Absolutely. Ripley and Parker are the only ones who quickly figure out the right moves (not to let the landing party enter the ship with the face hugger on Kane's face) but since Ash did it anyway, it's Parker who insists, twice, "Why don't you freeze him? We should just freeze him!" Either one of which, if actually done would have saved the rest of the crew...plus if they'd left Kane in the boarding area, it would have been a whole lot easier for them just to blow out the sweet baby Alien back onto the planet and just GTFO off LV-426/"Acheron"!
I was 6 when I've seen Alien while visiting relatives. This is the first and only horror movie scared the sh1t out of me. Like you, I was hiding when I was sleeping, I slept with my head covered as I was afraid of the facehugger. Even in my 30s now I get nightmares related to the Alien, but I learned to enjoy these. There is something in controlling your fear and waking up, knowing all is over. Movie itself is a masterpiece, where everything was just right in forging ot: Success of SW, discovering Giger's designs, hiring Bolaji to play the xenomorph, the music, visionary director, decision to go with female lone survivor. Agree with you that this is the best film in the franchise.
Our path with this film is very similar. I will also admit that even today, maybe once a year I always have an alien themed nightmare which I must wake myself up from. :)
The first transmission of Space Jockey gives me even more shivers than watching the Chestburster scene. Unless that's what Ridley meant when he said somewhere that what you can't see can terrify you.
This is one of the best breakdowns of the Alien films out there. I loved the deleted scenes, behind the scenes stories, and insights. Hope you do one on Alien 3 🤞
I remember seeing ads in the local newspaper for Alien, Dawn of the Dead, Phantasm and others in and around 1979, and was fascinated by them. Forbidden fruit for a budding sci-fi and horror fan. I was ten when Alien came out and couldn't see it in theatres because I was obviously too young, so I went out and bought Alan Dean Foster's novelization and read that instead. It might even have been the first book I proactively read outside of school. I don't remember a great deal about the book, but it still wasn't a patch on the film, when I finally saw it two or three years later. Since then I must've watched Alien over a hundred times.
Lucky. My mom took me and then said no after the ticket lady said you do realize this is a rated R movie? If looks could kill she would have been dead.
I honestly had a similar experience with my dad making me watch the thing around that age and it mortified me for years that anything that even brought up the memory of that movie would kept me up all night. It wasn’t until years later when I watched it with a friend and I began to appreciate all the elements of the movie and saw it in a different light. Now in a parallel to you The Thing is my number one horror movie with alien being a close second
I'm about 27 so probably younger than you guys, but I had the same experience with Signs and The Ring back in the early 2000s. 😂 Definitely their own kind of horror and they scared the crap out of me as a kid but I also started to appreciate it way more when I got older. I feel like seeing horror movies from a young age helps you actually explore your fears more and cope with them better, I feel like I have a very rational sense of fear now because movies like these opened up my eyes to being honest with some very troubling and primal concepts. Horror can ironically be a very healthy refuge for self-exploration. 😂
@@RepresentThis You tried Alien isolation? There are 2 dlc that give a little reconstructed experience in the the actual nostromo interior. PC has VR (not sure about the dlc VR but it's worth a look for fans of the movie)
I was born in '75 and my earliest memory of this film is the poster and how eerie it looked along with a certain pinball machine that had an ALIEN look-alike creature on it. Not until I saw ALIENS on HBO in '87 did I really get into the genre. Like you, I was also a Star Wars nerd and believed that everything in space must be kind of cool! Great video.
Imo in Aliens it still feels unique and threatening but it was meant as annother sort of movie. 3 was a mess in production and it showed after that only horrible movies were made lacking quality. There was no deep lore about Alien when Scott first filmed it and well like most of his movies at older age he just doesnt have it anymore and built a convoluted mess of a explanation and combined that with a story narrative that also was just silly. Prometheus and Covenant are pseudophilosophical trash.
I will be covering Aliens within a month or two. I have previously committed to another Star Wars video before returning to Alien. I then intend to keep going switching between Star Wars and Alien until it's time to do John Carpenter's the Thing.
Ironically Ridely Scott saw Star Wars and thats what informed him.He had to step the game in pushing boundaries. He could not make the Alien movie in the old traditional way after experiencing Star Wars.The connection is their in inspiration that created the Alien as is now
@represent. Btw, I am a graduate of UCONN. Worked on the 1994 indie Destination Unknown and took film studies in Hunter College in Manhattan. I am retired military now working in cyber for a major bank but you bring me back many memories. I was born in 1966.
When I first heard about an alternate cut for ALIEN (1979), I got really excited, hoping EVERYTHING would be reinstated. Bummer. What we got was a re-edited film with a handful of additional material. Whilst it was nice to see the extra footage in much better quality, it was also a let-down, knowing that more could have been done with 2003 DC. Apparently, the QUADRILOGY DVD’s producer had prepared an extended cut with all the existing deleted scenes back in - including material that has never been released to home video - before Ridley Scott looked at it and decided it was far too long and cut it down. Damn!
It's so weird the effect ALIEN has had on so many people. I knew about ALIEN well before the movie came out, by seeing production articles in fan mags. I wasn't a horror fan but I definitely was a STAR WARS/sci-fi fan and the photos and art I saw intrigued me to point I HAD to see it. To this day, ALIEN is one of my absolute top-favorite movies of all time. I was 15 when ALIEN came out and it took me a while to be able to articulate why that movie was so spellbinding to me. I do not like horror, I do not like being tense... but I love art, design and tech... so ALIEN was both torturous and tantalizing to me because I had to endure all of that to see what it was I wanted. In the theater, I had to sit near the lobby doors in case I needed to make a quick exit. Now that I know where the scares are, I watch it at least once a year. Ridley's ALIEN is a masterpiece to me, with ALIENS as a close second; all the other iterations I can live without. In my opinion, once conceived, H.R. Giger's creation has a limited life before it can only de-evolve to derivative shlock. How many new ways can this story be told?
Thanks for sharing your experience with the film and I hope to see what you think of part 2, which I just posted. Like you I see Alien yearly. Visually it is beyond other movies and it is, like you say, art.
I’d have been happy if Alien had been a stand alone piece with no sequels.It’s the mystery and intrigue that play a massive part of its greatness. In a way Aliens detracted from Alien.
Alien is one of my very very favourite films.Back in the day I stayed up late to see it on our little tv set when I was about 14 and it completely mesmerised me and affected me on a deep primordial level.It’s as perfect a film as is possible.
I’m glad you pointed out the time problem of the chestburster gestation in later films. It drives me batty when they shorten it to a matter of minutes instead of what was previously established.
Fantasy as reality? Try this. I saw a UA-cam poll a year ago (I was 51) asking, “What is the most dangerous animal?” I kind of laughed to myself and thought, “Oh, that’s easy” and I actually began to type “A-L-I-E…” until I realized…”bro, that was just a…movie…it ain’t real.” Like you, I saw it at 8 years old in the theater, and, like you, it became “real” to me (obsessively watching it over and over again when VHS technology was introduced). Yeah, I hear you, bro. We’ll never get another film that will affect us like this one.
Yes, it really was a lot harder to watch Ian Holm in his later roles because of Ash! When an actor portrays a villain so well you can't mentally separate the person from the character, that is how you know when an actor is really, really good at their job!
