From what I've read regarding this scene, Sigourney Weaver wanted to do this scene completely nude to emphasise Ripley's utter vulnerability to the Alien.
Now you know why us old timers always say good practical effects always look better than CGI. Side note things seem more claustrophobic the farther into the film you get. That's because Ripley Scott had the crew move the walls in a little bit each day on the set. Basically squeezing the actors into closer and closer proximity.
Practical effects are great, don't get me wrong, but CGI can both look better on its own (very difficult, but increasingly possible) and make practical effects look much better (prime example, "Jurassic Park", which still looks good almost 30 years later). One of the main advantages of practical is that it automatically produces the "secondary" (and tertiary, etc.) effects that often go unnoticed consciously, but not unconsciously. A good example is some of the "Transformers" films, wherein you have massive robots jumping around a city but neither the cars nor the trees move in response to supposedly-huge weights hitting the ground right next to them. As the dark but amusing and intelligent crew over at "Red Letter Media" put it, "you might not have noticed, but your brain did".
I think it's because people who make CGI have a habit of 1 or 2 things that make CGI seems less 'heavy' or 'firm' or be affected by gravity in an eerie not quite believable way. Effects and practical are both pixels on a screen in either way so it's theoretically possible to make CGI 'look practical' but in practice people for some reason have a hard time doing it.
@@cyberneticbutterfly8506 CGI cane good IF used alongside practical, then you have the best of both worlds, but pure cgi.. well it can look dated (mortal Kombat film)
Mel Brooks made a scifi parody movie "Space Balls" mostly about Star Wars. However there is a hilarious scene where John Hurt experiences his chest burster death again. Just slightly different circumstances.
I saw this in a small town theater when I was 18 years old. We had never seen anything like it. There were people who fled in tears from the theater during the roughest parts. You can't imagine what it's like seeing this movie on a big screen in a big dark theater with 200 other terrified people LOL
This movie was terrifying and groundbreaking when it came out. And for a while, nobody talked about it, so all we knew going in was the egg on the poster, and the tag line: "No one in space can hear you scream." The trailers were very minimal and extremely vague before it came out. I was 15 at the time, and only knew that one of my friends had an asthma attack during the movie. ETA: I have also loved the music since the day I saw it.
That's so cool u guys went in blind! I pretty much never watch trailers because they give way too much away, I love going into movies without knowing anything!
@@jenmurrayxo It was a heck of a film, Ms. Murray. I think all of the sequels just basically killed off its mystique as being a 1 of a kind sci-fi flick🙁
@@jenmurrayxoThe first trailer can be found on YT, it was a set of close-ups of what looked like a familiar English cardboard egg-box, which a couple of dozen eggs could be bought in, with laser light effects and a growingly-intense alarm siren effect, sometimes with quick shots of people rushing down dark corridors. It actually just evokes a mood, not showing anything of the movie. The 'secret' was what the alien looked like, and while a photo of it was included in the movies 'brochure', it's blurred and misty, much like some of the shots of it in the movie. Only afterwards could you tell that it was a pic of the alien.
A true Sci-fi classic. Great story, great practical effects and a great score by Jerry Goldsmith (over 250 films). Sigorney Weaver hits a grand slam in her film debut. Nice reaction 👍
For those who made it through all the stress and terror we are rewarded at the very end narration with the soothing and serene background music of Howard Hansen Symphony No. 4.
Fun fact: 15:50 was not acting. Ridley Scott and the late John Hurt did not tell the other actors that, that was going to happen and the other actors are really panicking there.
I know this a meme that's become fact through repetition. I've heard that the truth is closer to the fact that the alien prop didn't fire every time, either intentionally on behalf of the director, to, like you said, take the actors by surprise for dramatic effect, or that it was prone to malfunction and didn't fire every time. It makes sense that doing dry dummy runs to preserve the element of surprise would result in more natural reactions from the actors.
Back here after watching Aliens with a friend. Love some classic Murray with 'Sunflowers' in the background and the ever-present purple security blanket
I always loved the tagline from this film. "In space no one can hear you scream." Also if you enjoyed this film you should look at the artwork by H.R. Giger, who was a major influence in the overall look of this world as well as some of the creatures.
Don't bother with the director's cut, the studios wanted another cut and Ridley Scott obliged but then said afterwards that he actually prefers his 1979 version, so the original film is already basically the 'directors cut'.
Ridley has gotten very weird about his movies over the years. Best to just watch the originals so you can see what the fans actually turned into a cult classic. This release the Snyder cut, special addition stuff is getting out of hand. Also, Ridley has fallen into that weird mindset where he takes credit for the movies he directed but had no hand in writing, directors matter, don't get me wrong. But how many of us can say who wrote this screenplay without looking it up?
Great reaction. It's always a pet peeve of mine when young people watch an old classic and automatically assume that the film will look dated" in some way , filmmaking technology has changed a lot over the years making the ability to create imagery easier in many cases but it hasn't necessarily improved the vision of film makers , especially from the era when films like Star Wars and Alien were made. , a time that set the visual standard that is still being chased after today often with less than improved results. Technology may have improved the ability to create visuals but it sure hasn't helped creative storytelling much.
A lot of them do look quite dated. Aliens looks a lot more dated than Alien though. Alien is pretty timeless in terms of special effects and performances. Aliens feels very 80s.
Jen, I've watched a number of reactions to this film, but yours is the only one to worry there's an alien in the cat. So funny, because I was in college when this came out, and I saw it in a large lecture auditorium filled with students. Your reaction awakened a long-dormant memory: coeds screaming, "It's in the cat! It's in the cat!"
This is my favorite film of all time. It took the "slasher" genre and took out the cheesy dialog and unnecessary nudity and flipped the script. To this day, this film and the Thing have the best practical effects I've ever seen. Great reaction!
Some woman did a hilarious summary of the movie: Alien is a movie where nobody listens to the smart woman, and in the end everyone dies except for the smart woman and her cat. 5 out of 5 stars.
"I'm not sure if she's going to make it" There were actually several planned versions of the ending where Ripley doesn't make it- including one where the alien kills her rather gruesomely, then the last shot is the alien sending a message back to Earth in Dallas's voice. (The studio threatened to fire Ridley Scott if he shot that ending) There was a bit of indecision on a couple of other characters' death scenes, too; There were two versions of Brett's death scene- The other one is used in the director's cut. And they kept changing their minds about how Lambert was going to die until they ran out of time and ended up just fudging it, leaving the details to your imagination. (We don't see how she dies in the book, either, but in the book the alien disappears with her and Parker's bodies, and we later find out that it ate them.)
As someone who's been a huge fan of this classic for almost 40 years, it's good to watch reactions from those viewing it for the first time. Good on you for watching a classic that is still as good as it was in 1979. Trivia: the chestburster scene was filmed in one take and only actor John Hurt knew what was going to happen. Idea behind this was to get genuine reactions from the actors.
The alien can be seen when Ripley enters the shuttle for the last time. He's definitely there if you know what to look for, but obviously hard to recognize if you don't know he's there, both for Ripley and the audience.
Superb reaction, Alien is one of the all time best sci/fi Horror movies. Perfectly paced and phenomenal levels of suspense and perfectly limiting actually seeing the alien to only a handful of minutes.
The only good thing about the AVP movie's was we got to see how the face huggers moved with special effects and yup so quick so on target and so scary like when I used to have nightmares about just them not the zenomorph
I saw this movie when it was released with the impression that it was just another sci-fi movie. It was my introduction to the concept of a sci-fi horror movie, and it freaked me out!
The Alien tag line is always worth repeating, "In space, no one can hear you scream." I like how Jen called out the variable audio levels and the poor audio quality at times. She was spot on! Theater goers complained about this when the movie was first released, and the film makers revealed they had messed with the audio to create more tension in the audience. Sci-fi psy-ops!
This movie holds up very well even to this day, and the music is perfectly adapted to the genre: It fills you with dread and loneliness from the very first frame. It's the first sci-fi movie of this type and set the stage for many copy cats in the future, some good some bad. The direct sequel to this, Aliens, is honestly the only one worth seeing beyond the original. Don't waste your time with any of the others (but do watch Aliens. It is also excellent but in a completely different way). The sequel Aliens is awesome and tons of fun, but Alien is a masterpiece.
