at the same time you're trying to enjoy the thing. Best. Leo.
@@michaelbastraw1493 I think you might be right on both counts. 100 years ago people thought we would get rid of disease and addiction but here we are 100 years later, improved but not irraticated. Same might hold true for tobacco. Actually coming to think of it, it might not even be tobacoo they are smoking haha. See? Now I'm getting more into science fiction. And here's where you are right on the second point
I can't just watch a movie and take in the plot. I involuntarily take in so much information that sometimes it's hard to distinguish the fiction (the plot) from reality (the film making process).
I have bubble gum trading cards from this movie, that my older brother and sister gave me back when the movie came out. Just looking at some of them would terrify me, then years later I was given a free copy of the soundtrack, and it terrified me even more. It was not until I was 17, and Aliens was announced, that I finally watched this. It was just as scary as I imagined as a kid, but I loved it!
This was made for about the same budget as the original Star Wars ($11 million), which was considered fairly cheap for the scope of the films. When watching Aliens you might wanna consider watching the longer version. Some people advocate really strongly for that cut because all the extra scenes are so good. I personally think the shorter theatrical cut flows a bit better (the difference is 17 minutes), but I don't have anything negative to say about the added material, especially considering the fact that it's all character stuff, and Sigourney Weaver was actually nominated for an Oscar for that performance.
Only $11 million? They did a great job with the budget, especially the set design. About Aliens (which I'll be doing after One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Mandalorian Ep 1), I knew two versions existed but I own the Director's cut. I'm assuming that it's probably the longer version? I didn't know about the Oscar nod too, so I'm very much looking forward to her back as Ripley!
It's long, but I wouldn't watch anything but the extended version of Aliens. I like it more every time I see it.
Aliens next highly highly recommend!
Definitely Watching! My schedule for now is One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Mandalorian Ep 1 and then Aliens!
Aliens is definitely more epic than Alien
@@TheHulk2008 probably the best sequel in film after The Empire Strikes Back
@@TheHulk2008 also the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is a pretty great movie.
I recomended Close Encounters from Spielberg and Blade Runner from Ridley Scott
Coming Next Week, keep an eye out ;)
I am sure someone mentioned. But the chest burster scene. Only John Hurt and Ridley Scott knew what was going on. So all those reactions are 100% real.
Everyone jumps to "Aliens" but "Alien" is such such a great movie
ALIEN introduced an aesthetic no one had ever been exposed to before, thanks to the work of Hansrudi Giger. It was
a revelation to me as a 14 year old back then. A spiritual experience.
@Zombie Cat I think this film would never have happened without his work. This film was made for the creature, not the creature for the film. Amazing!
the Abyss is also really good and was so miss- represented in the trailers that I never saw it in the theaters and always wish I had
Man, i just love your reactions. Keep being honest with emotions and keep doing iconic movies and you'll have 100k sooner, than you thougt) subscribed as well
Love the professional commentary. It made me see things in the film I'd never seen before.
Well done sir. Very good commentary on an exceptional film. One of the very few science fiction films that have aged exceptionally well considering it is over 40 years old.
Thank you so much for your compliments! Watch out for my Aliens (1986) reaction coming this weekend. Ill be releasing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest before that, so keep an eye out for both!
i watched this as a small kid was one of my favourite movie, been an H.R. Giger fan ever since
Ian Holm, the android, played a very different role in Trading Places. I loved how you caught the camera angle/control aspect of Ridley Scott’s direction. I never saw that before. Brilliant analysis.
I don’t think he was in Trading Places, at least according to IMDb.
Late 70s/early 80s sci-fi is great. "Blade Runner", "Escape from New York", "Mad Max", "Heavy Metal", "The Terminator" and "The Thing".