@@Surgicaldamage No, he was only doing what he was programed to do. He was merely a tool, no different than the HAL 9000. He was instructed that the alien specimen was the only importance, the crew was expendable. He was not programed with a moral code of right and wrong.
This is possibly my favorite movie and something I never get tired of watching. I had never heard the man keeping down minorities was a thesis for the movie… glad we have Ripply to kill that idea.
I saw "Alien" in the same ex-Cinerama theater where I'd seen "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) and would see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). TV and print ads gave only this clue: "In space no one can hear you scream." Seeing first-timers react to "Alien" has been a favorite indoor sport over the years. To be honest, Stop Motion monsters looked scarier than the usual "Kaiju," such as "The Black Scorpion" (1957). I find it interesting that, for most first-time viewers, "Alien" hasn't lost it's punch over 40 years.
What a brilliant video. Thank you. …I knew there were a few deleted scenes. But not this many. I’m buying that ‘quad’ dvd. 👌🏻💚👍 Excited about part 2. …mostly! 😂
Thanks for another deep dive video that makes us relive this masterpiece yet again! And I too had the privilege of seeing this in theater back in 1979. I think my friend's words were "You gotta see this one." But I didn't truly enjoy it on the first viewing due to my own tunnel vision caused by a long and steady diet of '70's schlock that comprised most movies back then - because Alien was completely different from every other 1970's film we were accustomed to suffering through. Indifferently made, formulaic, slow paced, rife with pointless dialogue, and lots of filler scenes were what we were used to watching - but then along came "Alien". Ridley Scott's brilliance was to simply ignore a decade of film-making tropes and cliched style to make "Alien". And from the first scene, it hits the audience full-force, with an all-new cinematic style, with NO filler, and a story in which literally every scene and line of dialogue matterred. But in 1979 I wasn't ready for this at all, and my first watch of this masterpiece, with its documentary-style cinematography, quick cuts, fast expositions, subtle clues, and instant segues, and honestly I was a bit lost! But during subsequent viewings I was better able to appreciate the genius of the story telling.
Thank you for this video, I really did enjoy your perspective. I did see Alien on it's release but am glad to say I was (just) old enough. Not that that helps in the dark depths of night lol. My Father took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was eight years old. I was really looking forward to it but was completely bewildered by its content (no surprises there) and, at the end, the star-child terrified me. I had many bad dreams centered around that image which, after reading the novel several years later, turned out to be the most harmless figure in the story. I completely agree with you about the Nostromo. It was so well constructed with an eye to what a real, future, commercial and lived-in starship might look like that, for me, it is one of the stars of the movie in it's own right. Utopia for me would be to have a small corner of my house converted to resemble part of the Nostromo bridge where I could play my internet starship game (and I'm 61 years old!). Needless to say my wife does not share my enthusiasm for interior design.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, part 2 will be up in within 7 days and it is where the real meat and potatoes of this movie is concerned. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it as well.
I was honestly worried Part 1 would bore folks and I am surprised by the welcome it got. Part 2 is really where the meat and potatoes of the film is. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Excellent analysis. Your thought process really highlights many important aspects of this incredible film. I was only ten when I first watched Alien and its fair to say I was too young at the time as it terrified me.
I had nightmares about Alien just being told about it, long before I ever saw the movie. I certainly understand you having problems sleeping seeing it so young, but the your story gave a great intro for this video ;-)
I remember being so terrified of this movie when I was younger, admittedly I found the start of it boring because I was just a kid and I couldn't understand what it was doing by establishing the characters and slowly building up the suspense that would be felt in the latter half of the movie. But once the alien showed up I was wrapped up in a blanket, scared of what would happen next. This was like one of those childhood trauma things for me too. It's taken me 9 years to finally muster up the courage to complete Alien Isolation 😂 that for me felt like confronting the monster which gave me nightmares from a young age
@@RepresentThis It really immersed me, I'd often freeze too. Being too scared to make a move after the alien left the room out of fear it would catch me out in the open. Eventually getting brave enough to have a more "do or die" approach!
I didn't see the movie until well into my teens. Even though I was late to the party by about 13 years, I was aware of the movies legacy, but did not expect it to stand up as well as it did. But I'm not happy that she went back for that bloody cat.
This was amusingly similar to the way I first saw Alien too. I'd obviously seen something like a poster or a trailer relating to the film and pestered my mum so much about it that she was just like "fine, look just watch it and see for yourself!"...and so I did and it got to the chest burster scene and I immediately regretted my decision haha. Sufficed to say though, I was hooked on the franchise since then due to it's mysterious and shocking nature. It's funny to think how many people my age will likely have seen the films at such a young age and just rolled with it.
Being an avid reader of the magazine Starlog back then helped assuage my fears of the Alien. I didn't get to see it until it came out on VHS. I had a similar experience as you however when my mom dragged me to see The Shining when I was 10.
Living in over 20 states and 2 countries in my life, Giessen, Germany is always the most magical for me. I went back home there in 1998, changed a lot. I still miss Germany to this day.
I loved that novel back in the day! I read it just before going to see the film, so was a bit critical of all the missing detail in the screen version.
Wow what a fantastic video! I commented on your Aliens video as well - I honestly thought I knew everything about these movies and yet I learned so much here! Your teacher sounds amazing and truly made an impact on your life. Interestingly I saw the second one first and on VHS. I remember when it was playing in the theatres and I was too scared to see it. I loved it when I did eventually see it and then was hooked. Please do a video essay on The Thing now!
Well, sounds like we had a lot in common back in the day. I have every intention on doing The Thing but first I want to get through the Sigourney Alien series and the classic Star Wars trilogy along with another few titles. I love the Thing and there is a lot to say about them. So glad you're here and commenting Reinhardt.
28:17 And what's interesting about that is when the sh*t truly hits the fan toward the end and most everyone has bit the dust, when it comes down to Parker and Lambert, Parker steps up and shows genuine care, he dies a hero trying to save Lambert, drawing the Xeno over to him instead. I do like Prometheus for it's other, bigger themes of *Evolution* and *Creation*, and can forgive it's flaws regarding "dumb scientists" and what not because i can see what director Ridley Scott was trying to do with that movie, but for sure, ALIEN is truly a masterpiece.
Remember dragging my Mom to see it in 79 when I was 12 yrs old. The teaser trailer with just a regular egg cracking and it scared the shit out of me. As as a kid I gotta admit the movie dragged until Kane got attacked by the facehugger. Now as I'm fast approaching 60 I regularly watch the movie up to the Kane attack. I love the movie but the way the cast plays off each other is fascinating. Seeing the hierarchy and division between them has me really wanting to have seen their interactions on a daily basis before the alien horror. I've rewatched that opening 30 or so minutes focusing on each character many many times to see how they really tick. Who they like, respect and hate and it's always engrossing.The true unsung hero is the sound design. It's what makes a great movie a masterpiece and the subtle breathing is just creepy. I do like Aliens a lot and it is a great action movie but nothing compares to Alien imo. I've seen them all even the horrible AVP movies so I'll be in line to see Romulus. I'm not expecting much so if we get a couple good kills and a good looking Alien I'll be ok with it.
Your story of alien discovery sounds familiar! Except the movie never gave me nightmares, It did concern my parents that I became obsessed with it and with HR Giger's art.
The characters in this film are so damn good. I've thought over the years about how Lambert is the voice for the audience's fear, how, in contrast, Dallas wasn't nearly terrified enough, and how Ripley is the main character in spite of the fact that she's basically that asshole coworker that everyone dislikes.