@@jenmurrayxo You won't be disappointed, and PLEASE do like you did here and make sure you watch the theatrical version FIRST (watch the other versions at a later time). Aliens is one of the greatest sequels of all time, along with Terminator 2 (which is also by James Cameron. That guy really knows how to make blockbuster sequels!)
I just subscribed to your channel. I saw this movie when it was in the theater and halfway through the projector stopped and for almost 5 minutes in a dark theater, someone yelled the alien got the projector guy.
One of the first true slasher films, as well as one of the first sci-fi spaceship movies where it's not a futuristic space opera like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Forbidden Planet, Star Trek, etc. They're just regular working folk on a freighter. You could set the movie on earth and make the Nostromo an actual ore ship on Lake Superior and the result would be exactly the same. So there's a gritty realism to both the setting and the characters. And everyone in it is a professional lead or character actor who had long careers. The only big time genre-type character actor this is missing is probably Dick Miller. Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver, of course, were major lead actors with long careers. Others, like Ian Holm and Harry Dean Stanton, and all the others, had long careers as notable character actors. And Ridley Scott, of course, has become a legendary director. It could be argued that Alien is among the 100 best movies ever made. It is extremely well produced and acted and has had a huge impact on the horror/sci-fi genres.
Sigourney Weaver and Meryl Streep were classmates at Yale Drama School (not roommates) where they both studied acting. Their paths crossed early on, and they appeared on stage together several times during their time at Yale. However, their careers took different trajectories.
Along with the first Terminator, it’s my favourite film of all time. First saw it when I was 15-16, and it holds a special place in my heart as the first film I watched where I really appreciated it on a filmmaking level, the way the horror is crafted and comes across through because of the direction, grimy industrial set design, minimal music, it’s all top tier. It was my baptism in being a movie buff. That and I just really dig science fiction horror as a genre, since I was young and played the Half Life video games I find plots involving isolated locations and something scary happening that we have to destroy or kill here and now whatever it takes because it poses a threat to civilisation really thrilling and engaging. Then I learned it was originally intended to be a B movie, like a proper low budget sci fi schlock because the plot on paper is pretty “haunted house in space” it takes from a 50s sci fi movie called It! The Terror from Beyond Space. But after Star Wars took off two years beforehand, the script for Alien was sitting on the desks at Fox and they immediately doubled its budget from 4.2 million to 8.4 million, possibly 11 million, and it went on to gross with subsequent rereleases over 100 million.
There's an excellent documentary about the making of Alien, "The Beast Within", that's well worth watching. The movie's cinematographer said that when he saw it in a theater for the first time, an audience member yelled out "Leave the f*cking cat!" when Ripley went back for Jonesy. Poor kitty! 😾 ua-cam.com/video/GUXvJVZzOLk/v-deo.html
This movie is a classic Haunted House horror film. Just set in space. I saw this movie in a packed movie theater the day after it opened. I remember the teaser preview tag line. "In space, no one can hear you scream."
I bet the scene where the alien teeth is on the whole screen just after 24:08 was SO intense and horrifying back in 79 on the big screen. I'm only 25 and recently discovered this movie Always turned my nose down at it like "I'm not watching some crap 70s movie"... boy was I wrong This isn't just a movie This is a beautiful horrorifying cinemamatic EXPERIENCE.
The way I heard it, Veronica Cartwright was supposed to play Ripley but Weaver's parents had pull with the studio. Cartwright turned up on set, saw her notes and said, "Am I not Ripley, now?" Sigourney was good though! Try 'American Werewolf in London'!
I remember seeing this when it came out. The special effects were quite good and other than the computer screens - and basically the overall interaction with the computer - I think they've held up very well. Actually the use of old school and practical effects in some ways gives a little more "real" feel to it than the heavy use of CGI we tend to see nowadays. Excellent movie.
This scene was parodied by Mel Brooks in Spaceballs, he even got John Hurt to reprise his role as Kane. And if you have seen Harry Potter he played Mr. Ollivander where Harry got his first wand and yes that is Bilbo playing Ash. The character was played by the late Ian Holm he was also in The Fifth Element as Father Vito Cornelius.
That reaction to the face hugger attack and chest burster scenes were priceless. I remember being 12 when i saw this on tv and reacting much the same way. Movie scared the crap out of me for months afterward. As to who is right and wrong, Ash lecturing Ripley about doing her job and letting him do his is the epitome of nonsense, considering he overrode her job for no reason. Turns out that they could have left Cain in 24 hour quarantine and he would have been fine because the face hugger was keeping him alive. Granted they still would have let the Aline on board. But Ash's "you do your job," line is BS, she can't do her job when some sketchy douche-monkey under cuts her. So team Ellen all the way on that one. LOL love the ticking off items on the laundry list tone at 23:03 when predicting Lambert and Parker's fate; "so these guys are gonna die for suuuuuure. A gallon of Milk and a stick of butter; all done" ROTFLMAO "oh my god she's gonna die in her underwear." Have to say first time I think anyone has had that reaction to that scene.
@@jenmurrayxo OHHHH HEEEEEEL YEAH! That's going to be great to watch. Heart-pounding movie, when it kicks into gear it gets R E L E N T L E S S. BTW just wanted to say thanks for the content, this has been great for listening to while writing up reports between sessions. Nothing like a trip down sci fic memory lane with fresh eyes on my beloved genre's best hits.
Along with so much other brilliance, sound design is one of the most important elements to this film’s success in manipulating the viewer. So damn good.
The very eccentric artist who designed the Aliens was named H.R. Giger. He channeled that general aesthetic for most of his career and was convinced of its reality, in this dimension or some other. There are some good documentaries about him. One called Dark Star follows him towards the very end of his life and is fascinating.
I saw this 2nd day out in the theater when I was 14. The line went around the building. It's still one of my favorite films. Of course now, you know you have to react to 'Aliens' (1986).
Fun Fact: Arthur C. Clarke referenced this movie in the book 2010. 2 astronauts board the abandoned Discovery. The ship is dark and creepy. One of the astronauts says, "Just watch out for the cat." The other responds with, "Who thought that would make a good movie to put on a real spaceship? Clearly they were referring to this movie.
You sure got your money's worth of suspense, surprise, blood, gross stuff and horror in this one, right? It is such a well-done classic. Treat yourself to the sequel, Aliens. Plural for a reason. Different, just as good.
We had to wait from 1979 until 1986 to see if Ripley makes it home.. Thankfully you don't have to. :) -- Suggest the directors cut of Aliens because that fills in more of the story..
Yeah, the Special Edition is basically the original version, but the studio made them chop out most of the backstory scenes and what was left was the theatrical release. That was purely so that cinemas could squeeze in an extra screening per day.
I saw this in the theater when it was released and it scared the crap out of me. (Admittedly, I was 14 and it was only the second R rated movie I'd seen and the first without parental approval.) But I don't think I was only scared because of that. This is just an awesome suspenseful movie. I saw the sequel in the theater, too, when I was a young Marine and felt an affinity with many of the characters, but that's a story for another day.
I watched Alien at a local cinema (sadly long gone) when it was released in the UK, if I remember rightly it was an X rated film (adults only). I managed to break a tooth while watching it, I was eating a hard chewy mint when the face hugger exploded from the egg and an involuntary reaction caused me to bite down including the mint. Unbeknownst to me at the time this had caused part of a molar to break off and embed itself in the mint which I subsequently swallowed, however I didn't realise this had occurred because the interior of the cinema was warm, only when I left and went out into cold air remember this was around September/October time and took a breath did I have a sharp pain! So next day had to get some emergency dental treatment and then later when I visited my NHS dentist, did I get follow up treatment, resulting in a gold crown put in place. So you could say that my first viewing of Alien was rather eventful! 😀 In relation to Aliens it's certainly worthwhile watching the Director's cut, as it does add a lot more to the film. Indeed, if you intend to watch other James Cameron films I would always recommend that you watch the directors cut, if one is available.
The most shocking thing about your story to N Americans may be the (thoroughly sensible and economically-efficient) idea of non-private dental care, and that's 40 years old now. We seem determined to regress, to the detriment of all (though some far more than others, and I'm sure we can all guess who's in the two groups).