I saw a double feature at a drive-in theater of Jaws and Alien when I was 10 years. I hate the beach to this day. Just found your channel and I am loving it. I'm binge watching.
i saw this when it first came out on a bigscreen cinema in Georgetown (DC). sat in the front row... started getting queasy from the first rocking uneasy space shots (i can take a lot) This was the first film with a major female protagonist. it was brilliant. still watch it over and over again today and i'm sixty three.
I've been "binging" your "reactions" which are normally good, but when you have this much depth to work with, they are fantastic. Good work.
Fun fact: Veronica Cartwright (Lambert) appears as Rod Taylor’s kid sister in the Hitchcock classic “The Birds” and also is in the remake (from 1978) of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”.
Alien is a classic for me. So scary and I love the tension. It’s one of the first times the Captain dies in the middle of a movie and the woman is the hero. Ripley is a badass. Ian Holm is the actor who played Bilbo in Lord of the Rings. He was so good as the bad guy. This was so well done. Good reaction!
That damn cat was clearly rooting for the xenomorph to kill all the humans...except maybe Sigourney Weaver, she can stay alive, hee!
Fun Fact: one possible ending had the Xenomorph biting the front Bart of Ripley’s brain out, and then speaking in her voice to record the ending monologue, implying that the Xenomorph now had human knowledge and could use Ripley’s knowledge to get to Earth. This was scrapped as it was... well... the implication no matter how frightening, it would have looked silly.
Best monster movie ever made in my opinion. As a kid I liked Aliens better (and I still really love it, don't get me wrong) but in my old age I've come to appreciate the slow buildup that this movie brings. You just know if they made this today they'd feel compelled to show the alien kill someone in the first five minutes.
I want my last words to be “Get ready to roll”, just like Parker’s were. Great reaction.
Just a year and a half after Star Wars and look at the difference in visuals and set design.
Yes, I doubt this film would even have been made if Star Wars hadn't been such a huge success, and if it had it would have looked very different.
I'm really enjoying your channel. Your take on films is very detailed and interesting. You should rent 1977's "The Duelists" for your own personal pleasure. This was Ridley Scott's first major motion picture and it is a feast for the eyes. It was this movie that made me realize how wonderful great cinematography could be and how it adds immeasurably to films. I doubt many people have seen or remember this film, which is truly a shame.
I second this. The Duellists is a phenomenally gorgeous film to look at. The locations around France are stunningly beautiful.
The only film that tops it as a visual feast would be Kubrick's Barry Lyndon -a film so sumptuously stunning that every scene looks like a painting.
@@slowerthinker I agree totally. I have Barry Lyndon and it is truly a feast for the eyes! A masterpiece.
"It's ironic how practical effects back in 1979 were better than what CGI can do right now"
I have to agree with you
The prevalence of low-angle shots you mentioned were because most lighting was part of the sets which were completely contiguous, with no wild sections. Best. Leo.
"Eggs oh no, that can't be good" lol :)
A drama you may enjoy watching is "Sling Blade" which won as Oscar for Adapted Screenplay written by Billy Bob Thornton who was also nominated for Best Actor but did not win. It's intense with sadness at times and other times with heartwarming moments. Never boring. I think you will be glad you watched it. Enjoyed your reaction to Alien which was a great suspense movie.
"The alien that they let onto the ship." If Ash hadn't suborned Ripley, she would never have let this happen in the first place. Her quarantine procedures were on-point.
I like your content sir, especially your examination and perspective of the scenes. You have earned my subscription!
Thank you so much! Welcome aboard!
Fun fact: the cast's reaction to the baby alien bursting out of the guys chest was completely real/genuine. No one was told that that was going to happen (they knew something was going to happen of course,but the director didn't tell them what)
you have an eye for detail. nice analysis. but remember we can see everything you're seeing.
thank you for the compliment! Do watch out for future reactions!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Keep doing your thing your way, Shan! Don't change the way you do your shows
Yeah, he has good insights, but we really don't need him to straight up describe what we can obviously see happening.
The budget for this movie in 1979 was $11M ($34M in 2012 dollars).
