There's no doubt the limitations of that era made this just a perfect work of cinematography. No CGI, just camera work, lighting, acting, perfect pace of building tension... horror at it's best.
Also that place where Brett is munched is a retracted landing gear bay. The rain is alleged to be part of atmosphere processing and cooling. This is a haunted house movie and Scott wanted to have a creepy rain scene.
I still remember watching this in the theatre when it first came out . The woman sitting next to me with her family , her popcorn flew up in the air 🤣🤣🤣
Since you were wondering whether this was Ridley Scott's first feature film - it wasn't. The first was "The Duellists" from 1977. It is an amazing film, on so many levels. A great story based on a novel by Joseph Conrad, and set during the late Napoleonic era, around 1800. They managed to pull off an amazing looking film on a very tight budget. It's definitely worth a watch. Loved your reaction and the questions/observations after it!
I saw this when I was like 10 years old some 45 years ago , it blew me away and scared the crap out of me . The GOAT of scifi horror films , it created the genre . The benchmark of all later sci-fi horror films that are compared to it today . A masterpiece , even today ! Enjoy girl !
1. Tagline "In space no one can hear you scream" 2. Best explosion EVER 😱🏆💯(including Star Wars) 3. Dallas/Tom Skerritt also played Viper in "Top Gun" and Strawberry in "Up in Smoke". 4. Brett/Harry Dean Stanton had a very healthy resume. We lost him recently.😇 5. Ridley Scott is also known for directing the original "Bladerunner". 6. The original release didn't have the crew's hanging bodies because they didn't see more movies to follow. 7. Doing "Aliens" now is mandatory 👍 Loved your jump-scare reactions. 🤣
How did it get so big so quickly? That’s what happens when you run out of budget and time. Screenplay drafts and the novelization have multiple stages of alien development, but the intermediate sizes of the alien didn’t make it to the screen.
From what I know about this I found out there was a deleted scene that showed us where the others went. There was a hidden chamber where the others were made into cocoons.
Enjoyed your reaction! The ‘rain’ in the ship was likely just condensation. Good observation on the mechanical aspect of the xenomorph. Most don’t comment on it. Its design was based on the works of the late artist H.R. Giger well known for his surreal dark biomechanical/erotic art. Those themes are visible throughout the set design of the movies.
The rain is the ship was condensation off of the landing struts. In the 79 Novel for the movie we discover that the alien soon after bursting from Kane, cleaned out their food stores and chewed the silicone from the conduits and wires on the lower decks (which was the reason the power was out and Parker had to bypass it) That is how it grew in just a few hours. Ash knew it would seek certain minerals and silicone but did not convey this. In the novel Dallas also confronted Ash on the parasitic creature and accused him of knowing it was inside. Ash covered his butt by saying there was no evidence of this in the medical scans...(we are left to believe he deleted or falsified the data to the contrary)
3:35 Until around 1990, everyone smoked everywhere (including places you'd never expect it like airplanes and hospitals). They even made candy cigarettes for kids to "fake it" with. The idea that smoking wouldn't still be ubiquitous in the future didn't occur to Ridley Scott or the other producers. 7:55 Jones the cat is a nod to the ancient practice of keeping cats aboard sailing ships to kill the rats. Sort of a neat historical reference, and a practice that makes equal sense for spacefarers as it did for seafarers. Yes, he did sleep in one of the pods with the crew. 21:30 The alien does jazz hands lol. 23:55 That is a synthetic humanoid, designed by the Weyland Yutani Corporation (which controls the government in this universe). Synthetic humanoids consider "robot" and "android" to be racial slurs. 25:20 That was the other reason for including a cat in the film: a tribute to classic horror movies with the classic "screeching cat running in front of the camera" jumpscare cliche. 31:56 The prequels, Prometheus and Alien Covenant, tell us a little more about that dead alien's species though there are still some unanswered questions. A lot of people will tell you to skip Alien 3, Alien Resurrection and the Alien vs. Predator movies. They're wrong, Alien Resurrection and the first Alien vs. Predator are excellent films, Alien 3 is pretty good and AVP: Requiem would have been amazing if it wasn't filmed so dark (and even not being able to see what's going on sometimes, it still has a few good scenes). The best description I've heard of Alien is "Nobody listens to the smart lady, then everyone dies except the smart lady and her cat".
The scene which explains Ripley's nosebleed had to be cut late in the production because they were behind schedule, and running out of time and money, but they'd already shot the scene where Ash attacks her, so she has this mystery nosebleed.
The alien was designed by the Swiss artist H.R. Giger who often explored "biomechanical" (as well as surreal and erotic) themes. I reckon that's why you got a robot vibe off the alien 😀 Thanks for the reaction!
You're observation about the alien being a mix of biomorphic and mechanical elements is spot on. H.R. Giger was the artist that designed the various aliens and the alien ship in the film. He actually coined a design style called "biomechanics" which aims to populate an alternate reality where everything is made up of both machine parts and biomorphic forms.
Don’t know if this was covered, but the first petrified alien they discovered was also a victim of the other alien species. If you recall, they pointed out that it looked like it exploded from the inside, just like Kane did.
I saw this as a kid with my friend and his stepdad the 2nd day out in theaters. The line went around the building. People were expecting a Star Wars type film and got a little shock during the chest burst scene.
There’s a theory that Ridley Scott confirmed as plausible that the ‘universe’ (or more correctly, the future history) that the Alien stories take place in, is the same one that the Bladerunner movies exist in (the first Bladerunner was also by Ridley Scott), and the same as the one that the tv show Firefly (and it’s subsequent movie Serenity) exists in. If you watch them carefully they all have some tiny crossover elements, although almost all were unintentional. All of them involve an idea of humans expanding into space for reasons that are never fully explored (although Firefly does give a little indication of the past from time to time). If you get a chance, Aria, Firefly is a short 1 season tv show (it got canceled after one season of mismanagement by Fox), which was so beloved by fans they created a huge noise and eventually a movie got made to tie up the loose ends. It’s a fantastic show I’m sure you’d love. The Bladerunner movies are also special, and we’ll worth watching.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I really love your reactions to the movies you watch. It makes me feel as thou I'm seeing it for the first time too. Love it, keep up the good work my dear. 😊
Thanks Aria. This is a top 10 all time film for me. Also recommended in the franchise: The sequel, Aliens and the prequel, Prometheus. (Also a Ridley Scott film) Unrelated recommendation: Midsommar!