Your opening comment about technology made me chuckle. I was like "the technology of having a face-hugger use your body as a host then having a xenomorph burst through your chest/abdomen is . . . timeless". 😂 Great reaction, keep it up.
Fun Fact: During the chest burster scene, no one knew how Kane (John Hurt's character) was going to die. So the when Alien bursted from the chest, that was their genuine reaction.
ALIEN is a class sci-fi movie...And sci-fi being my fav genre of movie.....With saying that...the follow up movie ALIENS is my ALLTIME fav movie. I have seen hundreds of times..no exaggeration. Seen it on the big screen and watch it everytime it's on tv despite having it on video and DVD. I also have a script from ALIEN 3 somewhere. I got it from a friend who had a friend on the inside before the movie even came out. He also got me a rough video copy of the movie itself. Though unfortunately, the film it's self didn't live up to the first 2 movies. People try to compare it to movies of today pointing with the old "man in a suit" line. But they forget..this came out in 1979, and back then..this was AWESOME!....Just like the first people to see a movie of a moving train a hundred years before that when they though it was gonna come out of the screen and crash into them!. ALIENS is more of an action sc-fi movie than horror...which I prefer.
This movie I mainly appreciate for it's retro futuristic aesthetics. I think it looks awesome, and the Nostromo is so cool. It's not the only thing I like of course, it's a great movie. Though the true masterpiece in this series is the sequel. Unusual that, but Aliens easily takes a spot somewhere on my list of top ten movies of all times.
@@jenmurrayxo Cool! I will watch that. I find that it's always good to lower your expectations though, I almost always like a movie better if I don't watch it with high hopes. So I might have Aliens on my top ten, but maybe I have the worst taste in movies imaginable? I guess you are going to find out for yourself. 🙂
Hi Jen. It was so enjoyable watching your reaction, apparently a real one. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this with reactors who've seen memes and posters and other things that clued them in about what was going to happen. It was an interesting transition from your "...this movie is slow..." to holding your hands in front of your face in the more intense scenes. I so much enjoy reactors who go into a movie fresh, so this was a true joy watching you.
I saw this movie when I was really little in a packed movie theater with my family. I love the sound effects in this movie. Whatever gadgets and other things that they used, it sounds organic.
“I like that guy so he is probably going to die.” “Look at this space cat.” “Why is he so strong?” “She’s going to die in her underwear.” 😂🤣😂 Your commentary is the best. Over 2k now!!! Woot woot!
"SHE'S GOING TO DIE IN HER UNDERWEAR!" One of the BEST reactions ever, that was such a good laugh. Yes you are correct this is very much a horror movie. I saw it in the movie theatre when I was 12 years old!
@@jenmurrayxo Let's just say it was a scary bike ride back home and an even worse night ... I had a few nightmares, lol. Yep, it blew our little minds!
In most sci-fi/horror films before ALIEN, the main cast was always comprised of military men and scientists battling the space beasties. But what I love about ALIEN is that it's a bunch of blue-collar working schmoes... i.e. regular people.... who are forced to confront this ultimate outer space terror. It grounds the movie in such a profound way. This future feels lived in, by people like you or I. It was a minor change to the screenplay (originally they were all astronauts) but it gave the piece a much more potent sense of dread than I feel watching a bunch of "pros" handle this thing would have had. Brilliant. And making the last survivor a female crew member as opposed to the male captain (which is what you would have expected at the time) was genius. I LOVE YOUR WATCH-ALONGS! So much fun. Keep them coming!
(Not-So)Fun Fact: The other actors didn't know they were using real (animal) blood & guts during the Kane chestburster scene, so as to get a genuine reaction.
There are a bunch of little scenes added to the "director's cut", but the only really notable one is near the end. After RIpley has set the ship to self-destruct, she finds a room with the bodies of Captain Dallas and Brett. They've been encased in cocoons and are slowly being turned into new alien eggs. Brett is much farther along as he was taken first and you can see the top of an egg forming just below his face, which hardly even looks human any more. The captain is just barely conscious and begs Ripley to kill him, so she torches the entire room. I wish Scott had left that scene in. It makes the alien even scarier if it's not just killing people, but taking them alive to be mutated into alien eggs that will be used to infect more people. It also means a single alien can create dozens more.
@@jenmurrayxo Here's the scene; ua-cam.com/video/dS5MtzrW1vU/v-deo.html And here's an extended version that someone cut together from all the available footage; ua-cam.com/video/LuTk4Qc7JGI/v-deo.html
I'm laughing at your reaction to the chestburster, partially because that was my EXACT reaction in the theatre, opening night. I was 18, and this was the first restricted movie I ever saw. Through my fingers!
The design in this movie is insanely good. You may want to look-up HR Giger's involvement and intentions; they're very interesting, if quite disturbing. Of course, that describes a lot of Giger's work, particularly his "biomechanics" concepts. When Ripley's looking for Jones, I think she'd already completed shuttle prep. Getting the oxygen supplies seemed a 2-person job, so she was sorta at loose ends. Staying in one place seemed as dangerous as moving about, so fetching the cat is both "humanitarian", so to speak, and, to a degree, rational. 24:45 Ripley couldn't engage the auto-destruct until the last minute before departure, in order to give the best chance to get clear of the blast (she's actually shutting-down the cooling system for the Nostromo's nuclear generators, which is why the auto-destruct is impossible to reverse after a certain time; once a given temperature is reached, criticality is inevitable, at least without huge external cooling capacities). This movie, while sci-fi, was definitely also intended as a horror. Scott described it as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in space.
I love that counterfit merch t-shirt that reads: "In space, no one can hear you scream in space"... i can't think of anything other than that shirt every time i see that phrase
I saw this movie with a friend. When the face hugger leapt from the egg he got up and quickly left the theater and never came back, was waiting for me in the lobby. One of the best Sci Fi horror films ever.
@@jenmurrayxo If you're a little traumatized by John Hurt's amazing and disturbing performance on the table, react to "Space Balls." It'll fix you right up. A hilarious comedy, John Hurt's cameo is a classic. (Make sure you're up to date on your classic 'Looney Toons' first.)
Great to see you enjoying the "mother" of all sci-fi/horror films!👍 The major differences with the Director's Cut are: Ripley getting slapped by Lambert after Kane is incapacitated, an early reveal of the creature shortly before Brett is killed, Parker and Ripley rushing in the room after hearing Brett's scream, Ripley finding Dallas and Brett slowly being turned into "eggs", and, the creature swatting aside the pet cage. There are a few other subtle changes as well, but at the end of the day, both versions are truly awesome! P.S., the original ending of Alien had Ripley being killed by the creature. The creature also gave the ship's log using Ripley's voice! Great reaction video!
@@jenmurrayxo I think the choice between the regular and extended editions of Aliens inspire more controversy, personally. I have a dual-edition home video disc but honestly, while the extended edition fills in more gaps, the theatrical cut is WAY better paced. But then that's usually a little bit true with every "extended" version of a film (looks pointedly at Lord of the Rings)
A few fun facts. The dinner table scene, the other actors had no idea that was going to happen. So their looks if you notice are genuine "WTF!!??" Looks. Secondly the scene with Parker and Lambert toward the end, while Parker was killed, its implied the Alien sexually assaults Lambert, so when Ripley finds them, Lamberts legs and feet are bare when before she was wearing pants and shoes. One of the original drafts actually has the creature doing just that before killing her.
This and John Carpenter's THE THING are my fave sci-fi horror films (I don't know why both universes have not converged for a movie - both feature ass-kicking flamethrower toting bad-asses) - Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley is my fave ass-kicking cat lady leading a stellar cast with expert direction by Ridley Scott (you got it Jen - slow cooker pressure to build characters and tension simultaneously) - pretty much a haunted house film in space. HR Giger's reviled beauty in the xenomorph is the perfectly terrifying cinematic monster to date IMO. Fun facts - Ripley was supposed to be a man but studio head Alan Ladd, Jr. (who passed away this year) suggested a sex change (wise decision) and I read recently Lambert was supposedly non-binary. Loosely based in the 50s B-film IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. The chestburster scene Scott employed several cameras to get all the cast's reactions (they were clueless of what exactly was to transpire) and Veronica Cartwright got the brunt of it (note all the blood on her - the device used to shoot it out was like a firehose and in outtakes she was literally blown ass over teakettle of the sofa unit on the set!)