Aliens' budget was $18.5M ($36M in 2012 dollars).
Alien 3's budget was $50M ($80M in 2012 dollars).
Alien Resurrection was $70M ($100M in 2012 dollars).
Alien Prometheus was $130M.
Alien Covenant was $150M.
The first two spent their budget excellently, so did Prometheus, but not so much Covenant. I haven't watched 3 or 4 yet...
I like the fact that in a horror film, the writers took the time to give the characters story arcs. Ripley starts off as just taking crap from Brett and Parker, but she slowly steps up to command. At first, Parker only cares about money and is selfish, but at the end he attacks the Alien to give Lambert a chance to get away. At first, Dallas is laid back and lets Ash call a lot of the shots, but when Brett is killed Dallas asserts the he himself will go into the air ducts to protect his crew.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a great movie if you haven't seen it. It is around 3 hours so maybe consider a two part reaction if you watch it.
I haven't watched it yet thankfully! I know it's a classic and I will get around to watching it on the channel for sure! good idea about the 2 part thing!
@@ShanWatchesMovies There's actually multiple versions of the movie and I don't even think any of the available ones are 3 hours, it's usually 2hr 28 mins approx.
@@Mr.Goodkat I'll try and watch the most complete version of the film!
Yeah, I came here specifically the same thing The Good the bad and the ugly is a must! The greatest film ever made in my humble opinion!
I highly recommend Ridley Scott's commentary on this film from the DVD. You'd be surprised how much of this movie's artistry was due to having a lower budget than Scott would have liked.
The ship that goes down to the planetoid is the Nostromo itself, not a small exploration vessel. What it's attached to is the refinery that it's towing. No scenes take place inside the refinery. Funny how two times you commented on the music, it was for pieces from Jerry Goldsmith's 1962 score for Freud, which the editor put in as temporary track but Scott wanted to keep it. A lot of Goldsmith's original score was unused, redone, or moved around during editing. You also mention a lack of music during scenes where Goldsmith actually recorded not one by two versions of unused score. Interesting.
One thing I really love about this movie is the passive realism... by that I mean as an example, when they are redirected to inspect the distress call the mechanics on board are curious if they're gonna get paid extra for this. Even in the future, people wanna know if they're gonna be compensated for extra work.
Very good analysis. The flashing lights and camerawork made me panic when I first saw this in the movie theater in 1979. This film (especially the last 1/2 hour) scared me like no other.
By the way - She’s actually singing “You Are My Lucky Star”, not talking.
My all time favorite movie. Great story with so much suspense. Fantastic acting and terrific characters. But the thing that really gets me is how visually fantastic this movie was. Another great movie by Ridley Scott that gets very little attention is The Duelists. It takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, and the cinematography has every scene looking like an old Masters painting (like a Rembrandt)
There was steadicam in the seventies -- funny story, the inventor was from Philadelphia and had a demo reel of running up the steps like Rocky. This, was what inspired the steadicam sequence in Rocky.
I haven't watched Rocky in 20 years, maybe that's why I didn't know. The first film i saw the Steadicam used is the Copacabana Scene in Goodfellas. Thank you for the knowledge bomb though :)
Actually, Bound for Glory, the first movie to use steadicam, was made in 1976. So I wouldn't be surprised if those moving shots were Steadicam, since Ridley has always been an early adopter of technologies.
Oh wow! That's good to know! Googling Bound for Glory just for that. I really want to see how the first steadicam was used.
@@ShanWatchesMovies I remember the Academy Awards that year when steadicam was not only awarded as a new technology, but they actually had a steadicam operator, connected to the broadcast as a source video so everyone could see the image it produced, come down the aisle and up to the stage using it. Game Changer!
@@totallytomanimation wow! I didn't know that! Interesting bit of trivia! Love these!
A Good Year is a masterpiece and Ridley’s most underrated film.