The cat is for pest control. When you watch Aliens make sure it's the Director's Cut, because the studio cut stuff out that is important for one of the main story lines.
Here's a nod for Aliens, the Director's Cut - it's longer, and adds quite a bit to Ripley's character growth and more info on her as well, plus a few extra scenes I love that aren't in the theatrical version.
Oh yes! An undeniable classic! Thanks in no small part to its brilliant ensemble cast, all of whom just made the horror seem all the more real. When he wrote of "Alien", Roger Ebert noted that the movie's ensemble cast mostly consisted of actors much older than the typical age range of actors cast in horror movies, who were usually in their teens and 20s. Harry Dean Stanton (Brett) was the oldest at 53, Ian Holm (Ash) was 48, Tom Skerritt (Dallas) was 46, Yaphet Kotto (Parker) was 42, and John Hurt (Kane) was 39 but looked older. Only Sigourney Weaver (Ripley, 29) and Veronica Cartwright (Lambert, 30) were in the age range of a usual horror cast. In Ebert's mind, this choice on the part of the producers helped make the characters more convincing: "Many recent action pictures have improbably young actors cast as key roles or sidekicks, but by skewing older, Alien achieves a certain texture without even making a point of it. These are not adventurers but workers, hired by a company to return 20 million tons of ore to Earth."
They never really explain how the alien got so big so fast. There are a lot of crazy theories out there, like the alien "eats" electricity (but how does it convert that into mass? doesn't make sense to me), but the one that I have heard that makes the most sense is that they ship was hauling some sort of grain as part of its cargo and the alien got into the grain and ate it. It's also not clear how much time has passed. There may have been a bit of a time jump that was done for the pacing of the movie.
You asked why she's trying to turn self destruct off towards the end. It's becase the alien was in the only corridor to the shuttle. She had no way to get to the shuttle.
Alien was the second feature film directed by Ridley Scott. And the one who made him widely known. Just like the previously unknown Sigourney Weaver. Scott's first film was, well received for its atmosphere and psychology, The Duellists. A screen adaptation of one of Joseph Conrad's last stories set in the Napoleonic era. It starred Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine as two Napoleonic officers who for over 15 years from 1800, rising from lieutenant to general, play a strange psychological and deadly game related to the obsession of one of them with an absurdly understood sense of honor. If you ever get the chance to see it in person, I highly recommend it. I also recommend a slightly similar theme to his latest film Last Duel. It is based on the famous story of the so-called court trail by combat that took place at the end of the fourteenth century in France, between two knights, former comrades-in-arms. The main roles are played by Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. The movie went through 2021 rather underrated and in my opinion wrongly. It was actually a good Scott movie, the best he's made since Black Hawk Down. And of course, the iconic Blade Runner with Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer is also underestimated in cinemas at the beginning. Anyway, his sequel Blade Runner 2049 with Ryan Gosling and directed by Denis Villeneuve is also very good. I also recommend Villeneuve's films such as Sicario or the film adaptation of Dune based on Frank Herbert's novel, the more so that this year is the premiere of its second part. Herbert's book written in 1965 is already a sci-fi classic and, interestingly, an inspiration for the Star Wars series, although it has slightly different climates. More psychological and ecological.
Some predators like eels, or snakes use a second jaw line to open up to eat their food, and their tongues to taste the air for food. I have no idea the actual lore workings with the smaller mouth on aliens besides a short ranged defense. Someone more than likely knows more lol great reaction, love this movie.
The shooting script and the novelisation had a scene while tracking it with the motion detector, it had broken into the food locker. That would have explained its growth
Jerry Goldsmith, the composer of the music, made the music of planet of the apes too. You can hear his taste for stranges sonority in this movie too. He also composed the music of many great films : First Blood, Total Recall, Star Trek the movie, Gremlins, Papillon, Basic instinct and many others.
_One_ initial absurdity that tends to be overlooked, I think, in this movie, is these procedures in place to assign a _freighter_ to investigate a transmission of unknown origin. Now we have freighters in the world, today. They carry _freight._ Once in a while, if a freighter _passes_ someone at sea, clearly in distress, whom they can rescue by just bringing them aboard the freighter, they'll do _that,_ but by and large, carrying _freight_ is what they do. We also have vessels commissioned for scientific _investigation._ That's all _they_ do. And we have vessels commissioned for _rescue._ Sometimes they get reassigned for _combat,_ but their primary purpose is _rescue._ These are three _distinctly_ different types of vessels that serve three _fundamentally_ different functions. These functions require different types of _training,_ and _crews_ with different types of training. You're not gonna convince me that this will have _changed_ by the year _2122,_ the year this movie is _based_ in. You have a transmission of unknown _origin?_ Oh. Okay. Sounds like a task for a scientific _research_ vessel. The signal might be a _distress_ call? Oh. Okay. Sounds like a task for a _rescue_ vessel. But the _Nostromo_ is a _freighter._ Why did they dispatch one of _these?_
Great reaction, Aria. Yes, this is a sci-fi/horror movie, and a great one it is. The cinematography is great and the set designs are spectacular. I still marvel at the look of the planetoid they land on. Incredible. What a time during the late 70's with space movies. Star Wars made space fun. Close Encounters of the Third Kind made space wondrous. Alien made space scary. Many people regard "Aliens" as the best movie of this franchise, I disagree. This movie is the best of the series. Again, I look forward to more reactions from you.
Dark Horse comics (Located in my hometown, Milwaukie, Ore) published an Alien series for over 25 years, even partnering with D.C. for "Batman Vs. Aliens" in 2007, then a 2008 "Superman Vs. Aliens". ( Kal-El had lost his powers and was stranded on an Alien-infested planet) Only great movies can inspire that much "Afterwork" so long after release. 13:20- Sound advice--If I was C,O., I'd have done it, too! 17:10 still gross and horrifying after all these years!