The scariest part is the sizzling noise when the face hugger jumps on Kane because it implies it melts through his helmet to get to him. That then means those little buggers could melt through any door to get to you. No other alien movie touches on that aspect of the face huggers.
I guess they had no way of knowing for sure that Jones (the cat) didn't have a baby alien in it, but there was only one "facehugger" they knew of, and it seemed to be how baby aliens got implanted, so Jones was probably OK (he was).
After watching this movie a couple hundred times you start watching it and keeping a CLOSE EYE on Ian Holm (Ash) in EVERY scene, just to see if you can notice anything.
When I first saw this film (the Swiss Centre' movie theatre in London's Leicester Square) it was different to both the video release and a later film re-release; both times, it was the explosion of the Nostromo that had changed. It also had a unique poster that I have never seen again, showing the actors looking right at a shadow of the Alien. Examples of editing that make the film odd for people with a strong visual memory, are that Lambert is established to be wearing cowboy boots, while Brett wears deck shoes, and Lambert is 'approached' by the Alien's tail later, showing that this is a shot of Brett from earlier in the movie. Also, there is a shot of the Nostromo's landing legs up in the bay Brett goes into, with bright lights, chains and water falling. Is the Alien visible in this shot? It is where the creature lowers itself down from.
That's interesting about the explosion, I've never heard that before. I guess they hadn't had time to complete the slit-scan effects for the final explosion at the time. How did the original explosion look like? More like a traditional firey one?
@@WagooWas a standard explosion, as seen in every later version, and ended with a lilac or purple ball fading, with a 'horizon' of orange across it, as in all versions. The change was that in the middle was another, larger explosion (I guess the ship, then the refinery exploding), plus a 'slit-scan' (like the horizontally-aligned shots late in '2001') like twin walls of fire that was added later, perhaps to represent the explosion passing Ripley's escape ship). So from two shots to four shots of explosion over a couple of versions early in release. I've noticed this about several of Ridley Scott's films: Blade Runner had a shot late in the running time of Deckard running across a large room, from the door to the window, and trying to get through. The first version of Blade Runner shown at Leicester Square had this shot, but in the middle a light flashed and an entire camera crew pulling a camera along a track left to right were visible in shadow right in front of them. Have not seen that shot again, it's replaced with two cuts of the start and end of that shot.
I remember seeing the coming attractions for this movie was "In Space no one can hear you scream" . Saw this in the drive-in when it came out. Good movie. Aliens I like as well.
Aww Jen you’re so brave! I’m a 29 year old dude and I could NOT watch these alone hahaha. When you said ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN where is it?!?’ I died haha. Probably a good person to have on a zombie survival team :) anyway you’re a good person and a badass and keep having fun!
I'd like make a case for the old tech in the ship. Of course you'd have flat led screens and all the bells and whistles, but see it from a practical side: This is a mining vessel traveling decades from start to destination. You'd want to have the most basic, reliable and easy to maintain/replaceable equipment. Even the mother the main AI seems to be nothing but very low tech computing. It's all made to last with minimal need for replacement components.
My last rewatch for tonight, Jen, I'll do some more tomorrow as I'll be home earlier. I'll see you at your reaction later tonight. For now I'll wish you a good night, sleep well and sweet dreams, Jen.
The Xenomorph is shown so little in the movie mainly because the model was very basic and couldn't move very well plus it was one of the first of its kind in movie history so they had to figure things out on the fly. The side effect of it was/is that it enhances the tension plus the mere "presence" of it somewhere on the ship adds up as well.
I had never noticed this before, but at 25:53 you can actually see the alien asleep in the wall as ripley runs in to the escape shuttle. The camera is shakey and it's well camoflagued, but it's right there in the middle of the screen. Maybe seen this film 100 times, never noticed that before. And just as I did, you said "I sure hope that Alien isn't on there with her" lol
Yeah I had the loud-quiet-loud-quiet problem with the recent "Dune", which I couldn't last 30 minutes watching because I couldn't hear the dialogue - the Dolby sound, requiring 10 Surround speakers or whatever finally defeated me. I don't go to the movies so I guess I'll just miss out on that one. As far as original vs. director's cut here on "Alien", I think the story elements don't matter - hardly 2 minutes are added - but the sound in Director's is a lot clearer.
"She's gonna die in her underwear!" ...that was the most hilarious comment on that particular scene I ever heard 😅 LOVE IT!
🤣🤣
From what I've read regarding this scene, Sigourney Weaver wanted to do this scene completely nude to emphasise Ripley's utter vulnerability to the Alien.
Funny but what's probably true, is that most people probably do.
It's definitely better than to die while sitting on the toilet
@@Robert_Douglass Too bad Scott didn't see what a good idea that was
Now you know why us old timers always say good practical effects always look better than CGI.
Side note things seem more claustrophobic the farther into the film you get.
That's because Ripley Scott had the crew move the walls in a little bit each day on the set.
Basically squeezing the actors into closer and closer proximity.
Oh that's such a cool tidbit! Thank you! :)
Practical effects are great, don't get me wrong, but CGI can both look better on its own (very difficult, but increasingly possible) and make practical effects look much better (prime example, "Jurassic Park", which still looks good almost 30 years later).
One of the main advantages of practical is that it automatically produces the "secondary" (and tertiary, etc.) effects that often go unnoticed consciously, but not unconsciously. A good example is some of the "Transformers" films, wherein you have massive robots jumping around a city but neither the cars nor the trees move in response to supposedly-huge weights hitting the ground right next to them. As the dark but amusing and intelligent crew over at "Red Letter Media" put it, "you might not have noticed, but your brain did".
I think it's because people who make CGI have a habit of 1 or 2 things that make CGI seems less 'heavy' or 'firm' or be affected by gravity in an eerie not quite believable way.
Effects and practical are both pixels on a screen in either way so it's theoretically possible to make CGI 'look practical' but in practice people for some reason have a hard time doing it.
@@cyberneticbutterfly8506 CGI cane good IF used alongside practical, then you have the best of both worlds, but pure cgi.. well it can look dated (mortal Kombat film)
Douglas Campbell - That is not true, Ripley Scott did not move the walls closer, that is a totally made up fact and you know it.
it's great that a movie more than 40 years old still has the power to shock, that chest bursting scene is one for the ages
Timeless 😱😱
Mel Brooks made a scifi parody movie "Space Balls" mostly about Star Wars. However there is a hilarious scene where John Hurt experiences his chest burster death again. Just slightly different circumstances.
I saw this in a small town theater when I was 18 years old. We had never seen anything like it. There were people who fled in tears from the theater during the roughest parts. You can't imagine what it's like seeing this movie on a big screen in a big dark theater with 200 other terrified people LOL
After the Ash scene, when he said "you have my sympathies ", people left, they had had enough.
My father saw Psycho when he was in the Army. He said some of the men screamed at the mother scene.
This movie was terrifying and groundbreaking when it came out. And for a while, nobody talked about it, so all we knew going in was the egg on the poster, and the tag line: "No one in space can hear you scream." The trailers were very minimal and extremely vague before it came out. I was 15 at the time, and only knew that one of my friends had an asthma attack during the movie.
ETA: I have also loved the music since the day I saw it.
That's so cool u guys went in blind! I pretty much never watch trailers because they give way too much away, I love going into movies without knowing anything!
@@jenmurrayxo It was a heck of a film, Ms. Murray. I think all of the sequels just basically killed off its mystique as being a 1 of a kind sci-fi flick🙁
@@jenmurrayxoThe first trailer can be found on YT, it was a set of close-ups of what looked like a familiar English cardboard egg-box, which a couple of dozen eggs could be bought in, with laser light effects and a growingly-intense alarm siren effect, sometimes with quick shots of people rushing down dark corridors.
It actually just evokes a mood, not showing anything of the movie.
The 'secret' was what the alien looked like, and while a photo of it was included in the movies 'brochure', it's blurred and misty, much like some of the shots of it in the movie. Only afterwards could you tell that it was a pic of the alien.
