Alien (1979) - Lisa's Review

I have great memories of sitting in front of the sofa on the floor and watching this movie with my dad when my age would still have been in single figures.  Let me get this out there now - I don't like sci-fi movies as a whole.  I'm not a fan of the copious amount of sci-fi programs out there and I generally get bored pretty quickly if they start talking in sci-fi language.  That out of the way, I LOVE this movie (and several of its sequels).

For starters, the alien referred to in the movies title was designed by none other than one of my favourite artists H R Giger.  It was like nothing we had seen before and was ground breaking, influencing so many movies that followed.  It obliterated the template for science fiction movies and brought so much that was new to the genre.  There was so much more to offer here.  I won't go into a plot or premise, as the likelihood of anyone reading this having not seen Alien is non-existent.  I will say that even if you don't like sci-fi, give this one a go anyway.  It has a great script, fantastic acting, amazing cinematography and a set design like I've never seen.  Everything from how the Alien came to be on board the ship Nostromo, to the attempts to destroy it with limited options available, to how the story ended, was pretty near perfect.  You won't watch this movie and feel that you wished they'd done anything different.  This movie is pretty much as near to perfect as you can get for a science fiction movie.

I can't not mention Sigourney Weavers role as Ripley.  Having already read Wills review I know that he feels that she was a hero that just happened to be female and yes, that's true.  I don't see myself as a die-hard feminist in that, all I wish from the world is equality, not superiority.  I recognise that men and women have different strengths, but in this role, Weaver challenges the norm when it comes to being a woman.  Ripley shows Weaver in a position of both seniority and strength.  This is most definitely not the norm in movies and definitely not in this genre.  While I don't feel like the casting has anything to do with feminism, I do feel that it was very brave and clever to cast a woman as a main character and not just a romantic interest.  As a person who despises watching stupid women tottering about in heels and mini skirts / running upstairs when they are being chased / screaming the house down before being 'rescued' by a big brave man (the hero of the movie) I loved to see a strong, brave woman have an actual important role in a movie.  A role that had nothing whatsoever to do with her sexuality or attractiveness.

So there you are.  I'm sure you are not in the least bit surprised to read that I give this one a heart thumbs up and recommended.