I share the exact opinion you have with every word you presented vlad. I am in complete agreement with you, especially about Ripley. Most just don't want to see or admit how abrasively she treats her co-workers in the first film.
The Xenomorph, although completely foreign to the crew, is perfectly developed to hide among the piping and wires of a spaceship. The creature has evolved to hijack space faring types. So the Xeno could have been lying in wait for humanity for centuries and perhaps something like that awaits us in real life... There's also an (abandoned) Egyptian subtext in the film of Mafdet the cat goddess who fights dragons. This is where the abandoned pyramid idea comes in.
The progressive theory of Ripley and Parker being oppressed as minorities can easily be blown out of the water when you consider that the original script was written all the characters had no gender or physical description. It wasn't until casting that they decided Ripley would be a woman
I saw the film (cuts here and there with hands infront of my face)...when I was 6 years old (1986). I couldn't sleep well the next at least 10 years.😂 Had nightmares untill I was a teenager..
Not much of a Covenant fan (besides a couple of the performances - McBride in particular - and the score) but, I do believe the implication is that Lope survived the initial facehugger attack only to be “inseminated” later off-screen, following the demise of Cole (at the hands of the Protomorph). Cinematic licence still, because it appears a short period of time, but, who knows what action might’ve been cut from the parallel scene between Daniels, David and Walter to increase that period of time?
I saw ALIENS on VHS when i was a pre-teen, and later on the lower deck of my bunk bed i envisioned the hive of the Xenomorphs crawling out to get me in the night...
I once had a nightmare about Alien. I was hiding aboard the Nostromo from the alien in the same room Brett was killed and captured in. The atmosphere of my dream was oppressively dark and gothic much like the film.I was too terrified to leave my hiding spot, knowing the alien could be anywhere. Then the self destruct alarm went off, and I was so frightened the whole dream. It was awesome. Alien is the greatest film ever made, and I've been a super-fan of Alien (and Predator) my whole life.
Will slobber over your segment later, but wanted to give a call-out to Military Brats. Despite my age, I still think of myself as a military brat. It seems to be an identity all its own...
great job with everything, esp the analysis of Ripley (i dont agree with the patriarchy, modern woke bs) and the way Scott makes her very likeable even though she is a domineering figure and her authority appears governed by wisdom and rules.
Forget all that woke bs,the characters in Alien work because of their personalities and interactions,if a man played the Ripley part it would still work,as long as the actor was good.
I was also probably about 7 or 8 when I was up late watching TV with my Dad and Alien was about to come on AMC. My dad said it was probably too scary for me but I promised it wasn't.
Some have detracted me for speaking about the subject, but I thought it was absolutely necessary to discuss because when I saw the documentary of Memory: The Making of Alien and they had a commentator assumptively suggesting ideological themes about Ripley I couldn't let it be unaddressed. The more we say nothing to defend the past 30 years the more such naive and false narratives concrete. What disturbed me more was that the maker of the documentary was Alexandre O. Philippe who made the hit piece documentary on George Lucas called the People vs. George Lucas. There is just so many perversions of facts and culture of the past today that I thought talking about it must be done.
@@RepresentThis I agree, and you addressed it perfectly. I'll be using some of those points in the future. I just finished part two of this, and loved it. Subbed. With this type of deep analysis, and great delivery, you will do well with this channel.
@@RepresentThis You're very welcome. As soon as I finished part 2, I went looking at your channel to find more. Looking forward to watching the Star Wars stuff, but believe me, I will absolutely be here for Aliens.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. You know, I like to practice my English listening skills by watching videos like yours on my favorite topics, so I only need English subs when I don’t get something! Going further with the sexual metaphor, I think that, as you point out, the entrance of the Alien Ship is clearly the vulva but the interior, after the entrance, which looks “diseased” and “decayed”, to me is the metaphor of the feminine uterus…: and in fact, besides really looking like the interior of a human organ, inside it, our heroes, find the ovum! So it’s a complete allegory of a female sexual organ. What happens to the crew sounds familiar to what happen to Man when he stares too close at the mistery of life, when he dares to understand his origin; which, by the way, is the main theme of Prometheus and Covenant.
Actually, I wouldn't change a thing about seeing it at that age. It was pretty common for young kids to see such stuff like that in those days. I can't say that I did this for my kids though. Thanks for your comment.
I was 9 or 10 when I saw it first and it scared the cr#p out of me. The Thing and American Werewolf really messed me up for a while but that was later on, but I know some of what you felt.
I love fellow nerd videos. I prefer the theatrical also. Same with Aliens, that whole thing with Ripleys daughter just beeaks up the awesome pacing of the theatrical, its perfect like Alien.
But with Aliens we get other scenes that are imo instrumental even as they might seem small like the autocannons that you only see being taken out of the vehicle in theatrical relase or the longer shots when Burke tries to kill Ripley and Newt. That very much deepened the movie.
It is worthy to note that all the crew of the Nostromo were written genderless/raceless. Their character differences and personality traits were not incumbent on their gender roles or racial stereotypes. Ripley could've been a man.
A perfect point. Ridley once said he wanted to hire the best actors so he could focus on the production and alien aspects, this perfect crew brought a lot to the table.
19:14 I'm pretty sure the Directors cut version has sounds that are actually recorded from space that NORAD or whatever has recorded and can't figure out of they're anything or nothing. I also prefer the first.
I was only 3 when _Alien_ came out, but I first saw it in the early '80s when I was about 6 or 7. I only ever thought it was _awesome._ I never had any problem telling fiction from reality, and it just seemed bizarre to me that other kids could actually get scared by movies, partly because I would make up scary stories myself and I knew they were fake and just for fun. I remember that a cousin of mine had that _Alien_ action figure and I just thought it was the coolest thing in the world, especially how it actually had a human skull visible underneath the translucent dome. That just set my imagination on fire. But I know I'm weird. The only thing that ever freaked me out was after I read _Communion_ in my late 20s. Not because I really believed in alien abductions (although the idea that extraterrestrials experimenting on humans is a bit more plausible than running into the _Alien)_ but because of the part where the author speculates on it being images from the subconscious that surface, and since I get sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations fairly frequently I was _terrified_ that I would end up hallucinating things at the foot of my bed or in the corner of my room like in the book, and I ended up sleeping with a knife under my pillow for several months after reading it (not because I thought a knife would help me against a hallucination, but because it was a physical focus of control I could hold onto.)
I really enjoyed your commentary. I know you said you wouldn’t change a thing, but as a parent i am horrified that your mom let you watch it at such s young age…even if it was the 70’s….
Dan O'Bannon's masterpiece. Ridley just directed, based on the script and whole design. Which was Dan. Dan wrote the script. Dan created the characters. Dan brought in Geiger for the atmosphere that he wanted. Dan created the face hugger. Dan worked directly with the set designers to create the alien atmosphere. IT'S DAN'S FILM. NOT RIDLEY'S. I like Ridley. I loved Bladerunner. But with Alien, he was brought in AFTER all the design work and script were done.
This topic has been discussed extensively on this thread already. I suggest you look at Eternal Roman's comment below or above, wherever it appears and see the debate. Don't think there is much I would add beyond what has already been discussed. Thanks for your comment.