If you watch the movie again, pay attention to the background in the shuttle at the end, you can see the alien a few times hiding in plain sight befor the "jumpscare"
Hey,
If you like "Alien", consider "The Duellists". It's Scott's first film, and I think it is his best.
Good job.
Veronica Cartwright's acting helped bring the suspense to another level.
If you like Ridley Scott, which I do, I recommend, "The Duellists"; 1977 Cannes Festival award winner. This isn't at all spectacular, nor was it meant to be that way. It's just a really cool story, done very well, and in a way that I'd call a style that's European rather than American.
The scene when the baby alien came out I read in an article of the making of Alien that the actors did not do a pre-test of that scene before they shot it. They had no idea what was coming. The director wanted to get a real horrifying response. When that actress says,,"oh god" that was not scripted.
Wow! I had no idea, thank you for that but of trivia! Once I think of it, the response was genuine and I see why Cameron chose to do that! Great filmmaking!
Shan Watches Movies actually that’s Ridley Scott.
@@dfa3366 Ooops! I just watched Aliens so I had Cameron on my mind, my bad!
That poor actress (Veronica Cartwright) has been treated that way by directors a bit too much (good for us but terrifying for her!). Another genuinely shocked reaction from her in the iconic scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). A film I love that hopefully Shan might consider if he hasn't already seen it.
Shan, your comment about the quality of movie making today, as oppose to 20-30 yrs ago is accurate. Today it seems that the bigger the budget, the worst the movie.
"And she's safe in stasis, at least for the next six weeks."
I mean, you're not *entirely* wrong. 😁
What stands out above other 'slasher' movies, and it is a slasher movie except instead of teens and a guy with a knife we just have a creature and some space truckers, is just how 'lived in' the sets feel. When they're all around the table having a conversation it feels natural and having the camera right in there with them close to everyone makes you fell like you are there with them... It really is one of the greats. And, even though I know that this movie is better than Aliens I prefer Aliens.
No other media product these days does this movie justice quite like "Alien: Isolation" where you play through a similar but even worse situation as Ripleys daughter 'Amanda'. My favorite survival horror game everrrrr.
Such an exceptionally beautiful film. Every shot is a work of art.
Watch “The Abyss” from James Cameron. Be sure to watch the Director’s Cut because the theatrical release had a bogus ending.
I just found you today. I watched you watch Aliens. And at first... I didn't know if I would like you talking through the movie. But.... That being said... I actually loved seeing you appreciate the same aspects of the film I appreciate. It was fun seeing you get into the movie and love it like many people do. After Alien/Aliens... There were so many "knock offs". They don't come close to the original. Great reaction!
Edit: I also agree with you. I love when movie makers go with really good props for visuals instead of CGI. That's all we see now... And I feel like that's an easy out in film making.
20th Century Fox loved the look of the film so much they doubled the budget.
And it showed! They spent the money very wisely and it draws in the whole audience with the set design and ambiance!
This film and "The Terminator" were stand alone films when they first came out. It was only later on that they made the sequels and they became franchises.
That was a great observation, Ripley was increasing the air pressure in the life boat to make it easier to blow the alien out.
"I can imagine kids getting nightmares ...."
I was only 11 or 12 when I accidentally saw this on TV ... I joined it when the three spacemen were exploring the Alien vessel, and then FUCK! .. I have never been so scared in all my life!
And then came the chestburster! - John Hurt was eating beansprouts before it happened - I thought that maybe one of the beansprouts was a mini-alien ... I didn't eat ANY beansprouts for two months afterwards!
I got nightmares for weeks ...
... but, even then, "what a COOL movie!" :)
Imagine seeing it in a movie theater like I did. Scared the sh*t out of me.
+ShanWatchesMovies: It's the future as there are currently no space ships that exist at that capacity today or even exist at all. I'm pretty sure if the crew can sleep through their trip back to Earth that the ship is manufacturing oxygen. Therefore, there is no limited oxygen and they can smoke in there if they want to. Also, since you've already watched Aliens, you might have noticed that the company is terraforming a planet for their colony which means they make oxygen.