Great reaction Aria 🙌. "It's like the thing from The Thing." 😂! Quote gold! I remember watching the sequel prior to watching the original as a kid. At its release, the sequel was a huge hit and both my sisters (who were in their teens at the time) idolised Ripley. She is a legit O.G.
Thank you for watching this classic masterpiece movie Alien yes now you have too watch Aliens Another Classic masterpiece from 1986 also Starring Sigourney Weaver Aliens along Terminator 2 Judgement day is The Best Sequels ever Directed both by James Cameron
A planetoid can be an astroid or a minor planet. They mentioned that the Nostromo was a comercial towing vehicle. I believe they were returning to Earth with a load of ore mined on some planet. Ash was never intended to be likable, only believable as a human crew member. He was serving the Company the whole time - protecting the alien. The really big alien in the chair has been given the name "the navigator" as many have guessed that this was his job/position on the ship. I hope you'll react to ALIENS. After that, it's just another franchise. Peace -
This comment is largely about my current state of mind. I hope you do not take offense. Throughout this reaction it occurs to me that it would be very comfortable to fall asleep near you, discussing a movie or something mundane or whatever. Just, your calm, thoughtful, expressive personality creating a setting that is comfortable for both of us to fall asleep. I appreciate who you are. Glad to see your reaction to this classic. I should watch your Spaceballs reaction next.
It is amazing how well this movie holds up over so much time. Just goes to show the importance of creating a psychological atmosphere for a movie like this. The tech is frankly laughable … the line drawing “landscape” of the planetoid they are landing on … not even a touch screen in sight. But it doesn’t matter because the psychological atmosphere is so perfect that even 44 years later, this movie holds up perfectly.
The tv show The Expanse freely admit that they stole the design asthetic for the show from Alien. In the first episode they show a rat on the spaceship. It was a nod to Alien and a justification for the cat 😲
Wonderful choice. And don’t let the myth of the internet fool you: the cast DID know about the chestbuster scene. It’s been well documented they all knew about it with multiple behind the scenes footage of everyone gathered around the set. The “surprise” everyone speaks of is just that the cast wasn’t aware of how the scene would appear when they executed it. Have fun being scared!
Good morning sunshine to you also! Minnie and you will love Aliens! (my recommendation is to watch the theatrical first, then come back for the director's cut). Fist movie is more horror/suspense, Aliens is sci-fi action.
Some scenes are looking cheesy today, but watching first time I really couldn´t believe that this movie was from 1979, way ahead of it´s time. Had a lot of fun with your reaction :D
another fact for you when lambert was in front of the xenomorph getting containers you saw the xeno spiked tail go between her legs , the problem here that no one noticed was that the trainers being worn were bretts when he died by the xeno as lambert wore cowboy boots .ps when lambert hit ripley across the face that was real ,lambert timed it wrong. i may also add that they not knew that real blood wasgoing to be used and lambert fell when the blood was pushed out of the container towards her. i know also the lore of the franchise so basically my knowledge is limitless
6:19 "I thought it was landing so _smoothly."_ Oh, it was. But this equipment hasn't been used in who even _knows_ how long, with no _maintenance,_ so unforeseen complications are _bound_ to happen.
"It's got a great defense mechanism... you don't dare kill it..." Classic sci-fi horror. The tension is so thick, you will need a sharp steak knife in order to cut it. The voice of "Mother" is so iconic, in my honest opinion. There's something unnerving about a cold feminine voice counting down to your death. It wasn't until GLaDOS that we rediscovered that a computerized female voice can be absolutely creepy. Fun Fact: In H.R. Giger's original illustrations that inspired the look of the Alien, the creature had eyes. For the movie, Giger insisted that the creature have no eyes, thus giving the bleak appearance of a cold and emotionless beast that hunts by smell. Real Guts Fact: The dead facehugger that Ash (Ian Holm) autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters, and a sheep kidney to re-create the internal organs. Filming had to be done quickly because the organic material would go bad very fast under the studio lights. Bloody Solution Fact: It was conceptual artist Ron Cobb who came up with the idea that the Alien should bleed acid. This came about when Dan O'Bannon ran into a wall with the screenplay on how to handle the last half of the movie. He needed a good reason for why the crew members don't just shoot the thing and kill it but still not make it an indestructible monster that can't be killed. The acid blood was the idea that solved this problem.
Not bad, for your first Alien movie a good reaction. A side note only the actor who played Kane knew what was to happen re the chest buster scene, Scott wanted a true reaction from the others; he got what he wanted. Now Aliens........
34:47 - right and wrong :-) "Alien" really was partially inspired by "The Thing (from another world)" !!! Although "Alien (1979)" was three years before Carpenter's "Thing (1982)" (that seems to be the only version many people nowadays know about), Carpenter's version was only a remake of the original b/w version from 1951(!), which also inspired a movie "Navy vs Night Monsters" in 1966, and was based on a short story "Who goes there" from 1938(!)
This is the first one of your videos that I have seen. The algorithm had your Aliens video pop up, so I checked your channel for the first movie. And here we are. I'm now going to watch your Aliens reaction and I'm thinking I'll have to take a look at what other videos you've done. 😎
Because I know, that you really liked the "Dune" book trilogy, I have a nice little story about Alien: In the 70s, the visionary movie maker Jodorovski planned the first movie adaption of Dune. It was the most monumental movie that was never made. He hired some visionary people to design and write an extraordinary storybook, that was often referred to as the best movie never made. Jodorovski had Pink Floyd agreeing to contribute to the soundtrack, Salvador Dalí would have had an acting role, for nearly 2 years, people like O'Brian (special effects), Möbius (graphic artist, legendary "Heavy Metal" adult comic magazine), and also the swiss artist H.R.Giger worked on the design of the whole movie. They worked in one big atelier in Paris. In the end, the big studios in Hollywood were very impressed by the storybook, but none of them dared to produce this exorbitant expensive, monumental and long movie... When he heard, that the whole work was cancelled, O'Brian went into depression for 2 years. Möbius and Jodorovski went on to write graphic sci-fi novels, since they could design all their dreams without being dependent on movie companies. Alien was the movie, that O'Brian was involved afterwards, to somehow get back into the movie industry. When it came to the planning of the set design and the alien life form, O'Brian managed to let them hire H.R. Giger, who gave the whole alien stuff it's dark, fantastic and bio-tech-hybrid look, that is nearly the same style that was planned for the set-design of the Harkonnen places in his Dune designs... Giger became world-famous due to this movie. Another interesting fact about this movie: Never before has the term "alien" been used as a description for extraterrestrial life forms. Nowadays, it is probably the most used one. It was fun to watch this reaction. I hope you liked this little background story. Have a great week and all the best!