A true Sci-fi classic. Great story, great practical effects and a great score by Jerry Goldsmith (over 250 films). Sigorney Weaver hits a grand slam in her film debut. Nice reaction 👍
For those who made it through all the stress and terror we are rewarded at the very end narration with the soothing and serene background music of Howard Hansen Symphony No. 4.
I'm 53. Was 9 when this was released. Still love, love, love that piece of music to this day.
Ripley is 100% right about the quarantine issue
Fun fact: 15:50 was not acting.
Ridley Scott and the late John Hurt did not tell the other actors that, that was going to happen and the other actors are really panicking there.
I know this a meme that's become fact through repetition. I've heard that the truth is closer to the fact that the alien prop didn't fire every time, either intentionally on behalf of the director, to, like you said, take the actors by surprise for dramatic effect, or that it was prone to malfunction and didn't fire every time. It makes sense that doing dry dummy runs to preserve the element of surprise would result in more natural reactions from the actors.
Back here after watching Aliens with a friend. Love some classic Murray with 'Sunflowers' in the background and the ever-present purple security blanket
One of the greatest films of all time!
I always loved the tagline from this film.
"In space no one can hear you scream."
Also if you enjoyed this film you should look at the artwork by H.R. Giger, who was a major influence in the overall look of this world as well as some of the creatures.
Oh interesting, thanks! Sequel coming very soon 👍
Film poster tag lines - a forgotten art
Don't bother with the director's cut, the studios wanted another cut and Ridley Scott obliged but then said afterwards that he actually prefers his 1979 version, so the original film is already basically the 'directors cut'.
The original edited version is perfect; the other one is far too long
@@BarriosGroupie Actually the 2nd version is shorter than the original, Scott added some scenes but cut others
Yeah, I agree. The theatrical cut is the better version.
I scrolled down looking for this comment. Theatrical cut is far superior.
Ridley has gotten very weird about his movies over the years. Best to just watch the originals so you can see what the fans actually turned into a cult classic. This release the Snyder cut, special addition stuff is getting out of hand.
Also, Ridley has fallen into that weird mindset where he takes credit for the movies he directed but had no hand in writing, directors matter, don't get me wrong. But how many of us can say who wrote this screenplay without looking it up?
Great reaction. It's always a pet peeve of mine when young people watch an old classic and automatically assume that the film will look
dated" in some way , filmmaking technology has changed a lot over the years making the ability to create imagery easier in many cases but it hasn't necessarily improved the vision of film makers , especially from the era when films like Star Wars and Alien were made. , a time that set the visual standard that is still being chased after today often with less than improved results. Technology may have improved the ability to create visuals but it sure hasn't helped creative storytelling much.
A lot of them do look quite dated. Aliens looks a lot more dated than Alien though. Alien is pretty timeless in terms of special effects and performances. Aliens feels very 80s.
Jen, I've watched a number of reactions to this film, but yours is the only one to worry there's an alien in the cat. So funny, because I was in college when this came out, and I saw it in a large lecture auditorium filled with students. Your reaction awakened a long-dormant memory: coeds screaming, "It's in the cat! It's in the cat!"
It was Dave Lee Travis right?
@@tightropewalkergirl6485 ???
This is my favorite film of all time. It took the "slasher" genre and took out the cheesy dialog and unnecessary nudity and flipped the script. To this day, this film and the Thing have the best practical effects I've ever seen. Great reaction!
Lamberts scream and the abrupt stop is still one of the most haunting sounds in cinema
Some woman did a hilarious summary of the movie: Alien is a movie where nobody listens to the smart woman, and in the end everyone dies except for the smart woman and her cat. 5 out of 5 stars.
"I'm not sure if she's going to make it"
There were actually several planned versions of the ending where Ripley doesn't make it- including one where the alien kills her rather gruesomely, then the last shot is the alien sending a message back to Earth in Dallas's voice. (The studio threatened to fire Ridley Scott if he shot that ending)
There was a bit of indecision on a couple of other characters' death scenes, too; There were two versions of Brett's death scene- The other one is used in the director's cut. And they kept changing their minds about how Lambert was going to die until they ran out of time and ended up just fudging it, leaving the details to your imagination. (We don't see how she dies in the book, either, but in the book the alien disappears with her and Parker's bodies, and we later find out that it ate them.)
As someone who's been a huge fan of this classic for almost 40 years, it's good to watch reactions from those viewing it for the first time. Good on you for watching a classic that is still as good as it was in 1979. Trivia: the chestburster scene was filmed in one take and only actor John Hurt knew what was going to happen. Idea behind this was to get genuine reactions from the actors.
Specifically, Veronica Cartwright's reaction is absolutely genuine, including the "Oh, god!" Such a chilling scene.
@@auckalukaum She wasn't expecting to be blasted with so much blood. She actually fell backwards with only her feet sticking up being the chair.
The alien can be seen when Ripley enters the shuttle for the last time. He's definitely there if you know what to look for, but obviously hard to recognize if you don't know he's there, both for Ripley and the audience.
Superb reaction, Alien is one of the all time best sci/fi Horror movies. Perfectly paced and phenomenal levels of suspense and perfectly limiting actually seeing the alien to only a handful of minutes.
LOL, I love how your tightly hold the blanket around you like a shield.
@Adam j Scholte nothing stronger than a velvet blanket lol
@@jenmurrayxo what about titanium lul
@@koiyujo1543 ... I don't know, a titanium blanket? ... might be tough, but it doesn't sound very warm!
@@ephennell4ever nope lol I meant when she gets attacked by someone she can use it as defense lol 😆 😂 🤣
I am very glad you saw the theatrical cut. Now please see the theatrical cut for Aliens.
One of the best scifi horror suspense movies ever made
True!👍
@16.51 when did Ash have the time to design the tracking device UNLESS HE BROUGHT IT ABOARD TO BEGIN WITH...HMMM
"Get that thing off!"
Once you know the role of the facehugger, that's definitely the last thing you want to do. Heh.
The only good thing about the AVP movie's was we got to see how the face huggers moved with special effects and yup so quick so on target and so scary like when I used to have nightmares about just them not the zenomorph
Any attempt is met with a bluff to kill the victim. It needs a host. I don't think anyone has been successful in removing one after attachment.
@@itsmefool8056 zeno? XD
Best plot twist was Ash revealed as a robot!
The gruesome factor is much much worse in The Thing, with Kurt Russel.
Sigourney Weaver's Ripley was Hollywood's first truly badass, commanding female character.
I saw this movie when it was released with the impression that it was just another sci-fi movie. It was my introduction to the concept of a sci-fi horror movie, and it freaked me out!
The Alien tag line is always worth repeating, "In space, no one can hear you scream." I like how Jen called out the variable audio levels and the poor audio quality at times. She was spot on! Theater goers complained about this when the movie was first released, and the film makers revealed they had messed with the audio to create more tension in the audience. Sci-fi psy-ops!
This movie holds up very well even to this day, and the music is perfectly adapted to the genre: It fills you with dread and loneliness from the very first frame. It's the first sci-fi movie of this type and set the stage for many copy cats in the future, some good some bad. The direct sequel to this, Aliens, is honestly the only one worth seeing beyond the original. Don't waste your time with any of the others (but do watch Aliens. It is also excellent but in a completely different way). The sequel Aliens is awesome and tons of fun, but Alien is a masterpiece.
Will definitely be watching Aliens!
@@jenmurrayxo You won't be disappointed, and PLEASE do like you did here and make sure you watch the theatrical version FIRST (watch the other versions at a later time). Aliens is one of the greatest sequels of all time, along with Terminator 2 (which is also by James Cameron. That guy really knows how to make blockbuster sequels!)
I just subscribed to your channel. I saw this movie when it was in the theater and halfway through the projector stopped and for almost 5 minutes in a dark theater, someone yelled the alien got the projector guy.
One of the first true slasher films, as well as one of the first sci-fi spaceship movies where it's not a futuristic space opera like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Forbidden Planet, Star Trek, etc. They're just regular working folk on a freighter. You could set the movie on earth and make the Nostromo an actual ore ship on Lake Superior and the result would be exactly the same. So there's a gritty realism to both the setting and the characters. And everyone in it is a professional lead or character actor who had long careers. The only big time genre-type character actor this is missing is probably Dick Miller. Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver, of course, were major lead actors with long careers. Others, like Ian Holm and Harry Dean Stanton, and all the others, had long careers as notable character actors. And Ridley Scott, of course, has become a legendary director.