This question was also brought up in my part 2 video so I will say what I said there. I always thought it used just enough acid blood/saliva to burn through the helmet, not the face. It always seemed plausible to me as you can hear the burning in the theatrical cut when it is on the helmet. Aliens told us that alien acid oxidizes quickly so the creature would just burn a hole through and then get on the face after the oxidation occurred. I didn't google the question but I'm sure something would come up on it to confirm this. As for the getting the helmet and suit off I would think it would be the same way medics get off heavily geared, wounded patients clothing (like body armor, radiated suits, spaceflight suits etc.) as they do today, just remove it or just cut it carefully until the body and/or affected areas are exposed. Thanks for commenting. See you in part 2.
The ship is called- Nostromo, the computer is called Mother, I thought the Dallas cocoon, scene wasnt necessary, especially considering the Alien kills everyone else except Ripley. it did work much better for ALIENS (although, there I could see it coming, having seen the behind the scenes stuff, from the original) Ripley is more warm, less snobby & likeable in ALIENS than in the original film her improvements work, also the extra depth makes her more interesting in the sequel. interesting there is know one that's likeable, or all that charismatic in ALIEN, yet the film works so well.
The film is so great and the actors are so entwined with the story, I found that only after I rewatched it later, did any of the characters start to stand out. But considering how much the story twists and turns, Alien was made with very little dialogue to explain most of it. And with so little dialogue being spoken no crew member can stand out either, since all the plot points to make via dialogue is split between 7 people (at first anyway lol)The pacing is a big part that makes the film such a work of art, but the problem I had watching it for the very first time, was there is a bare minimum of exposition to explain what we just saw, and what we are about to see.
when it comes to exposition/information, in a film like this one it's a balancing act, give away too much information & you lose the air of mystery about an unknown threat. Give away too little & the audience gets confused ALIEN is a film that makes us think, problem solve, & I like that. The Space Jockey fossilised in the throne navigation chair, all that we know is that something attacked IT(probably forcing it to land) the story could still have worked without it, BUT you would lose the sense of mystery then.@@robertmaybeth3434
Faor play man for addrssing the time it takes for gestation. The other films are pretty useless for it. My own theory is if it werent for the food to aggravate his body and the alien, he would have gone into hyper sleep with the alien still inside him.
The ship is not Mother. It's the computer. The ore processing and transport vessel is the Nostromo. Named after a novel by Joseph Conrad set in a South American mining camp. See what they did there? Clever, eh? Literary Reference in a film. How surprising!😮
I don't recognize this movie as a masterpiece. If I did, what should I say about say Stalker? Or even 2001? This is a pretty good class B movie and that's it. No comments added. I'm extremely glad I was growing up not on sh.ts mentioned by the narrator like Superman (Star Wars isn't a sh.t, but is a pretty good movie for kids), but on 2001 and movies by Bergman, Antonioni and some others. In terms of Ridley's Scott's Masterpiece I would rather say that that masterpiece was Blade Runner. Definitely not Alien.
Kane, was a greedy individual. It was greed and curiosity that got him unalived. Of the crew, his character also made the least impression, imo, not helped by his early exit from the film. Glad the more interesting characters got to hang around longer (Parker, etc).
Back then everyone watched movies young. It was a different time with less restraints. No seatbelts, sitting in back of trucks, etc. It was actually a wonderful time to grow up.
I did call the ship Nostromo on its introduction scene. The brain of the ship is mother, and the crew refers to it as that, so I do too. Thanks for your comment.
It takes away from the whole girl power thing when we all stand around and gush at her strength and power. Comes off as surprised. After all, she is a girl.
The Ship is called Nostromo. The AI computer is MUTHUR. Your not off on the observation of the crew being children, and the themes of reproduction though.
LOL. When the ship is first seen in the movie the dude in this video noted the "NOSTROMO looks lived in" and then goes into the MUTHUR aspect. Clearly the maker knows this because of that but boy did you show the video author. How obvious and pathetic.
I never saw Ripley as dominant, she appears to be reasonable, down to earth and professional even in the parts where she took leading role...
Absolutely. Ripley and Parker are the only ones who quickly figure out the right moves (not to let the landing party enter the ship with the face hugger on Kane's face) but since Ash did it anyway, it's Parker who insists, twice, "Why don't you freeze him? We should just freeze him!" Either one of which, if actually done would have saved the rest of the crew...plus if they'd left Kane in the boarding area, it would have been a whole lot easier for them just to blow out the sweet baby Alien back onto the planet and just GTFO off LV-426/"Acheron"!
She may be reasonable but the reactions of the other actors are frustration with her comments because she is brash.
I was 6 when I've seen Alien while visiting relatives. This is the first and only horror movie scared the sh1t out of me. Like you, I was hiding when I was sleeping, I slept with my head covered as I was afraid of the facehugger. Even in my 30s now I get nightmares related to the Alien, but I learned to enjoy these. There is something in controlling your fear and waking up, knowing all is over.
Movie itself is a masterpiece, where everything was just right in forging ot: Success of SW, discovering Giger's designs, hiring Bolaji to play the xenomorph, the music, visionary director, decision to go with female lone survivor. Agree with you that this is the best film in the franchise.
Our path with this film is very similar. I will also admit that even today, maybe once a year I always have an alien themed nightmare which I must wake myself up from. :)
The first transmission of Space Jockey gives me even more shivers than watching the Chestburster scene. Unless that's what Ridley meant when he said somewhere that what you can't see can terrify you.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER BE SURPASSED AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC MASTERPIECE.
💯
It’s a timeless classic,possibly my favourite film of all time.
someone hasn't seen Skinamarink
My favourite film.
This is one of the best breakdowns of the Alien films out there. I loved the deleted scenes, behind the scenes stories, and insights. Hope you do one on Alien 3 🤞
We are definitely planning on doing Alien 3.
Greatest movie of all tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime
I remember seeing ads in the local newspaper for Alien, Dawn of the Dead, Phantasm and others in and around 1979, and was fascinated by them. Forbidden fruit for a budding sci-fi and horror fan. I was ten when Alien came out and couldn't see it in theatres because I was obviously too young, so I went out and bought Alan Dean Foster's novelization and read that instead. It might even have been the first book I proactively read outside of school. I don't remember a great deal about the book, but it still wasn't a patch on the film, when I finally saw it two or three years later. Since then I must've watched Alien over a hundred times.
my mother took me to this movie in the theater it changed my outlook on movies and life also
Lucky. My mom took me and then said no after the ticket lady said you do realize this is a rated R movie? If looks could kill she would have been dead.
I honestly had a similar experience with my dad making me watch the thing around that age and it mortified me for years that anything that even brought up the memory of that movie would kept me up all night. It wasn’t until years later when I watched it with a friend and I began to appreciate all the elements of the movie and saw it in a different light. Now in a parallel to you The Thing is my number one horror movie with alien being a close second
I'm about 27 so probably younger than you guys, but I had the same experience with Signs and The Ring back in the early 2000s. 😂 Definitely their own kind of horror and they scared the crap out of me as a kid but I also started to appreciate it way more when I got older.
I feel like seeing horror movies from a young age helps you actually explore your fears more and cope with them better, I feel like I have a very rational sense of fear now because movies like these opened up my eyes to being honest with some very troubling and primal concepts. Horror can ironically be a very healthy refuge for self-exploration. 😂
Your story speaks volumes to me.
@@Palafico3 That's a cool point of view. Thanks for sharing it.