Thank you for doing a reaction to this film! Before you do a reaction to Aliens, look up the short films based on the Alien franchise. In answer to your question about Ripley's nosebleed, there is a deleted scene where both Parker and Ripley attempt to blow the creature out of the airlock, but Ash intervenes, causing the ship to decompress. And when you said the creature could be lying in wait to get Ripley, in the original ending of the film, Ripley dies. The creature kills her, then delivers the ship's log using Ripley's voice.
Hi Aria, it's great you've seen this classic, it's the GOAT of sci fi horror! Please react to it's awesome sequel Aliens (1986) as soon as you can. I like your channel, i'm subscribed :)
Nice reaction as always ^^ I just wanted to tell you not to forget to get the "special edition/extented cut" (the additional scenes are really worth it) for its sequel called ALIENS (1986) which is even better than the first one and probably the best of the alien franchise and is as scary and stressful than the first one
Great reaction. This movie is both Sci-Fi and Horror. And yes, it has inspired The Thing in many moments. I can recommend you to watch another brilliant Sci-Fi/Horror classic - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Such a great movie especially given the technical limitations of the time. Love your reactions and really hope you go for the sequel which is more action horror than straight horror like this one.
A young RUclips viewer is boarding the "Nostromo." What will this youngster make of this "old, long, slow-moving, character-centered, no-DFX" movie? Did sadistic Patreons drag you into this space/time? I saw "Alien" in the same ex-Cinerama theater that had screened "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "Star Wars" (1977) and would show "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). 7:09 Canny observers saw Ash's "calisthenics" as suspect. 8:45 The Space Jockey, a mystery for decades. 10:10 Second Officer Kane = Zapp Brannigan. 10:46 How's THAT for a Jump Scare? 11:05 This conversation has become iconic due to recent events. 11:44 The Face Hugger, grossing out audiences for decades. 11:47 You're watching the Special Edition, which has footage not seen in 1979. 12:44 The "Why can't they just cut it off Kane?" script question resolved with Acid Blood. 15:07 A Props dept. work of ART, made of sea animals. CGI can't match this level of reality. 16:27 Kane's last meal. 17:04 The Xenomorph, scaring audiences since 1979. 17:22 Burial at sea is an old maritime tradition, which spares next-of-kin the gruesome details. 18:20 Along came Jones. 19:39 Say hello to Bolaji Badejo. 22:33 In 1979, this was my "WTF? Ash ISN'T Human!?" moment. 23:25 Most viewers didn't see this coming. 26:42 I didn't see this scene in 1979. 27:14 Escape route cut off, stop Destruct to gain time for Plan B. 28:53 Sigourney Weaver was Ok with "the full monty," but this strip tease was it. 29:46 Tonight's entree on the shuttle "Narcissus" is Xenomorph, Steamed in Shell. 30:14 Correction, Char-Broiled Xenomorph. This and the next movie made newcomer Sigourney Weaver a major star. Along with Linda Hamilton of "The Terminator" (1984), these actors are two Action movie Badasses. "Jennifer Lawrence"? Who is that?;)
When it comes to other beings, you have to disregard how humans and creatures on earth growth rates are slower. You have to assume we dont know anything about aliens and their growth rates.
There's no doubt the limitations of that era made this just a perfect work of cinematography.
No CGI, just camera work, lighting, acting, perfect pace of building tension... horror at it's best.
Also that place where Brett is munched is a retracted landing gear bay. The rain is alleged to be part of atmosphere processing and cooling. This is a haunted house movie and Scott wanted to have a creepy rain scene.
I still remember watching this in the theatre when it first came out . The woman sitting next to me with her family , her popcorn flew up in the air 🤣🤣🤣
Since you were wondering whether this was Ridley Scott's first feature film - it wasn't. The first was "The Duellists" from 1977. It is an amazing film, on so many levels. A great story based on a novel by Joseph Conrad, and set during the late Napoleonic era, around 1800. They managed to pull off an amazing looking film on a very tight budget. It's definitely worth a watch.
Loved your reaction and the questions/observations after it!
Seconded.
I would LOVE for someone to do a reaction vid to that gem. It just holds up so beautifully.
I saw this when I was like 10 years old some 45 years ago , it blew me away and scared the crap out of me .
The GOAT of scifi horror films , it created the genre .
The benchmark of all later sci-fi horror films that are compared to it today .
A masterpiece , even today !
Enjoy girl !
Now you are set to watch one of the best sequels ever made, Aliens!
Absolutely.
I personally think it’s one of the best movies ever made let alone best sci-fi movie.
Greatest movie of all time.
T2, as well.
1. Tagline "In space no one can hear you scream"
2. Best explosion EVER 😱🏆💯(including Star Wars)
3. Dallas/Tom Skerritt also played Viper in "Top Gun" and Strawberry in "Up in Smoke".
4. Brett/Harry Dean Stanton had a very healthy resume. We lost him recently.😇
5. Ridley Scott is also known for directing the original "Bladerunner".
6. The original release didn't have the crew's hanging bodies because they didn't see more movies to follow.
7. Doing "Aliens" now is mandatory 👍
Loved your jump-scare reactions. 🤣
How did it get so big so quickly? That’s what happens when you run out of budget and time. Screenplay drafts and the novelization have multiple stages of alien development, but the intermediate sizes of the alien didn’t make it to the screen.
From what I know about this I found out there was a deleted scene that showed us where the others went. There was a hidden chamber where the others were made into cocoons.
The term planetoid can be used to refer to asteroids, but is generally used more as a reference to moons, and dwarf planets such as Pluto
True, and it is only used for asteroids over a certain size
Oh, thanks:))
Enjoyed your reaction!
The ‘rain’ in the ship was likely just condensation.
