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May 25, 2024 · Today, 45 years after its release, Alien remains a study of artistic precision in both sci-fi and horror, in large part because the movie hides its eventual premise so well.
- Ryan Britt
- It Was Once called Starbeast
- It Could Have Starred Meryl Streep and Harrison Ford
- It Was The Studio Chief's Idea to Make Ripley A Woman
- Giger's Famous Designs Were Almost Used by Another Movie
- The Original Alien Suit Was Translucent
- The Original Kane Was Replaced
- Two of The Actors Clashed with The Director
- The Facehugger Shot Was Filmed Upside Down
- Ash's Demise Utilized A Weird Mixture of Ingredients
- The Actors Were Not Prepared For The Chest-Burster
Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon was coming off a bad experience. He'd co-written and acted in Dark Star, the debut film from soon-to-be-famous Halloween director John Carpenter. Part sci-fi, part comedy, the movie was deeply cheesy, especially in the effects department, a fact O'Bannon loathed. He vowed to come up with something better, going on to conce...
Sigourney Weaver is so associated with the character of Ripley that it's impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting the role. Simply put, it made the then-unknown actress a star. The character was almost portrayed by someone else, though. During the casting process, it was narrowed down to Weaver and Meryl Streep, who was then hot off The Deer Hu...
The screenplay O'Bannon and Shusett wrote was optioned and further developed by producers Walter Hill and David Giler. They conceived it as a story about "truck drivers in space," knowing that audiences would relate to the characters more if they seemed like average Joes who just happened to work in space. Fox studio head Alan Ladd came up with an ...
One of the signature components of Alien's effectiveness is the design work by Swiss artist H.R. Giger. His distinct style of art, which he referred to as "biomechanical," combined both human and technological elements. For Ridley Scott's film, he designed the alien "xenomorph" as well as other assorted things the characters find on the distant pla...
It was clear to everyone that Giger's work was profoundly disturbing. The question became how to transfer it to the screen in a way that would scare viewers without thoroughly turning them off. Fox worried that if Alien was too unsettling, audiences would stay away. For this reason, they initially resisted Giger's participation. Scott and the produ...
One of the key ideas inherent in Alien's DNA was that the Nostromo crew should be diverse because, in this imagined future, corporations are in control and therefore can pull the best and brightest from anywhere. Scott followed through on this idea by employing a cast that included men and women, Caucasians and an African-American, and both America...
By all accounts, Alien was a difficult shoot (much like its sequel). The Nostromo sets were claustrophobic. Keeping the film on budget was a constant struggle. And Scott, knowing he had the makings of something truly special if he didn't screw it up, was vigilant about getting everything, particularly the ominous tone, just right. Although they und...
There are several iconic moments in Alien, and one of them is a scene in which Kane and other crew members stumble upon a lair of alien eggs. After an especially large egg unfurls its top flaps, Kane bends over to take a look at whatever is inside. Some kind of multi-limbed creature, which has since come to be known as a "face-hugger," violently sp...
Another iconic moment involves the character of Ash, played by Ian Holm. Unbeknownst to the Nostromo crew, he is an android, sent by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation to bring back the xenomorph. The crew members, it turns out, are mere pawns, and everyone discovers his true nature during a tense moment. Ash tries to choke Ripley after she confronts h...
Without a doubt, the single most famous scene in Alien involves the demise of Kane. The face-hugger has somehow implanted its seed into his stomach. This revelation comes when he abruptly begins having pain during mealtime. The other crew members place his convulsing body upon the table. To their horror, a small, slimy creature bursts through his c...
- Mike Mcgranaghan
Apr 26, 2024 · Published 6:00 AM EDT, Fri April 26, 2024. Link Copied! Sigourney Weaver in "Alien," which premiered in 1979. 20th Century Fox. CNN —. “In space, no one can hear you scream.”. “Alien ...
May 12, 2017 · Read the Hopeful 1979 Starlog Magazine Cover Story About 'Alien'. 38 years ago, journalists were pumped, with good reason. In the early summer of 1979, science fiction fans were about to have ...
- Ryan Britt
An agonizing one. Scott’s patience pays off — as the crew searches for the creature, he lets the film breathe a bit, which prevents the audience from doing so.
Aug 17, 2024 · 117 minutes. Main Genre. Sci-Fi. Pros. The film has plenty of layers both in its themes and presentation. The twists that come hit home even more now in a world controlled by wealthy corporations ...
Aug 19, 2024 · Jumping 200 years into the future, into the farthest known point in the Alien timeline, Alien: Resurrection sees Ripley returning in the most unconventional way possible: as a clone.