@@RepresentThis You tried Alien isolation? There are 2 dlc that give a little reconstructed experience in the the actual nostromo interior. PC has VR (not sure about the dlc VR but it's worth a look for fans of the movie)
@@Surgicaldamage Never did the VR but I do have the game and dlc on PS3. It's a great game.
I was born in '75 and my earliest memory of this film is the poster and how eerie it looked along with a certain pinball machine that had an ALIEN look-alike creature on it. Not until I saw ALIENS on HBO in '87 did I really get into the genre. Like you, I was also a Star Wars nerd and believed that everything in space must be kind of cool! Great video.
Thanks for sharing, glad you visited.
The more they reveal about the alien in the later movies
The less unique it feels
And dilutes the fear of the creature
And the lore
Imo in Aliens it still feels unique and threatening but it was meant as annother sort of movie. 3 was a mess in production and it showed after that only horrible movies were made lacking quality.
There was no deep lore about Alien when Scott first filmed it and well like most of his movies at older age he just doesnt have it anymore and built a convoluted mess of a explanation and combined that with a story narrative that also was just silly. Prometheus and Covenant are pseudophilosophical trash.
Yeah, this is one of the few movies that really scared the hell out of me. The second film is even better. And scarier.
I will be covering Aliens within a month or two. I have previously committed to another Star Wars video before returning to Alien. I then intend to keep going switching between Star Wars and Alien until it's time to do John Carpenter's the Thing.
Whoaaaaa now,hold on just a moment . . . . .!!
Brilliant study of this phenomenal classic
I saw jaws in theatres when I was very young. It truly affected me.
Ironically Ridely Scott saw Star Wars and thats what informed him.He had to step the game in pushing boundaries. He could not make the Alien movie in the old traditional way after experiencing Star Wars.The connection is their in inspiration that created the Alien as is now
STAR WARS’ greatest achievement was ALIEN!
@represent. Btw, I am a graduate of UCONN. Worked on the 1994 indie Destination Unknown and took film studies in Hunter College in Manhattan. I am retired military now working in cyber for a major bank but you bring me back many memories. I was born in 1966.
When I first heard about an alternate cut for ALIEN (1979), I got really excited, hoping EVERYTHING would be reinstated.
Bummer. What we got was a re-edited film with a handful of additional material.
Whilst it was nice to see the extra footage in much better quality, it was also a let-down, knowing that more could have been done with 2003 DC.
Apparently, the QUADRILOGY DVD’s producer had prepared an extended cut with all the existing deleted scenes back in - including material that has never been released to home video - before Ridley Scott looked at it and decided it was far too long and cut it down. Damn!
It's so weird the effect ALIEN has had on so many people. I knew about ALIEN well before the movie came out, by seeing production articles in fan mags. I wasn't a horror fan but I definitely was a STAR WARS/sci-fi fan and the photos and art I saw intrigued me to point I HAD to see it. To this day, ALIEN is one of my absolute top-favorite movies of all time.
I was 15 when ALIEN came out and it took me a while to be able to articulate why that movie was so spellbinding to me. I do not like horror, I do not like being tense... but I love art, design and tech... so ALIEN was both torturous and tantalizing to me because I had to endure all of that to see what it was I wanted. In the theater, I had to sit near the lobby doors in case I needed to make a quick exit. Now that I know where the scares are, I watch it at least once a year.
Ridley's ALIEN is a masterpiece to me, with ALIENS as a close second; all the other iterations I can live without. In my opinion, once conceived, H.R. Giger's creation has a limited life before it can only de-evolve to derivative shlock. How many new ways can this story be told?
Thanks for sharing your experience with the film and I hope to see what you think of part 2, which I just posted. Like you I see Alien yearly. Visually it is beyond other movies and it is, like you say, art.
I also like ALIENS very much as well.
I’d have been happy if Alien had been a stand alone piece with no sequels.It’s the mystery and intrigue that play a massive part of its greatness.
In a way Aliens detracted from Alien.
After discovering this channel I’m hoovering up the content. Great stuff, thank you!
Awesome to have you here Hamish.
Alien is one of my very very favourite films.Back in the day I stayed up late to see it on our little tv set when I was about 14 and it completely mesmerised me and affected me on a deep primordial level.It’s as perfect a film as is possible.
I’m glad you pointed out the time problem of the chestburster gestation in later films. It drives me batty when they shorten it to a matter of minutes instead of what was previously established.
This was one of the first movies that warned of mega-corporations, somthing that Scott already had long dealings with prior to this movie.
Fantasy as reality? Try this. I saw a UA-cam poll a year ago (I was 51) asking, “What is the most dangerous animal?” I kind of laughed to myself and thought, “Oh, that’s easy” and I actually began to type “A-L-I-E…” until I realized…”bro, that was just a…movie…it ain’t real.” Like you, I saw it at 8 years old in the theater, and, like you, it became “real” to me (obsessively watching it over and over again when VHS technology was introduced). Yeah, I hear you, bro. We’ll never get another film that will affect us like this one.
I was mysteriously bothered by the helmets in the bridge area.
Yes, the atmosphere of the film is creepy enough before the alien's arrival.
Genius film making.
Ian Holm is such an excellent actor I hated him for years because of him being Ash lol
He was only trying to do what's right 😈.
Yes, it really was a lot harder to watch Ian Holm in his later roles because of Ash! When an actor portrays a villain so well you can't mentally separate the person from the character, that is how you know when an actor is really, really good at their job!
When I saw him in The 5th Element, I was like, "OK. I'll let it slide."
@@Surgicaldamage No, he was only doing what he was programed to do. He was merely a tool, no different than the HAL 9000. He was instructed that the alien specimen was the only importance, the crew was expendable. He was not programed with a moral code of right and wrong.
@jmh8697 oh yeah totally forgot about that loved that series, better than the film version
This is possibly my favorite movie and something I never get tired of watching. I had never heard the man keeping down minorities was a thesis for the movie… glad we have Ripply to kill that idea.
Well done, it's one of my favourite movies ...
Very good!!
I saw "Alien" in the same ex-Cinerama theater where I'd seen "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) and would see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). TV and print ads gave only this clue: "In space no one can hear you scream." Seeing first-timers react to "Alien" has been a favorite indoor sport over the years. To be honest, Stop Motion monsters looked scarier than the usual "Kaiju," such as "The Black Scorpion" (1957). I find it interesting that, for most first-time viewers, "Alien" hasn't lost it's punch over 40 years.
What a brilliant video. Thank you. …I knew there were a few deleted scenes. But not this many. I’m buying that ‘quad’ dvd. 👌🏻💚👍
Excited about part 2. …mostly! 😂
Part 2 will be finished in about a week or two, there is a lot of stuff in part 2 and I'm excited to share it with you.
Thanks for another deep dive video that makes us relive this masterpiece yet again! And I too had the privilege of seeing this in theater back in 1979. I think my friend's words were "You gotta see this one." But I didn't truly enjoy it on the first viewing due to my own tunnel vision caused by a long and steady diet of '70's schlock that comprised most movies back then - because Alien was completely different from every other 1970's film we were accustomed to suffering through. Indifferently made, formulaic, slow paced, rife with pointless dialogue, and lots of filler scenes were what we were used to watching - but then along came "Alien".
