Alien
Directed by Ridley Scott. UK. 1979. R. Running time: 117 min.
- Fri, Sep 5, 9:45 pm
Unlike its increasingly baroque series of sequels, Ridley Scott's original 1979 "Alien" is a film about human loneliness amid the emptiness and amorality of creation. It's a cynical '70s-leftist vision of the future in which none of the problems plaguing 20th century Earth — class divisions, capitalist exploitation, the subjugation of humanity to technology — have been improved in the slightest by mankind's forays into outer space. Although it has often been described as being a haunted-house movie set in space, "Alien" also has a profoundly existentialist undertow that makes it feel like a film noir — the other genre to feature a slithery, sexualized monster as its classic villain. (Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com)
Click here to continue reading Andrew O'Hehir's review on Salon.com.