Best movie trivia question: what song does Ripley sing to herself at the end, to keep panic at bay as she blows the airlock?
Worthless hint: it's from a play called "The Boyfriend" and it was used in the film "Singing in the Rain."
3:00 The "freight elevator to Hell" begins. I've since learned that "Alien" shares the "enclosed set" design of "Das Boot." Thus, the camera operators and crew are "on a location shoot," instead of having the luxury of a wide open set. 4:06 They're responding to a "systematic signal," which may/may not be a distress signal; it's a warning! 4:58 "Four of them are on the surface and three are in the mother ship"!? It's the reverse; Dallas, Kane, and Lambert are on the surface. 6:41 That's "Science Officer Ash," not "Capt. Dallas" on the microscope. 10:19 When "Ripley" smashed "Ash" into the side of the compartment, and he didn't react, that was my "WTF, he's not Human!?" clue. 14:02 I also thought that "Ripley"was talking to herself, but she's "singing" this song: ua-cam.com/video/CD1j4buZnJI/v-deo.html
This movie, along with followup film "Aliens," made Sigourney Weaver a najor movie star. There has been a (totally) irresponsible "adult" who exposed a minor child to "Alien," for a "funny Internet video": www.dailymotion.com/video/x6g94t6 Not even "Brett" would say: "Right.":(
WOW! Thank you for your detailed and wonderful comment with time-stamps! Those are very astute observations! Also thank you for including the youtube link to the song!
I like that you point out how good the lack of sound can be. Breaking Bad did this sometimes as well and it stood out to me. It feels like nowadays directors try to improve/emphazie everything with music.
But, like using too many adjectives in literature, too much music can ruin something.
Hey, Bilbo Baggins! (Ian Holm) As an android! He was in my older favs: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and The Fifth Element (1997) too.
Liked your commentary on the technical aspects of filming. I had to wait until I was 16 before I could see this for the first time. Was hanging out from about the age of 11 because I wanted to watch it so much. Ian Holm (Ash) played Bilbo Baggins in the LOTR films among many other roles.
Thank you so much for your comment! I'm trying to make my content different to other reaction channels. I genuinely enjoy talking about the technical side of filmmaking. I see a lot of channels just talk about the plot or acting, but I feel like a film is a sum of all it's parts. This includes the directorial choices, editing, cinematography, set design, music and so many other aspects I can't think from the top of my head.
About Ian Holm, I had no idea he played Bilbo Baggins! I watched LOTR back when it came out when I was in my early to mid teens, so I didn't make the connection. maybe I need to watch the whole of LOTR again!
I forgot to drop this link to THE documentary on the movie: ua-cam.com/video/F4G1Jg1oJt8/v-deo.html
Best. Liao.
Thank you so much for this. I'll watch this after watching Aliens!
Sigourney Weaver was also in 1492: Conquest of Paradise directed by Ridley Scott
saw this at a Drive in theatre . less than a handful of movies this good at that time ..a clear stand out. Amazingly Aliens managed to improve on this.
Please also watch Thelma & Louise! It's a wonderful film, with two strong female characters - a real classic.
I’d like to second that! Great film. It also marked the first time I saw Brad Pitt in a movie.
I Highly recommend you Watch Predator and Predator 2.
In a deleted scene, Ripley when making her way through the ship with the flame thrower, she finds the Captain cocooned into the wall and another crew member nearly completely transformed into an face-hugger egg in a kind of hive area the xenomoph excreted/created...
the Xenomorph is as intelligent as a human btw
ua-cam.com/video/LuTk4Qc7JGI/v-deo.html
I'm so glad you liked the movie. I saw it when it first came out. I still love watching it. Ridley Scott is brilliant.
Hey, Shan. The steadicam was invented in 1975, and pretty much became a standard tool by 1978, so no, that was a steadicam technique you saw at the beginning of the film.