Ridley Scott's brilliance was to simply ignore a decade of film-making tropes and cliched style to make "Alien". And from the first scene, it hits the audience full-force, with an all-new cinematic style, with NO filler, and a story in which literally every scene and line of dialogue matterred. But in 1979 I wasn't ready for this at all, and my first watch of this masterpiece, with its documentary-style cinematography, quick cuts, fast expositions, subtle clues, and instant segues, and honestly I was a bit lost! But during subsequent viewings I was better able to appreciate the genius of the story telling.
Thank you for this video, I really did enjoy your perspective. I did see Alien on it's release but am glad to say I was (just) old enough. Not that that helps in the dark depths of night lol. My Father took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was eight years old. I was really looking forward to it but was completely bewildered by its content (no surprises there) and, at the end, the star-child terrified me. I had many bad dreams centered around that image which, after reading the novel several years later, turned out to be the most harmless figure in the story.
I completely agree with you about the Nostromo. It was so well constructed with an eye to what a real, future, commercial and lived-in starship might look like that, for me, it is one of the stars of the movie in it's own right. Utopia for me would be to have a small corner of my house converted to resemble part of the Nostromo bridge where I could play my internet starship game (and I'm 61 years old!). Needless to say my wife does not share my enthusiasm for interior design.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, part 2 will be up in within 7 days and it is where the real meat and potatoes of this movie is concerned. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it as well.
Please don’t recreate the dining room scene or you’ll be living in the car! 😅
Wow, we crossed similar paths. I saw Alien in Manhattan, graduated from UCONN and did a stint in Heidelberg, Germany during my career in the Army.
can-'t wait for part 2!
I was honestly worried Part 1 would bore folks and I am surprised by the welcome it got. Part 2 is really where the meat and potatoes of the film is. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Excellent analysis. Your thought process really highlights many important aspects of this incredible film. I was only ten when I first watched Alien and its fair to say I was too young at the time as it terrified me.
I had nightmares about Alien just being told about it, long before I ever saw the movie. I certainly understand you having problems sleeping seeing it so young, but the your story gave a great intro for this video ;-)
Well, it turned out for the best in the end. It really germinated my outlook towards films for the rest of my life.
thank you for the this video.
I remember being so terrified of this movie when I was younger, admittedly I found the start of it boring because I was just a kid and I couldn't understand what it was doing by establishing the characters and slowly building up the suspense that would be felt in the latter half of the movie. But once the alien showed up I was wrapped up in a blanket, scared of what would happen next. This was like one of those childhood trauma things for me too. It's taken me 9 years to finally muster up the courage to complete Alien Isolation 😂 that for me felt like confronting the monster which gave me nightmares from a young age
Alien Isolation scared some pee out of me too. Everytime the alien left a vent I froze up a little. It was great!
@@RepresentThis It really immersed me, I'd often freeze too. Being too scared to make a move after the alien left the room out of fear it would catch me out in the open. Eventually getting brave enough to have a more "do or die" approach!
I didn't see the movie until well into my teens.
Even though I was late to the party by about 13 years, I was aware of the movies legacy, but did not expect it to stand up as well as it did.
But I'm not happy that she went back for that bloody cat.
I honestly don't think I would have the courage to go back for the cat myself.
This was amusingly similar to the way I first saw Alien too. I'd obviously seen something like a poster or a trailer relating to the film and pestered my mum so much about it that she was just like "fine, look just watch it and see for yourself!"...and so I did and it got to the chest burster scene and I immediately regretted my decision haha. Sufficed to say though, I was hooked on the franchise since then due to it's mysterious and shocking nature. It's funny to think how many people my age will likely have seen the films at such a young age and just rolled with it.
Well, we were a tough group back then.
I've come to the conclusion every great film has a great soundtrack.. without exception... alien is no different
Being an avid reader of the magazine Starlog back then helped assuage my fears of the Alien. I didn't get to see it until it came out on VHS. I had a similar experience as you however when my mom dragged me to see The Shining when I was 10.
Wow the Shinning. Another video I plan on doing some day. I can see how you would be terrified of that one.
I was stationed in Giessen Germany from 1985-1987 at Rivers Barracks.
Living in over 20 states and 2 countries in my life, Giessen, Germany is always the most magical for me. I went back home there in 1998, changed a lot. I still miss Germany to this day.
@@RepresentThis can't beat Octoberfest 🙂
"REAL it is, & it GET YOU, Yes! IT SHALL!*" - Yoda
I loved that novel back in the day! I read it just before going to see the film, so was a bit critical of all the missing detail in the screen version.
Wow what a fantastic video! I commented on your Aliens video as well - I honestly thought I knew everything about these movies and yet I learned so much here!
Your teacher sounds amazing and truly made an impact on your life.
Interestingly I saw the second one first and on VHS. I remember when it was playing in the theatres and I was too scared to see it. I loved it when I did eventually see it and then was hooked.
Please do a video essay on The Thing now!
Well, sounds like we had a lot in common back in the day. I have every intention on doing The Thing but first I want to get through the Sigourney Alien series and the classic Star Wars trilogy along with another few titles. I love the Thing and there is a lot to say about them. So glad you're here and commenting Reinhardt.
I was terrified of this creature as a child as well. I know what you mean. Now it's one of my favorite film series
Alien could be your favorite sci-fi film
While empire be your favorite science FANTASY movie
28:17 And what's interesting about that is when the sh*t truly hits the fan toward the end and most everyone has bit the dust, when it comes down to Parker and Lambert, Parker steps up and shows genuine care, he dies a hero trying to save Lambert, drawing the Xeno over to him instead. I do like Prometheus for it's other, bigger themes of *Evolution* and *Creation*, and can forgive it's flaws regarding "dumb scientists" and what not because i can see what director Ridley Scott was trying to do with that movie, but for sure, ALIEN is truly a masterpiece.
Remember dragging my Mom to see it in 79 when I was 12 yrs old. The teaser trailer with just a regular egg cracking and it scared the shit out of me. As as a kid I gotta admit the movie dragged until Kane got attacked by the facehugger. Now as I'm fast approaching 60 I regularly watch the movie up to the Kane attack. I love the movie but the way the cast plays off each other is fascinating. Seeing the hierarchy and division between them has me really wanting to have seen their interactions on a daily basis before the alien horror. I've rewatched that opening 30 or so minutes focusing on each character many many times to see how they really tick. Who they like, respect and hate and it's always engrossing.The true unsung hero is the sound design. It's what makes a great movie a masterpiece and the subtle breathing is just creepy. I do like Aliens a lot and it is a great action movie but nothing compares to Alien imo. I've seen them all even the horrible AVP movies so I'll be in line to see Romulus. I'm not expecting much so if we get a couple good kills and a good looking Alien I'll be ok with it.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jeffrey. I too will be seeing Romulus but like you I'm not expecting much.
Your story of alien discovery sounds familiar! Except the movie never gave me nightmares, It did concern my parents that I became obsessed with it and with HR Giger's art.
The characters in this film are so damn good. I've thought over the years about how Lambert is the voice for the audience's fear, how, in contrast, Dallas wasn't nearly terrified enough, and how Ripley is the main character in spite of the fact that she's basically that asshole coworker that everyone dislikes.
I share the exact opinion you have with every word you presented vlad. I am in complete agreement with you, especially about Ripley. Most just don't want to see or admit how abrasively she treats her co-workers in the first film.
I saw the movie at 11 and I had sleepless nights after I saw it lol.