Good observation on the mechanical aspect of the xenomorph. Most don’t comment on it. Its design was based on the works of the late artist H.R. Giger well known for his surreal dark biomechanical/erotic art. Those themes are visible throughout the set design of the movies.
Your reviews are great because you don't try and act like you've never seen a movie before. You don't over do it. It's authentic. Keep it up 😁
The rain is the ship was condensation off of the landing struts. In the 79 Novel for the movie we discover that the alien soon after bursting from Kane, cleaned out their food stores and chewed the silicone from the conduits and wires on the lower decks (which was the reason the power was out and Parker had to bypass it) That is how it grew in just a few hours. Ash knew it would seek certain minerals and silicone but did not convey this. In the novel Dallas also confronted Ash on the parasitic creature and accused him of knowing it was inside. Ash covered his butt by saying there was no evidence of this in the medical scans...(we are left to believe he deleted or falsified the data to the contrary)
second movie. Ridley's first move was "The Duellists", a period piece that put him on the map.
3:35 Until around 1990, everyone smoked everywhere (including places you'd never expect it like airplanes and hospitals). They even made candy cigarettes for kids to "fake it" with. The idea that smoking wouldn't still be ubiquitous in the future didn't occur to Ridley Scott or the other producers.
7:55 Jones the cat is a nod to the ancient practice of keeping cats aboard sailing ships to kill the rats. Sort of a neat historical reference, and a practice that makes equal sense for spacefarers as it did for seafarers. Yes, he did sleep in one of the pods with the crew.
21:30 The alien does jazz hands lol.
23:55 That is a synthetic humanoid, designed by the Weyland Yutani Corporation (which controls the government in this universe). Synthetic humanoids consider "robot" and "android" to be racial slurs.
25:20 That was the other reason for including a cat in the film: a tribute to classic horror movies with the classic "screeching cat running in front of the camera" jumpscare cliche.
31:56 The prequels, Prometheus and Alien Covenant, tell us a little more about that dead alien's species though there are still some unanswered questions.
A lot of people will tell you to skip Alien 3, Alien Resurrection and the Alien vs. Predator movies. They're wrong, Alien Resurrection and the first Alien vs. Predator are excellent films, Alien 3 is pretty good and AVP: Requiem would have been amazing if it wasn't filmed so dark (and even not being able to see what's going on sometimes, it still has a few good scenes).
The best description I've heard of Alien is "Nobody listens to the smart lady, then everyone dies except the smart lady and her cat".
"That sneaky little son-of-a-bitch!" Well, y'know . . . aliens gonna alien 😄
BTW , mother is the computer controlling the ship's functions, the AI as it is called now !
"Blinking and beeping and flashing!" Shatner FTW! (good impression of him!)
Kane: "We have to go on"
Aria: "Mmmm, you don't _have_ to"
Ah, if only you were in charge hon :)
“…all flashing and beeping and blinking…” 😂😂
Amazing recall and reference! That had me rolling.
The scene which explains Ripley's nosebleed had to be cut late in the production because they were behind schedule, and running out of time and money, but they'd already shot the scene where Ash attacks her, so she has this mystery nosebleed.
The alien was designed by the Swiss artist H.R. Giger who often explored "biomechanical" (as well as surreal and erotic) themes. I reckon that's why you got a robot vibe off the alien 😀 Thanks for the reaction!
You're observation about the alien being a mix of biomorphic and mechanical elements is spot on. H.R. Giger was the artist that designed the various aliens and the alien ship in the film. He actually coined a design style called "biomechanics" which aims to populate an alternate reality where everything is made up of both machine parts and biomorphic forms.
Don’t know if this was covered, but the first petrified alien they discovered was also a victim of the other alien species. If you recall, they pointed out that it looked like it exploded from the inside, just like Kane did.
Ridley Scott's first film was The Duellists (1977).
No matter what people say the actors were not left in the dark about Kanes death, the only surprise was the blood splashing their face
"Oh, c'mon you bloody...!"
Correct. 😂🤷♂️
I saw this as a kid with my friend and his stepdad the 2nd day out in theaters. The line went around the building. People were expecting a Star Wars type film and got a little shock during the chest burst scene.
There’s a theory that Ridley Scott confirmed as plausible that the ‘universe’ (or more correctly, the future history) that the Alien stories take place in, is the same one that the Bladerunner movies exist in (the first Bladerunner was also by Ridley Scott), and the same as the one that the tv show Firefly (and it’s subsequent movie Serenity) exists in.
If you watch them carefully they all have some tiny crossover elements, although almost all were unintentional.
All of them involve an idea of humans expanding into space for reasons that are never fully explored (although Firefly does give a little indication of the past from time to time).
If you get a chance, Aria, Firefly is a short 1 season tv show (it got canceled after one season of mismanagement by Fox), which was so beloved by fans they created a huge noise and eventually a movie got made to tie up the loose ends. It’s a fantastic show I’m sure you’d love. The Bladerunner movies are also special, and we’ll worth watching.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I really love your reactions to the movies you watch. It makes me feel as thou I'm seeing it for the first time too. Love it, keep up the good work my dear. 😊
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Aria. This is a top 10 all time film for me. Also recommended in the franchise: The sequel, Aliens and the prequel, Prometheus. (Also a Ridley Scott film)
Unrelated recommendation: Midsommar!
The cat is for pest control.
When you watch Aliens make sure it's the Director's Cut, because the studio cut stuff out that is important for one of the main story lines.
Now you gotta do aliens (1986) special edition version if possible it's a fantastic sequel!
"Spaceballs" references the ending of the original 1968 "Planet of the Apes"
Flinching while wearing a shirt that says fearless, LOVE IT :D
(just teasing you Aria, you're one of my fave reactors)
❤️❤️
Here's a nod for Aliens, the Director's Cut - it's longer, and adds quite a bit to Ripley's character growth and more info on her as well, plus a few extra scenes I love that aren't in the theatrical version.
Oh yes! An undeniable classic! Thanks in no small part to its brilliant ensemble cast, all of whom just made the horror seem all the more real.