I enjoy the music score on this. It seems to give a sense of being alone and I believe that it is what makes this movie better than the sequel Aliens.
H.R. Gieger,,one of the best artists in the world
If you enjoy Ridley Scott a must see is 1985's LEGEND, starring a young Tom Cruise and Tim Curry of Rocky Horror Picture Show and IT fame. The effects are visually stunning when considering that CGI wasn't around yet.
Psycho '60, Zulu '64, Rocky '76, Scarface '83, Hoosiers '86, Goodfellas '90, Unforgiven '92, Heat '95, Adaptation '02.
Thank you so so much for the recommendations! Out of the ones you suggested, I haven't watched Zulu, Hoosiers, Unforgiven and Adaptation. I know Unforgiven and Adaptation are classics but I'll be googling the rest asap for sure!
Just like JAWS, this movie ends with a comforting lullaby as a reward for the audience. Jerry Goldsmith's original end credits music is brilliant (try to find the live orchestral performance video on UA-cam), but this existing classical selection chosen by Ridley Scott instead is, I think, more of an emotional catharsis. Speaking of alternate music, Goldsmith himself was shocked during the film's premiere to find that much of the music he wrote for ALIEN was replaced by Scott with Goldsmith's own music for the film FREUD. Thus, the soundtrack album for ALIEN contains much music that isn't even in the movie.
The outside shots of the alien ship and of the alien in the chair had children in the space suits to make the ship/alien look larger.
I also saw this opening day in the theatre - an amazing experience. The cast had to sign a non-disclosure form and not talk about the movie (after they land on the planet) before the movie was released. The same for the publicity, nothing was reveiled after landing on the planet.
The role of Ripley was originally intended to be played by a man but the studio had it cast with a woman.
It's difficult to find completely new reactions to these sorts of movies, due in no small part to how acutely it's ingrained in the pop culture, so I'd like to explain something about the dinner scene.
Part of it's effect, at least to those who saw it for the first time in theaters, was it's abruptness. One moment, everyone's laughing and joking like they'd been after waking up; it played for the audience as a moment to relieve built up tension left over in the previous encounter. The scene that followed -- the gasping, the crying, blood & the twisted monster forcing it's way out of his chest: this was one of the precursors to today's jumpscares, focusing on an abrupt tonal shift and the shock it delivers. The director wanted the audience to feel as scared and as dumbfounded as the crew, which is where my next tidbit comes in.
The shock of the cast was real. Besides John Hurt (understandably), the actors in that scene were kept completely in the dark about what was going to transpire. They only thought that scene would be where the creature would make it's debut. So when Hurt began to double over screaming, they thought it was a real medical emergency. Ridley Scott wanted the audience to see genuine fear on their faces.
The entire scene was a single take and the blood & entrails were real offal bought from local slaughterhouses. After the shoot was done for that day, there are stories about the cast members being so disturbed at what they saw; one went home to his wife, said nothing, locked himself in the bedroom and refused to speak to anyone for the rest of the day. Another actually fainted outright during the chestbursting.
Your general movie making knowledge is impressive. Enjoyed your reaction a lot. Once again very complete and concise. ❤️fromOregon🇺🇸
There's Just Something So CLINICAL About What We Are Experiencing - There's No Judgment; It Just Is.
Actually the Nostromo is a tug towing the refinery. The part you see landing is the actual Nostromo.
I was seven when this came out. I was likely eight or nine when I saw it on HBO. Loved it, and loved Sigourney Weaver. Screamed my head off, was heated with Ash, and hated mostly those that showed any level of common sense get killed off.
Hey Shan! I'm enjoying your insights and commentary! Your comments on this film regarding silences made me want to recommend watching "A Quiet Place". It may be that the choices in it have a greater impact in a movie theatre, but I think it would still be an interesting watch for you. :)
Nice. I was 19 when it came in theaters. What a moovie. Newer saw anything like it. Ridley is good.