Ahhh...this was at a time when Ridley Scott had talent! Now his movies suck. This story about your mom making you see it really made me laugh! Lol
The Xenomorph, although completely foreign to the crew, is perfectly developed to hide among the piping and wires of a spaceship. The creature has evolved to hijack space faring types. So the Xeno could have been lying in wait for humanity for centuries and perhaps something like that awaits us in real life...
There's also an (abandoned) Egyptian subtext in the film of Mafdet the cat goddess who fights dragons. This is where the abandoned pyramid idea comes in.
The progressive theory of Ripley and Parker being oppressed as minorities can easily be blown out of the water when you consider that the original script was written all the characters had no gender or physical description. It wasn't until casting that they decided Ripley would be a woman
I saw the film (cuts here and there with hands infront of my face)...when I was 6 years old (1986).
I couldn't sleep well the next at least 10 years.😂
Had nightmares untill I was a teenager..
This seems to be a reoccurring theme amongst most of us. We are all part of an elite club, lol.
24:50 ....if you got the HD Blu Ray of Alien, in this scene, you can clearly see the faces of the children who doubled for the adult actors.
Not much of a Covenant fan (besides a couple of the performances - McBride in particular - and the score) but, I do believe the implication is that Lope survived the initial facehugger attack only to be “inseminated” later off-screen, following the demise of Cole (at the hands of the Protomorph).
Cinematic licence still, because it appears a short period of time, but, who knows what action might’ve been cut from the parallel scene between Daniels, David and Walter to increase that period of time?
👍👍👍👍👍
I saw ALIENS on VHS when i was a pre-teen, and later on the lower deck of my bunk bed i envisioned the hive of the Xenomorphs crawling out to get me in the night...
Thanks for your tale, it seems many of us felt the same way about this movie when we were young.
I once had a nightmare about Alien. I was hiding aboard the Nostromo from the alien in the same room Brett was killed and captured in. The atmosphere of my dream was oppressively dark and gothic much like the film.I was too terrified to leave my hiding spot, knowing the alien could be anywhere. Then the self destruct alarm went off, and I was so frightened the whole dream. It was awesome. Alien is the greatest film ever made, and I've been a super-fan of Alien (and Predator) my whole life.
I don't know whether to console you about your dream or go "Hell yeah!" to it Micah. :)
@@RepresentThis It was the most enjoyable nightmare I've ever had, lol.
Will slobber over your segment later, but wanted to give a call-out to Military Brats. Despite my age, I still think of myself as a military brat. It seems to be an identity all its own...
great job with everything, esp the analysis of Ripley (i dont agree with the patriarchy, modern woke bs) and the way Scott makes her very likeable even though she is a domineering figure and her authority appears governed by wisdom and rules.
Forget all that woke bs,the characters in Alien work because of their personalities and interactions,if a man played the Ripley part it would still work,as long as the actor was good.
The Nostromo was a space trucker rig👍🚚
I was also probably about 7 or 8 when I was up late watching TV with my Dad and Alien was about to come on AMC. My dad said it was probably too scary for me but I promised it wasn't.
Did your promise turn out true or did it backfire? :)
You absolutely destroyed the woke narratives with the evidence you provided here. Great analysis altogether.
Some have detracted me for speaking about the subject, but I thought it was absolutely necessary to discuss because when I saw the documentary of Memory: The Making of Alien and they had a commentator assumptively suggesting ideological themes about Ripley I couldn't let it be unaddressed. The more we say nothing to defend the past 30 years the more such naive and false narratives concrete. What disturbed me more was that the maker of the documentary was Alexandre O. Philippe who made the hit piece documentary on George Lucas called the People vs. George Lucas. There is just so many perversions of facts and culture of the past today that I thought talking about it must be done.
@@RepresentThis I agree, and you addressed it perfectly. I'll be using some of those points in the future. I just finished part two of this, and loved it. Subbed. With this type of deep analysis, and great delivery, you will do well with this channel.
@@Mal_Freeman0451 Thank you for your kind words. Aliens, part 1 is almost finished. I will post it after Thanksgiving, and I hope to see you there.
@@RepresentThis You're very welcome. As soon as I finished part 2, I went looking at your channel to find more. Looking forward to watching the Star Wars stuff, but believe me, I will absolutely be here for Aliens.
The dvd version is definitely the
Better version it's almost voice like very alien sounding
Hi!
Since the are not subtitles available I was wondering if you have the transcript of your wonderful video.
Let's see if I can get the subtitles working. Let me investigate it.
Got the subtitles working for you, thanks for pointing it out, is there a specific language you desire?
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.
You know, I like to practice my English listening skills by watching videos like yours on my favorite topics, so I only need English subs when I don’t get something!
Going further with the sexual metaphor, I think that, as you point out, the entrance of the Alien Ship is clearly the vulva but the interior, after the entrance, which looks “diseased” and “decayed”, to me is the metaphor of the feminine uterus…: and in fact, besides really looking like the interior of a human organ, inside it, our heroes, find the ovum! So it’s a complete allegory of a female sexual organ.
What happens to the crew sounds familiar to what happen to Man when he stares too close at the mistery of life, when he dares to understand his origin; which, by the way, is the main theme of Prometheus and Covenant.
@@stefanodisperati4561 Very nice insights. I would be interested in seeing what you think of my second part of this video which I just posted.
7 years old watching alien? Your poor little heart
Actually, I wouldn't change a thing about seeing it at that age. It was pretty common for young kids to see such stuff like that in those days. I can't say that I did this for my kids though. Thanks for your comment.
@@RepresentThis I feel you my dad made me watch the thing around that age
Me and my siblings were all allowed to watch 18+ films as children. And we are all well adjusted normal ish people...... 😅
I was 6 when I saw Aliens. Fucked me up good.
I was 9 or 10 when I saw it first and it scared the cr#p out of me. The Thing and American Werewolf really messed me up for a while but that was later on, but I know some of what you felt.
Lmao, Gießen is like 20 miles away from where I live.
I love fellow nerd videos. I prefer the theatrical also. Same with Aliens, that whole thing with Ripleys daughter just beeaks up the awesome pacing of the theatrical, its perfect like Alien.
I’m torn,both cuts are good in their own way for Alien and Aliens.
The egg morphing scene was very creepy but it does alter the momentum.
But with Aliens we get other scenes that are imo instrumental even as they might seem small like the autocannons that you only see being taken out of the vehicle in theatrical relase or the longer shots when Burke tries to kill Ripley and Newt. That very much deepened the movie.
It is worthy to note that all the crew of the Nostromo were written genderless/raceless. Their character differences and personality traits were not incumbent on their gender roles or racial stereotypes. Ripley could've been a man.
A perfect point. Ridley once said he wanted to hire the best actors so he could focus on the production and alien aspects, this perfect crew brought a lot to the table.
Interesting the actor playing with Sigourney is the actor in Superman the Movie who played the detective that gets killed by the under ground train.
I guess Armus couldn't save him. :)
@@RepresentThis LOL!!
Tough love
19:14 I'm pretty sure the Directors cut version has sounds that are actually recorded from space that NORAD or whatever has recorded and can't figure out of they're anything or nothing.
I also prefer the first.
Thanks for your thoughts Humongous, look forward to your future thoughts.
I was only 3 when _Alien_ came out, but I first saw it in the early '80s when I was about 6 or 7. I only ever thought it was _awesome._ I never had any problem telling fiction from reality, and it just seemed bizarre to me that other kids could actually get scared by movies, partly because I would make up scary stories myself and I knew they were fake and just for fun.