When he wrote of "Alien", Roger Ebert noted that the movie's ensemble cast mostly consisted of actors much older than the typical age range of actors cast in horror movies, who were usually in their teens and 20s. Harry Dean Stanton (Brett) was the oldest at 53, Ian Holm (Ash) was 48, Tom Skerritt (Dallas) was 46, Yaphet Kotto (Parker) was 42, and John Hurt (Kane) was 39 but looked older. Only Sigourney Weaver (Ripley, 29) and Veronica Cartwright (Lambert, 30) were in the age range of a usual horror cast. In Ebert's mind, this choice on the part of the producers helped make the characters more convincing:
"Many recent action pictures have improbably young actors cast as key roles or sidekicks, but by skewing older, Alien achieves a certain texture without even making a point of it. These are not adventurers but workers, hired by a company to return 20 million tons of ore to Earth."
This was the scariest movie I had ever seen when it came out. The big alien comes back in the movie "Prometheus".
They never really explain how the alien got so big so fast. There are a lot of crazy theories out there, like the alien "eats" electricity (but how does it convert that into mass? doesn't make sense to me), but the one that I have heard that makes the most sense is that they ship was hauling some sort of grain as part of its cargo and the alien got into the grain and ate it. It's also not clear how much time has passed. There may have been a bit of a time jump that was done for the pacing of the movie.
This was Ridley Scott's second movie.
You asked why she's trying to turn self destruct off towards the end. It's becase the alien was in the only corridor to the shuttle. She had no way to get to the shuttle.
Harry Dean Stanton(Brett), whose character was the first to meet the adult alien, is also memorable in "The Green Mile" and "The Avengers."
Also going way back to the film, Paris Texas.
Alien was the second feature film directed by Ridley Scott. And the one who made him widely known. Just like the previously unknown Sigourney Weaver. Scott's first film was, well received for its atmosphere and psychology, The Duellists. A screen adaptation of one of Joseph Conrad's last stories set in the Napoleonic era. It starred Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine as two Napoleonic officers who for over 15 years from 1800, rising from lieutenant to general, play a strange psychological and deadly game related to the obsession of one of them with an absurdly understood sense of honor. If you ever get the chance to see it in person, I highly recommend it. I also recommend a slightly similar theme to his latest film Last Duel. It is based on the famous story of the so-called court trail by combat that took place at the end of the fourteenth century in France, between two knights, former comrades-in-arms. The main roles are played by Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. The movie went through 2021 rather underrated and in my opinion wrongly. It was actually a good Scott movie, the best he's made since Black Hawk Down. And of course, the iconic Blade Runner with Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer is also underestimated in cinemas at the beginning. Anyway, his sequel Blade Runner 2049 with Ryan Gosling and directed by Denis Villeneuve is also very good. I also recommend Villeneuve's films such as Sicario or the film adaptation of Dune based on Frank Herbert's novel, the more so that this year is the premiere of its second part. Herbert's book written in 1965 is already a sci-fi classic and, interestingly, an inspiration for the Star Wars series, although it has slightly different climates. More psychological and ecological.
Some predators like eels, or snakes use a second jaw line to open up to eat their food, and their tongues to taste the air for food. I have no idea the actual lore workings with the smaller mouth on aliens besides a short ranged defense. Someone more than likely knows more lol great reaction, love this movie.
He's a Hobbit.... Ash is a god damn Hobbit!
We've had one Alien, yes. But what about second Alien . . ?
Another great film is : 2001 A Space Odyssey . By Stanley Kubrick in 1968
His second, “The Dualist” was his first
The shooting script and the novelisation had a scene while tracking it with the motion detector, it had broken into the food locker. That would have explained its growth
Jerry Goldsmith, the composer of the music, made the music of planet of the apes too. You can hear his taste for stranges sonority in this movie too. He also composed the music of many great films : First Blood, Total Recall, Star Trek the movie, Gremlins, Papillon, Basic instinct and many others.
_One_ initial absurdity that tends to be overlooked, I think, in this movie, is these procedures in place to assign a _freighter_ to investigate a transmission of unknown origin.
Now we have freighters in the world, today. They carry _freight._ Once in a while, if a freighter _passes_ someone at sea, clearly in distress, whom they can rescue by just bringing them aboard the freighter, they'll do _that,_ but by and large, carrying _freight_ is what they do.
We also have vessels commissioned for scientific _investigation._ That's all _they_ do.
And we have vessels commissioned for _rescue._ Sometimes they get reassigned for _combat,_ but their primary purpose is _rescue._
These are three _distinctly_ different types of vessels that serve three _fundamentally_ different functions. These functions require different types of _training,_ and _crews_ with different types of training. You're not gonna convince me that this will have _changed_ by the year _2122,_ the year this movie is _based_ in.
You have a transmission of unknown _origin?_ Oh. Okay. Sounds like a task for a scientific _research_ vessel. The signal might be a _distress_ call? Oh. Okay. Sounds like a task for a _rescue_ vessel.
But the _Nostromo_ is a _freighter._ Why did they dispatch one of _these?_
Great reaction, Aria. Yes, this is a sci-fi/horror movie, and a great one it is.
The cinematography is great and the set designs are spectacular. I still marvel at the look of the planetoid they land on. Incredible.
What a time during the late 70's with space movies.
Star Wars made space fun. Close Encounters of the Third Kind made space wondrous.
Alien made space scary.
Many people regard "Aliens" as the best movie of this franchise, I disagree.
This movie is the best of the series. Again, I look forward to more reactions from you.
Dark Horse comics (Located in my hometown, Milwaukie, Ore) published an Alien series for over 25 years, even partnering with D.C. for "Batman Vs. Aliens" in 2007, then a 2008 "Superman Vs. Aliens". ( Kal-El had lost his powers and was stranded on an Alien-infested planet) Only great movies can inspire that much "Afterwork" so long after release. 13:20- Sound advice--If I was C,O., I'd have done it, too! 17:10 still gross and horrifying after all these years!
Great reaction Aria 🙌. "It's like the thing from The Thing." 😂! Quote gold!
I remember watching the sequel prior to watching the original as a kid. At its release, the sequel was a huge hit and both my sisters (who were in their teens at the time) idolised Ripley. She is a legit O.G.
Both movie are amazing. Top of the sci-fi horror genre.