It could be argued that Alien is among the 100 best movies ever made. It is extremely well produced and acted and has had a huge impact on the horror/sci-fi genres.
Ripley was almost played by Meryl Streep. She was mourning the loss of a partner at the time so the role went to her roommate, Sigourney Weaver
@Nokwams wow, so interesting!
Omg, Cazale? This would've been around the time he died. I never knew she was up for the role at the time...
Sigourney Weaver and Meryl Streep were classmates at Yale Drama School (not roommates) where they both studied acting. Their paths crossed early on, and they appeared on stage together several times during their time at Yale. However, their careers took different trajectories.
Along with the first Terminator, it’s my favourite film of all time.
First saw it when I was 15-16, and it holds a special place in my heart as the first film I watched where I really appreciated it on a filmmaking level, the way the horror is crafted and comes across through because of the direction, grimy industrial set design, minimal music, it’s all top tier. It was my baptism in being a movie buff.
That and I just really dig science fiction horror as a genre, since I was young and played the Half Life video games I find plots involving isolated locations and something scary happening that we have to destroy or kill here and now whatever it takes because it poses a threat to civilisation really thrilling and engaging. Then I learned it was originally intended to be a B movie, like a proper low budget sci fi schlock because the plot on paper is pretty “haunted house in space” it takes from a 50s sci fi movie called It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
But after Star Wars took off two years beforehand, the script for Alien was sitting on the desks at Fox and they immediately doubled its budget from 4.2 million to 8.4 million, possibly 11 million, and it went on to gross with subsequent rereleases over 100 million.
There's an excellent documentary about the making of Alien, "The Beast Within", that's well worth watching. The movie's cinematographer said that when he saw it in a theater for the first time, an audience member yelled out "Leave the f*cking cat!" when Ripley went back for Jonesy. Poor kitty! 😾
ua-cam.com/video/GUXvJVZzOLk/v-deo.html
This movie is a classic Haunted House horror film. Just set in space. I saw this movie in a packed movie theater the day after it opened. I remember the teaser preview tag line. "In space, no one can hear you scream."
I bet the scene where the alien teeth is on the whole screen just after 24:08 was SO intense and horrifying back in 79 on the big screen. I'm only 25 and recently discovered this movie
Always turned my nose down at it like "I'm not watching some crap 70s movie"... boy was I wrong
This isn't just a movie
This is a beautiful horrorifying cinemamatic EXPERIENCE.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I haven't got into blade runner yet but I'm considering it
The way I heard it, Veronica Cartwright was supposed to play Ripley but Weaver's parents had pull with the studio. Cartwright turned up on set, saw her notes and said, "Am I not Ripley, now?" Sigourney was good though!
Try 'American Werewolf in London'!
I reacted to American Werewolf on Patreon, will come to UA-cam for Halloween 🎃
I remember seeing this when it came out. The special effects were quite good and other than the computer screens - and basically the overall interaction with the computer - I think they've held up very well. Actually the use of old school and practical effects in some ways gives a little more "real" feel to it than the heavy use of CGI we tend to see nowadays. Excellent movie.
This scene was parodied by Mel Brooks in Spaceballs, he even got John Hurt to reprise his role as Kane. And if you have seen Harry Potter he played Mr. Ollivander where Harry got his first wand and yes that is Bilbo playing Ash. The character was played by the late Ian Holm he was also in The Fifth Element as Father Vito Cornelius.
Oh that reminds me to put The Fifth Element in my list 👍
That reaction to the face hugger attack and chest burster scenes were priceless. I remember being 12 when i saw this on tv and reacting much the same way. Movie scared the crap out of me for months afterward.
As to who is right and wrong, Ash lecturing Ripley about doing her job and letting him do his is the epitome of nonsense, considering he overrode her job for no reason. Turns out that they could have left Cain in 24 hour quarantine and he would have been fine because the face hugger was keeping him alive. Granted they still would have let the Aline on board. But Ash's "you do your job," line is BS, she can't do her job when some sketchy douche-monkey under cuts her. So team Ellen all the way on that one.
LOL love the ticking off items on the laundry list tone at 23:03 when predicting Lambert and Parker's fate; "so these guys are gonna die for suuuuuure. A gallon of Milk and a stick of butter; all done"
ROTFLMAO "oh my god she's gonna die in her underwear." Have to say first time I think anyone has had that reaction to that scene.
I had a blast reacting to this!! Can't wait to see Aliens 👍👍
@@jenmurrayxo OHHHH HEEEEEEL YEAH! That's going to be great to watch. Heart-pounding movie, when it kicks into gear it gets R E L E N T L E S S. BTW just wanted to say thanks for the content, this has been great for listening to while writing up reports between sessions. Nothing like a trip down sci fic memory lane with fresh eyes on my beloved genre's best hits.
My pleasure! I'm having a great time ☺
This is my favorite space and horror film ever and I'm so glad you got to watch it for the first time now 😂😃 great reaction
Thank you! This is a classic for sure! Do you love the sequel too?
Along with so much other brilliance, sound design is one of the most important elements to this film’s success in manipulating the viewer. So damn good.
27:16 "She's gonna die in her underwear" LOL
The very eccentric artist who designed the Aliens was named H.R. Giger. He channeled that general aesthetic for most of his career and was convinced of its reality, in this dimension or some other. There are some good documentaries about him. One called Dark Star follows him towards the very end of his life and is fascinating.
Interesting!
I like that 'bio-mechanical' theme which Giger developed with a lot of his creations.
I saw this 2nd day out in the theater when I was 14. The line went around the building. It's still one of my favorite films. Of course now, you know you have to react to 'Aliens' (1986).
That must have been wild to see in theaters! Definitely will do the sequel!
Jen: "I feel like something is going to pop out!"
Me: LOL! Excellent intuition, Jen. That's the premise of the whole movie.
The woman that played Lambert played the little girl in Hitchcock's The Birds.
I own an original film print of Alien and it's even prettier than the 4k, fun to watch in the dark!
I couldnt imagine watching it in the dark. I bearly make it through with lights on. In fact I cant watch the movie all the way through.
Fun Fact: Arthur C. Clarke referenced this movie in the book 2010. 2 astronauts board the abandoned Discovery. The ship is dark and creepy. One of the astronauts says, "Just watch out for the cat."
The other responds with, "Who thought that would make a good movie to put on a real spaceship?
Clearly they were referring to this movie.
Reminds of the joke with the in-flight movie in "Airplane!".
You sure got your money's worth of suspense, surprise, blood, gross stuff and horror in this one, right? It is such a well-done classic. Treat yourself to the sequel, Aliens. Plural for a reason. Different, just as good.
Definitely going to watch the sequel!
We had to wait from 1979 until 1986 to see if Ripley makes it home.. Thankfully you don't have to. :) -- Suggest the directors cut of Aliens because that fills in more of the story..
Yeah, the Special Edition is basically the original version, but the studio made them chop out most of the backstory scenes and what was left was the theatrical release. That was purely so that cinemas could squeeze in an extra screening per day.
I saw this in the theater when it was released and it scared the crap out of me. (Admittedly, I was 14 and it was only the second R rated movie I'd seen and the first without parental approval.) But I don't think I was only scared because of that. This is just an awesome suspenseful movie.
I saw the sequel in the theater, too, when I was a young Marine and felt an affinity with many of the characters, but that's a story for another day.
The design of the Alien was so incredibly well done. It's still great to this day.
Yes, it was "mind blowing...at the time." And absolutely terrifying.
Oh my gosh I bet!!!
I watched Alien at a local cinema (sadly long gone) when it was released in the UK, if I remember rightly it was an X rated film (adults only). I managed to break a tooth while watching it, I was eating a hard chewy mint when the face hugger exploded from the egg and an involuntary reaction caused me to bite down including the mint. Unbeknownst to me at the time this had caused part of a molar to break off and embed itself in the mint which I subsequently swallowed, however I didn't realise this had occurred because the interior of the cinema was warm, only when I left and went out into cold air remember this was around September/October time and took a breath did I have a sharp pain! So next day had to get some emergency dental treatment and then later when I visited my NHS dentist, did I get follow up treatment, resulting in a gold crown put in place. So you could say that my first viewing of Alien was rather eventful! 😀 In relation to Aliens it's certainly worthwhile watching the Director's cut, as it does add a lot more to the film. Indeed, if you intend to watch other James Cameron films I would always recommend that you watch the directors cut, if one is available.