I remember that a cousin of mine had that _Alien_ action figure and I just thought it was the coolest thing in the world, especially how it actually had a human skull visible underneath the translucent dome. That just set my imagination on fire.
But I know I'm weird.
The only thing that ever freaked me out was after I read _Communion_ in my late 20s. Not because I really believed in alien abductions (although the idea that extraterrestrials experimenting on humans is a bit more plausible than running into the _Alien)_ but because of the part where the author speculates on it being images from the subconscious that surface, and since I get sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations fairly frequently I was _terrified_ that I would end up hallucinating things at the foot of my bed or in the corner of my room like in the book, and I ended up sleeping with a knife under my pillow for several months after reading it (not because I thought a knife would help me against a hallucination, but because it was a physical focus of control I could hold onto.)
Really appreciate you sharing your history about this film. Thanks.
I really enjoyed your commentary. I know you said you wouldn’t change a thing, but as a parent i am horrified that your mom let you watch it at such s young age…even if it was the 70’s….
Life happens, I'm not one to cry over spilt milk. We all have our paths to travel.
Have you tried Alien Isolation Sir?
Yes and I love it. It was mentioned in my Aliens part 1 video. It's the perfect alien game.
Dan O'Bannon's masterpiece. Ridley just directed, based on the script and whole design. Which was Dan. Dan wrote the script. Dan created the characters. Dan brought in Geiger for the atmosphere that he wanted. Dan created the face hugger. Dan worked directly with the set designers to create the alien atmosphere. IT'S DAN'S FILM. NOT RIDLEY'S. I like Ridley. I loved Bladerunner. But with Alien, he was brought in AFTER all the design work and script were done.
This topic has been discussed extensively on this thread already. I suggest you look at Eternal Roman's comment below or above, wherever it appears and see the debate. Don't think there is much I would add beyond what has already been discussed. Thanks for your comment.
You’re right,Scott is great as part of a team but give him the reigns and his ego takes over.His forte is the visual and scenic.
how did the helmet hugger get through the helmet and onto Caine's face? how did they get his helmet and suit off?
This question was also brought up in my part 2 video so I will say what I said there. I always thought it used just enough acid blood/saliva to burn through the helmet, not the face. It always seemed plausible to me as you can hear the burning in the theatrical cut when it is on the helmet. Aliens told us that alien acid oxidizes quickly so the creature would just burn a hole through and then get on the face after the oxidation occurred. I didn't google the question but I'm sure something would come up on it to confirm this.
As for the getting the helmet and suit off I would think it would be the same way medics get off heavily geared, wounded patients clothing (like body armor, radiated suits, spaceflight suits etc.) as they do today, just remove it or just cut it carefully until the body and/or affected areas are exposed.
Thanks for commenting. See you in part 2.
The alien facehugger exudes acid which melted through the helmet,and secondly you saw the crew cut through the helmet using a device.
I saw somewhere...I forget where, that Jones is actually Brett's cat. That might answer the kitten photo, station musing.
I had no idea, thanks for that.
"Space jockey " is our brain stem!! Subliminal bs by our weirdo controllers
The ship is called- Nostromo, the computer is called Mother,
I thought the Dallas cocoon, scene wasnt necessary, especially considering the Alien kills everyone else except Ripley.
it did work much better for ALIENS (although, there I could see it coming, having seen the behind the scenes stuff, from the original) Ripley is more warm, less snobby & likeable in ALIENS than in the original film her improvements work, also the extra depth makes her more interesting in the sequel. interesting there is know one that's likeable, or all that charismatic in ALIEN, yet the film works so well.
Nostromo and mother is right, guess I didn't give the distinction on those two.
The film is so great and the actors are so entwined with the story, I found that only after I rewatched it later, did any of the characters start to stand out. But considering how much the story twists and turns, Alien was made with very little dialogue to explain most of it. And with so little dialogue being spoken no crew member can stand out either, since all the plot points to make via dialogue is split between 7 people (at first anyway lol)The pacing is a big part that makes the film such a work of art, but the problem I had watching it for the very first time, was there is a bare minimum of exposition to explain what we just saw, and what we are about to see.
when it comes to exposition/information, in a film like this one it's a balancing act, give away too much information & you lose the air of mystery about an unknown threat.
Give away too little & the audience gets confused ALIEN is a film that makes us think, problem solve, & I like that.
The Space Jockey fossilised in the throne navigation chair, all that we know is that something attacked IT(probably forcing it to land) the story could still have worked without it, BUT you would lose the sense of mystery then.@@robertmaybeth3434
Faor play man for addrssing the time it takes for gestation. The other films are pretty useless for it. My own theory is if it werent for the food to aggravate his body and the alien, he would have gone into hyper sleep with the alien still inside him.
16:38 the moment I subbed
The ship is not Mother. It's the computer. The ore processing and transport vessel is the Nostromo. Named after a novel by Joseph Conrad set in a South American mining camp. See what they did there? Clever, eh? Literary Reference in a film. How surprising!😮
I don't recognize this movie as a masterpiece. If I did, what should I say about say Stalker? Or even 2001? This is a pretty good class B movie and that's it. No comments added. I'm extremely glad I was growing up not on sh.ts mentioned by the narrator like Superman (Star Wars isn't a sh.t, but is a pretty good movie for kids), but on 2001 and movies by Bergman, Antonioni and some others. In terms of Ridley's Scott's Masterpiece I would rather say that that masterpiece was Blade Runner. Definitely not Alien.
I was hoping that you would clarify that the AI computer that runs the ship is Mother. Not the ship itself. That will always be the Nostromo.
Yeah, I called the ship Nostromo during the first fly over shot but since the crew called the ship mother I do as well. It's a habit.
Your mom rocks!
Kane, was a greedy individual.
It was greed and curiosity that got him unalived.
Of the crew, his character also made the least impression, imo, not helped by his early exit from the film.
Glad the more interesting characters got to hang around longer (Parker, etc).
how could you watch Alien if you were only 7?
Back then everyone watched movies young. It was a different time with less restraints. No seatbelts, sitting in back of trucks, etc. It was actually a wonderful time to grow up.
I hate nitpicking, because i appreciate your thoughts on this seminal film, but I always thought MUTHER was the ship’s computer, not the ship itself.
I did call the ship Nostromo on its introduction scene. The brain of the ship is mother, and the crew refers to it as that, so I do too. Thanks for your comment.
Every time i see that star wars patriarchy thing im like didnt they know Mon Mothma was literally in charge.
I honestly think they do not know that fact.
I wanna see a sam Elliott movie now
The man who killed the alien and then the thing
The ball turret gunner
U Newt n Ripley under the bed
😅😂😂 bricken it
I'm fine with that. I would go anywhere Ripley would tell me to.
It takes away from the whole girl power thing when we all stand around and gush at her strength and power. Comes off as surprised. After all, she is a girl.
I’m confused
You are writing a youtube comment about a film called Alien.
Hope this helps.
The Ship is called Nostromo. The AI computer is MUTHUR. Your not off on the observation of the crew being children, and the themes of reproduction though.
LOL. When the ship is first seen in the movie the dude in this video noted the "NOSTROMO looks lived in" and then goes into the MUTHUR aspect. Clearly the maker knows this because of that but boy did you show the video author. How obvious and pathetic.