For Spaceballs, it's only one scene of the first film, so you're fine.
Thank you for watching this classic masterpiece movie Alien yes now you have too watch Aliens Another Classic masterpiece from 1986 also Starring Sigourney Weaver Aliens along Terminator 2 Judgement day is The Best Sequels ever Directed both by James Cameron
A planetoid can be an astroid or a minor planet.
They mentioned that the Nostromo was a comercial towing vehicle. I believe they were returning to Earth with a load of ore mined on some planet.
Ash was never intended to be likable, only believable as a human crew member. He was serving the Company the whole time - protecting the alien.
The really big alien in the chair has been given the name "the navigator" as many have guessed that this was his job/position on the ship.
I hope you'll react to ALIENS.
After that, it's just another franchise.
Peace -
This comment is largely about my current state of mind. I hope you do not take offense.
Throughout this reaction it occurs to me that it would be very comfortable to fall asleep near you, discussing a movie or something mundane or whatever. Just, your calm, thoughtful, expressive personality creating a setting that is comfortable for both of us to fall asleep. I appreciate who you are. Glad to see your reaction to this classic. I should watch your Spaceballs reaction next.
Great reaction video.
I love the shirt you're wearing; it's perfect for a movie like this!
It is amazing how well this movie holds up over so much time. Just goes to show the importance of creating a psychological atmosphere for a movie like this. The tech is frankly laughable … the line drawing “landscape” of the planetoid they are landing on … not even a touch screen in sight. But it doesn’t matter because the psychological atmosphere is so perfect that even 44 years later, this movie holds up perfectly.
The computer tech looked dated even in 1979. It was an intentional choice.
The tv show The Expanse freely admit that they stole the design asthetic for the show from Alien. In the first episode they show a rat on the spaceship. It was a nod to Alien and a justification for the cat 😲
Wonderful choice. And don’t let the myth of the internet fool you: the cast DID know about the chestbuster scene. It’s been well documented they all knew about it with multiple behind the scenes footage of everyone gathered around the set. The “surprise” everyone speaks of is just that the cast wasn’t aware of how the scene would appear when they executed it.
Have fun being scared!
I enjoyed the movie. I had no idea about this situation though😅
Good morning sunshine to you also! Minnie and you will love Aliens! (my recommendation is to watch the theatrical first, then come back for the director's cut). Fist movie is more horror/suspense, Aliens is sci-fi action.
Some scenes are looking cheesy today, but watching first time I really couldn´t believe that this movie was from 1979, way ahead of it´s time. Had a lot of fun with your reaction :D
21:29 as alien fans like to call this "jazz hands"
another fact for you when lambert was in front of the xenomorph getting containers you saw the xeno spiked tail go between her legs , the problem here that no one noticed was that the trainers being worn were bretts when he died by the xeno as lambert wore cowboy boots .ps when lambert hit ripley across the face that was real ,lambert timed it wrong.
i may also add that they not knew that real blood wasgoing to be used and lambert fell when the blood was pushed out of the container towards her.
i know also the lore of the franchise so basically my knowledge is limitless
6:19 "I thought it was landing so _smoothly."_
Oh, it was. But this equipment hasn't been used in who even _knows_ how long, with no _maintenance,_ so unforeseen complications are _bound_ to happen.
"It's got a great defense mechanism... you don't dare kill it..."
Classic sci-fi horror. The tension is so thick, you will need a sharp steak knife in order to cut it.
The voice of "Mother" is so iconic, in my honest opinion. There's something unnerving about a cold feminine voice counting down to your death. It wasn't until GLaDOS that we rediscovered that a computerized female voice can be absolutely creepy.
Fun Fact: In H.R. Giger's original illustrations that inspired the look of the Alien, the creature had eyes. For the movie, Giger insisted that the creature have no eyes, thus giving the bleak appearance of a cold and emotionless beast that hunts by smell.
Real Guts Fact: The dead facehugger that Ash (Ian Holm) autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters, and a sheep kidney to re-create the internal organs. Filming had to be done quickly because the organic material would go bad very fast under the studio lights.
Bloody Solution Fact: It was conceptual artist Ron Cobb who came up with the idea that the Alien should bleed acid. This came about when Dan O'Bannon ran into a wall with the screenplay on how to handle the last half of the movie. He needed a good reason for why the crew members don't just shoot the thing and kill it but still not make it an indestructible monster that can't be killed. The acid blood was the idea that solved this problem.
'Mother' really creeped me out from the beginning.
Aria C ...Indeed.
Go in Peace and Walk with God. 😎 👍
Thanks for sharing your reaction. I always wondered how it may have turned out differently if Ripley went into the vents instead of Dallas.
"Now you're ready to draw straws." But you were angry to Ripley she didn't want to break quarantine.
Yep. Good thinking. :)
I didn't think of that.
Not bad, for your first Alien movie a good reaction. A side note only the actor who played Kane knew what was to happen re the chest buster scene, Scott wanted a true reaction from the others; he got what he wanted. Now Aliens........
34:47 - right and wrong :-) "Alien" really was partially inspired by "The Thing (from another world)" !!!
Although "Alien (1979)" was three years before Carpenter's "Thing (1982)" (that seems to be the only version many people nowadays know about), Carpenter's version was only a remake of the original b/w version from 1951(!), which also inspired a movie "Navy vs Night Monsters" in 1966, and was based on a short story "Who goes there" from 1938(!)
This is the first one of your videos that I have seen. The algorithm had your Aliens video pop up, so I checked your channel for the first movie. And here we are. I'm now going to watch your Aliens reaction and I'm thinking I'll have to take a look at what other videos you've done. 😎
Hope you have fun❤️
I remember seeing bits and pieces of this when I was 5 or so when my parents were watching it on TV. The breakfast scene scarred me for a bit.