Wow crazy story! Thanjs for sharing! Yes I'll def watch the Director's Cut
The most shocking thing about your story to N Americans may be the (thoroughly sensible and economically-efficient) idea of non-private dental care, and that's 40 years old now.
We seem determined to regress, to the detriment of all (though some far more than others, and I'm sure we can all guess who's in the two groups).
Your opening comment about technology made me chuckle. I was like "the technology of having a face-hugger use your body as a host then having a xenomorph burst through your chest/abdomen is . . . timeless". 😂
Great reaction, keep it up.
Fun Fact: During the chest burster scene, no one knew how Kane (John Hurt's character) was going to die. So the when Alien bursted from the chest, that was their genuine reaction.
Don't worry about watching the Theatrical Cut; it's what we all watched when it was released, and we thought it was pretty darned good.
ALIEN is a class sci-fi movie...And sci-fi being my fav genre of movie.....With saying that...the follow up movie ALIENS is my ALLTIME fav movie. I have seen hundreds of times..no exaggeration. Seen it on the big screen and watch it everytime it's on tv despite having it on video and DVD. I also have a script from ALIEN 3 somewhere. I got it from a friend who had a friend on the inside before the movie even came out. He also got me a rough video copy of the movie itself. Though unfortunately, the film it's self didn't live up to the first 2 movies. People try to compare it to movies of today pointing with the old "man in a suit" line. But they forget..this came out in 1979, and back then..this was AWESOME!....Just like the first people to see a movie of a moving train a hundred years before that when they though it was gonna come out of the screen and crash into them!. ALIENS is more of an action sc-fi movie than horror...which I prefer.
This movie I mainly appreciate for it's retro futuristic aesthetics. I think it looks awesome, and the Nostromo is so cool.
It's not the only thing I like of course, it's a great movie. Though the true masterpiece in this series is the sequel. Unusual that, but Aliens easily takes a spot somewhere on my list of top ten movies of all times.
Watching Aliens really soon!! Sooo excited!!!! 👍
@@jenmurrayxo Cool! I will watch that.
I find that it's always good to lower your expectations though, I almost always like a movie better if I don't watch it with high hopes. So I might have Aliens on my top ten, but maybe I have the worst taste in movies imaginable? I guess you are going to find out for yourself. 🙂
Hi Jen. It was so enjoyable watching your reaction, apparently a real one. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this with reactors who've seen memes and posters and other things that clued them in about what was going to happen. It was an interesting transition from your "...this movie is slow..." to holding your hands in front of your face in the more intense scenes. I so much enjoy reactors who go into a movie fresh, so this was a true joy watching you.
Thank you! This was one of my fav reactions I've done so far! Really looking forward to the sequel soon ☺👍
Clearly horror makes you uneasy, which makes this review extra amazing. Keep it up Jen, I definitely want to see more horror reviews!
@Dragoneye lol uneasy for sure but glad you're enjoying! More to come :)
"Clearly horror makes you uneasy" isn't that the point?
I saw this movie when I was really little in a packed movie theater with my family. I love the sound effects in this movie. Whatever gadgets and other things that they used, it sounds organic.
“I like that guy so he is probably going to die.”
“Look at this space cat.”
“Why is he so strong?”
“She’s going to die in her underwear.”
😂🤣😂 Your commentary is the best.
Over 2k now!!! Woot woot!
@TravMax Adventures its crazy!! 🤯
Thanks for your encouragement right from the start! :)
"SHE'S GOING TO DIE IN HER UNDERWEAR!"
One of the BEST reactions ever, that was such a good laugh. Yes you are correct this is very much a horror movie. I saw it in the movie theatre when I was 12 years old!
@Mark Lindberg thank you, I had a blast watching this! It must have been wild to see in the theater as a kid! Did it blow your mind?
@@jenmurrayxo Let's just say it was a scary bike ride back home and an even worse night ... I had a few nightmares, lol. Yep, it blew our little minds!
It was actually a genius choice to have her in her underwear because it just emphasizes her vulnerability at that moment.
Totally!!
@@jenmurrayxo Ripley is my favorite badass! Watch Aliens (Alien 2) and then you can stop.
I've watched these movies so many times; i like to watch people's reactions to watching it for the first time!
In most sci-fi/horror films before ALIEN, the main cast was always comprised of military men and scientists battling the space beasties. But what I love about ALIEN is that it's a bunch of blue-collar working schmoes... i.e. regular people.... who are forced to confront this ultimate outer space terror. It grounds the movie in such a profound way. This future feels lived in, by people like you or I. It was a minor change to the screenplay (originally they were all astronauts) but it gave the piece a much more potent sense of dread than I feel watching a bunch of "pros" handle this thing would have had. Brilliant. And making the last survivor a female crew member as opposed to the male captain (which is what you would have expected at the time) was genius. I LOVE YOUR WATCH-ALONGS! So much fun. Keep them coming!
"She's gonna die in her underwear" Epic quote. Love your reactions!
I decided to give this one and Aliens a rewatch for you, Jen.
(Not-So)Fun Fact: The other actors didn't know they were using real (animal) blood & guts during the Kane chestburster scene, so as to get a genuine reaction.
@BPhillipsDrummer oh gross, that's crazy!! Traumatic lol
They didn’t even know it was going to happen, the only people who knew were the director and John Hurt.
There are a bunch of little scenes added to the "director's cut", but the only really notable one is near the end. After RIpley has set the ship to self-destruct, she finds a room with the bodies of Captain Dallas and Brett. They've been encased in cocoons and are slowly being turned into new alien eggs. Brett is much farther along as he was taken first and you can see the top of an egg forming just below his face, which hardly even looks human any more. The captain is just barely conscious and begs Ripley to kill him, so she torches the entire room.
I wish Scott had left that scene in. It makes the alien even scarier if it's not just killing people, but taking them alive to be mutated into alien eggs that will be used to infect more people. It also means a single alien can create dozens more.
Ya that sounds like a chilling scene! 😱
@@jenmurrayxo Here's the scene;
ua-cam.com/video/dS5MtzrW1vU/v-deo.html
And here's an extended version that someone cut together from all the available footage;
ua-cam.com/video/LuTk4Qc7JGI/v-deo.html
I'm laughing at your reaction to the chestburster, partially because that was my EXACT reaction in the theatre, opening night. I was 18, and this was the first restricted movie I ever saw. Through my fingers!
The design in this movie is insanely good. You may want to look-up HR Giger's involvement and intentions; they're very interesting, if quite disturbing. Of course, that describes a lot of Giger's work, particularly his "biomechanics" concepts.
When Ripley's looking for Jones, I think she'd already completed shuttle prep. Getting the oxygen supplies seemed a 2-person job, so she was sorta at loose ends. Staying in one place seemed as dangerous as moving about, so fetching the cat is both "humanitarian", so to speak, and, to a degree, rational.
24:45 Ripley couldn't engage the auto-destruct until the last minute before departure, in order to give the best chance to get clear of the blast (she's actually shutting-down the cooling system for the Nostromo's nuclear generators, which is why the auto-destruct is impossible to reverse after a certain time; once a given temperature is reached, criticality is inevitable, at least without huge external cooling capacities).
This movie, while sci-fi, was definitely also intended as a horror. Scott described it as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in space.
I love that counterfit merch t-shirt that reads: "In space, no one can hear you scream in space"... i can't think of anything other than that shirt every time i see that phrase
I saw this movie with a friend. When the face hugger leapt from the egg he got up and quickly left the theater and never came back, was waiting for me in the lobby. One of the best Sci Fi horror films ever.
Lollll too funny 🤣
It's not a cult classic, it's a straight up classic
The surprise reaction upon seeing the chestburster was like a church lady meeting a demon. Perhaps the best one on YT yet.