Awesome reaction loved it you were great 🌹😎can’t wait to see you react to part two
Because I know, that you really liked the "Dune" book trilogy, I have a nice little story about Alien:
In the 70s, the visionary movie maker Jodorovski planned the first movie adaption of Dune. It was the most monumental movie that was never made. He hired some visionary people to design and write an extraordinary storybook, that was often referred to as the best movie never made. Jodorovski had Pink Floyd agreeing to contribute to the soundtrack, Salvador Dalí would have had an acting role, for nearly 2 years, people like O'Brian (special effects), Möbius (graphic artist, legendary "Heavy Metal" adult comic magazine), and also the swiss artist H.R.Giger worked on the design of the whole movie. They worked in one big atelier in Paris. In the end, the big studios in Hollywood were very impressed by the storybook, but none of them dared to produce this exorbitant expensive, monumental and long movie...
When he heard, that the whole work was cancelled, O'Brian went into depression for 2 years. Möbius and Jodorovski went on to write graphic sci-fi novels, since they could design all their dreams without being dependent on movie companies. Alien was the movie, that O'Brian was involved afterwards, to somehow get back into the movie industry. When it came to the planning of the set design and the alien life form, O'Brian managed to let them hire H.R. Giger, who gave the whole alien stuff it's dark, fantastic and bio-tech-hybrid look, that is nearly the same style that was planned for the set-design of the Harkonnen places in his Dune designs... Giger became world-famous due to this movie.
Another interesting fact about this movie: Never before has the term "alien" been used as a description for extraterrestrial life forms. Nowadays, it is probably the most used one.
It was fun to watch this reaction. I hope you liked this little background story. Have a great week and all the best!
That is sad. Makes you wish, you could somehow see it
26:16 That was the basically the original script but the studio said no to Ridley Scott.
Even Ripleys final lines would have been said by the Alien...
Keep in mind you saw a later version of the movie, not the one that came out in 1979.
Thank you for doing a reaction to this film! Before you do a reaction to Aliens, look up the short films based on the Alien franchise. In answer to your question about Ripley's nosebleed, there is a deleted scene where both Parker and Ripley attempt to blow the creature out of the airlock, but Ash intervenes, causing the ship to decompress. And when you said the creature could be lying in wait to get Ripley, in the original ending of the film, Ripley dies. The creature kills her, then delivers the ship's log using Ripley's voice.
You might like "An Officer and a Gentlemen". Thanks for sharing.
Aliens (the sequel to this film) is a must see... Gotta watch it. :)
Hi Aria, it's great you've seen this classic, it's the GOAT of sci fi horror! Please react to it's awesome sequel Aliens (1986) as soon as you can. I like your channel, i'm subscribed :)
Thankyou!!! I will:)
A creature that spits acid can probably eat metal or easily break the lock on food stores.
This is the movie that teaches us not to not bring cats with us into space. (Dogs are still okay! 🐶😝)
Nice reaction as always ^^
I just wanted to tell you not to forget to get the "special edition/extented cut" (the additional scenes are really worth it) for its sequel called ALIENS (1986) which is even better than the first one and probably the best of the alien franchise and is as scary and stressful than the first one
13:06 "It's got a wonderful _defense_ mechanism. You don't dare _kill_ it."
At least, not with a knife or anything that shoots _projectiles._
Awesome reaction! I like the fact that you watched the director's cut. So you got to see the fate of Dallas and Brett, becoming eggs. :D
Highly recommend the next one...highly recommend you stop after that LOL
Classic movie
Actually, it is his second film, after "The Duellists".
Great reaction. This movie is both Sci-Fi and Horror. And yes, it has inspired The Thing in many moments. I can recommend you to watch another brilliant Sci-Fi/Horror classic - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Ash is played by Ian Holm, who you might recognize a Bilbo in LOTR,
Such a great movie especially given the technical limitations of the time. Love your reactions and really hope you go for the sequel which is more action horror than straight horror like this one.
18:43 You know, _one_ thing that makes it easier to look for a cat is proper _lighting._
ty for this reaction. thats a Drone Xenomorph..not the worst type of xenos.
On to the sequel!
My favorite in the series is Prometheus(Alien Origin story). It’s Ridley Scott’s return to this franchise and it’s a gorgeous film!
I concur with your sentiment for Prometheus.
A young RUclips viewer is boarding the "Nostromo." What will this youngster make of this "old, long, slow-moving, character-centered, no-DFX" movie? Did sadistic Patreons drag you into this space/time? I saw "Alien" in the same ex-Cinerama theater that had screened "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "Star Wars" (1977) and would show "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). 7:09 Canny observers saw Ash's "calisthenics" as suspect. 8:45 The Space Jockey, a mystery for decades. 10:10 Second Officer Kane = Zapp Brannigan. 10:46 How's THAT for a Jump Scare? 11:05 This conversation has become iconic due to recent events. 11:44 The Face Hugger, grossing out audiences for decades. 11:47 You're watching the Special Edition, which has footage not seen in 1979. 12:44 The "Why can't they just cut it off Kane?" script question resolved with Acid Blood. 15:07 A Props dept. work of ART, made of sea animals. CGI can't match this level of reality. 16:27 Kane's last meal. 17:04 The Xenomorph, scaring audiences since 1979. 17:22 Burial at sea is an old maritime tradition, which spares next-of-kin the gruesome details. 18:20 Along came Jones. 19:39 Say hello to Bolaji Badejo. 22:33 In 1979, this was my "WTF? Ash ISN'T Human!?" moment. 23:25 Most viewers didn't see this coming. 26:42 I didn't see this scene in 1979. 27:14 Escape route cut off, stop Destruct to gain time for Plan B. 28:53 Sigourney Weaver was Ok with "the full monty," but this strip tease was it. 29:46 Tonight's entree on the shuttle "Narcissus" is Xenomorph, Steamed in Shell. 30:14 Correction, Char-Broiled Xenomorph. This and the next movie made newcomer Sigourney Weaver a major star. Along with Linda Hamilton of "The Terminator" (1984), these actors are two Action movie Badasses. "Jennifer Lawrence"? Who is that?;)
When it comes to other beings, you have to disregard how humans and creatures on earth growth rates are slower. You have to assume we dont know anything about aliens and their growth rates.
Woohoo!!!!!! Time for aliens
You had me at blinking and beeping and flashing lights. Now I gotta check out your older vids!
😂😂😂
They wanted to create an Alien that was insect like and yea it grows to adulthood in hours. The Alien design was created by Swiss artist H.R. Giger.