Lollllll 🤣
Every time when they search for the face hugger and he kicks the bin (off camera) it shocks me. Every single time 😀
The artist HR Giger did a magnificent job of creating the various life forms/stages of the Alien
I've seen a number of these this season. I really like the editing choices made for this upload. Well done.
@Chris Pittman thank you, I appreciate that!
@@jenmurrayxo If you're a little traumatized by John Hurt's amazing and disturbing performance on the table, react to "Space Balls." It'll fix you right up. A hilarious comedy, John Hurt's cameo is a classic. (Make sure you're up to date on your classic 'Looney Toons' first.)
@Chris Pittman oh yes I want to see Space Balls! I'm going to watch all the Star Wars first, Episode IV coming very soon :)
@@jenmurrayxo Perfect.
@@jenmurrayxo And... "One Froggy Evening," a WB short.
Great to see you enjoying the "mother" of all sci-fi/horror films!👍 The major differences with the Director's Cut are: Ripley getting slapped by Lambert after Kane is incapacitated, an early reveal of the creature shortly before Brett is killed, Parker and Ripley rushing in the room after hearing Brett's scream, Ripley finding Dallas and Brett slowly being turned into "eggs", and, the creature swatting aside the pet cage. There are a few other subtle changes as well, but at the end of the day, both versions are truly awesome! P.S., the original ending of Alien had Ripley being killed by the creature. The creature also gave the ship's log using Ripley's voice! Great reaction video!
Very interesting! Thanks for all those insights!
@@jenmurrayxo I think the choice between the regular and extended editions of Aliens inspire more controversy, personally. I have a dual-edition home video disc but honestly, while the extended edition fills in more gaps, the theatrical cut is WAY better paced.
But then that's usually a little bit true with every "extended" version of a film (looks pointedly at Lord of the Rings)
A few fun facts.
The dinner table scene, the other actors had no idea that was going to happen. So their looks if you notice are genuine "WTF!!??" Looks.
Secondly the scene with Parker and Lambert toward the end, while Parker was killed, its implied the Alien sexually assaults Lambert, so when Ripley finds them, Lamberts legs and feet are bare when before she was wearing pants and shoes. One of the original drafts actually has the creature doing just that before killing her.
The second aliens movie is def the best in my opinion. If you can get past the acid blood and drool. And the goo. Oh my god so much goo.
@09EvoX Lollll yes I'm excited to watch the sequel! :)
@@jenmurrayxo Please do the director's cut, the extra scenes make it even better.
@@jenmurrayxo you wait and till you get to aliens vs predator
This sure is a blast from the past, no pun intended, been so long since I have seen this film
This and John Carpenter's THE THING are my fave sci-fi horror films (I don't know why both universes have not converged for a movie - both feature ass-kicking flamethrower toting bad-asses) - Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley is my fave ass-kicking cat lady leading a stellar cast with expert direction by Ridley Scott (you got it Jen - slow cooker pressure to build characters and tension simultaneously) - pretty much a haunted house film in space. HR Giger's reviled beauty in the xenomorph is the perfectly terrifying cinematic monster to date IMO. Fun facts - Ripley was supposed to be a man but studio head Alan Ladd, Jr. (who passed away this year) suggested a sex change (wise decision) and I read recently Lambert was supposedly non-binary. Loosely based in the 50s B-film IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. The chestburster scene Scott employed several cameras to get all the cast's reactions (they were clueless of what exactly was to transpire) and Veronica Cartwright got the brunt of it (note all the blood on her - the device used to shoot it out was like a firehose and in outtakes she was literally blown ass over teakettle of the sofa unit on the set!)
If you watch Aliens you have to watch the Director's Cut on that one because the studio actually cut stuff that is essential to the story.
The scariest part is the sizzling noise when the face hugger jumps on Kane because it implies it melts through his helmet to get to him. That then means those little buggers could melt through any door to get to you. No other alien movie touches on that aspect of the face huggers.
I guess they had no way of knowing for sure that Jones (the cat) didn't have a baby alien in it, but there was only one "facehugger" they knew of, and it seemed to be how baby aliens got implanted, so Jones was probably OK (he was).
After watching this movie a couple hundred times you start watching it and keeping a CLOSE EYE on Ian Holm (Ash) in EVERY scene, just to see if you can notice anything.
When I first saw this film (the Swiss Centre' movie theatre in London's Leicester Square) it was different to both the video release and a later film re-release; both times, it was the explosion of the Nostromo that had changed.
It also had a unique poster that I have never seen again, showing the actors looking right at a shadow of the Alien.
Examples of editing that make the film odd for people with a strong visual memory, are that Lambert is established to be wearing cowboy boots, while Brett wears deck shoes, and Lambert is 'approached' by the Alien's tail later, showing that this is a shot of Brett from earlier in the movie.
Also, there is a shot of the Nostromo's landing legs up in the bay Brett goes into, with bright lights, chains and water falling. Is the Alien visible in this shot? It is where the creature lowers itself down from.
That's interesting about the explosion, I've never heard that before. I guess they hadn't had time to complete the slit-scan effects for the final explosion at the time. How did the original explosion look like? More like a traditional firey one?
@@WagooWas a standard explosion, as seen in every later version, and ended with a lilac or purple ball fading, with a 'horizon' of orange across it, as in all versions.
The change was that in the middle was another, larger explosion (I guess the ship, then the refinery exploding), plus a 'slit-scan' (like the horizontally-aligned shots late in '2001') like twin walls of fire that was added later, perhaps to represent the explosion passing Ripley's escape ship).
So from two shots to four shots of explosion over a couple of versions early in release.
I've noticed this about several of Ridley Scott's films: Blade Runner had a shot late in the running time of Deckard running across a large room, from the door to the window, and trying to get through. The first version of Blade Runner shown at Leicester Square had this shot, but in the middle a light flashed and an entire camera crew pulling a camera along a track left to right were visible in shadow right in front of them. Have not seen that shot again, it's replaced with two cuts of the start and end of that shot.
I remember seeing the coming attractions for this movie was "In Space no one can hear you scream" . Saw this in the drive-in when it came out. Good movie. Aliens I like as well.
That's such a scary tagline!
I loved Aliens too, check out my reaction 👍
Aww Jen you’re so brave! I’m a 29 year old dude and I could NOT watch these alone hahaha. When you said ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN where is it?!?’ I died haha. Probably a good person to have on a zombie survival team :) anyway you’re a good person and a badass and keep having fun!
@Kyle McNamara Lol dunno about a good person for zombie survival team lol but thank you! :)
I'd like make a case for the old tech in the ship. Of course you'd have flat led screens and all the bells and whistles, but see it from a practical side: This is a mining vessel traveling decades from start to destination. You'd want to have the most basic, reliable and easy to maintain/replaceable equipment. Even the mother the main AI seems to be nothing but very low tech computing. It's all made to last with minimal need for replacement components.
My last rewatch for tonight, Jen, I'll do some more tomorrow as I'll be home earlier.
I'll see you at your reaction later tonight.
For now I'll wish you a good night, sleep well and sweet dreams, Jen.
20:37 It always bugs the heck out of me that they used the incorrect "insure" here rather than "ensure."
The other actress apparently fainted when the baby alien burst through his chest because the other actors didn’t know it was going to happen.
The Xenomorph is shown so little in the movie mainly because the model was very basic and couldn't move very well plus it was one of the first of its kind in movie history so they had to figure things out on the fly. The side effect of it was/is that it enhances the tension plus the mere "presence" of it somewhere on the ship adds up as well.
I had never noticed this before, but at 25:53 you can actually see the alien asleep in the wall as ripley runs in to the escape shuttle. The camera is shakey and it's well camoflagued, but it's right there in the middle of the screen. Maybe seen this film 100 times, never noticed that before. And just as I did, you said "I sure hope that Alien isn't on there with her" lol
Yeah I had the loud-quiet-loud-quiet problem with the recent "Dune", which I couldn't last 30 minutes watching because I couldn't hear the dialogue - the Dolby sound, requiring 10 Surround speakers or whatever finally defeated me. I don't go to the movies so I guess I'll just miss out on that one. As far as original vs. director's cut here on "Alien", I think the story elements don't matter - hardly 2 minutes are added - but the sound in Director's is a lot clearer.