MoeFOH's Movie Of The Week... Week #51

[MoeFOH]

MoeFOH's Movie of the Week 🎥

Each week we're going to spotlight a movie... be it a classic, new release, hidden gem, or outright turd... and open it for discussion: i.e. post up your favourite quotes, clips, memories... or dive deeper and give us a critique on why you think it's great, overrated, or a complete train wreck... And finally score it for us...  

All contributors go into a monthly prize draw for a 2-cigar sampler! 

PM me with suggestions if there's a movie you want to nominate for next week's discussion. 

 

Week #51: Alien

Moe says: Possibly the perfect sci-fi thriller/horror(?). Tight script, amazing cast (more importantly, amazing casting), and a genuinely original concept brilliantly realised, it's hard to find a fault. It's even difficult if you want to get picky on the puppetry in the dinner scene, as it was 1979! And it hardly detracts from what is one of the most iconic scenes in film history. To boot, the film also has a pretty great sequel - rare territory! Though, sadly, you don't need to venture past Aliens in the series. The Original's a 10/10 for me.

Wiki says: 

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon. Based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, it follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who, after coming across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an uncharted planetoid, find themselves up against an aggressive and deadly extraterrestrial set loose on the Nostromo. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It was produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill through their company Brandywine Productions and was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was the executive producer. The Alien and its accompanying artifacts were designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the more human settings.

Alien premiered on May 25, 1979, as the opening night of the fourth Seattle International Film Festival, presented in 70 mm at midnight. It received a wide release on June 22 and was released on September 6 in the United Kingdom. It was met with mixed reviews on release but was a box-office success, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, three Saturn Awards (Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright), and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Critical reassessment since then has resulted in Alien being widely considered to be one of the greatest science fiction and horror films of all time. In 2002, Alien was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In 2008, it was ranked by the American Film Institute as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre, and as the 33rd-greatest film of all time by Empire.

The success of Alien spawned a media franchise of films, novels, comic books, video games, and toys. It also launched Weaver's acting career, providing her with her first lead role. The story of her character's encounters with the alien creatures became the thematic and narrative core of the sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). A crossover with the Predator franchise produced the Alien vs. Predator films: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). A prequel series includes Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), both directed by Scott.

Over to you!

How do you rate it out of 10? 

Post up favourite clips, quotes, etc... 

[MoeFOH]

 

[MoeFOH]

And, of course, I have to include this as a related follow-up... 

 

[Chibearsv]

The greatest horror movie ever made!  Watched it absolutely stoned in the first row on the weekend it opened.  Walked out trembling terribly, not as much from fear, but from stress.  A brilliant 10/10

[MoeFOH]

5 minutes ago, Chibearsv said:

Watched it absolutely stoned in the first row

That's intense. I think I would have went running out at some point. If I could get up at all. 

[Chibearsv]

I think I have a permanent involuntary twitch because of this scene. 

 

[JohnS]

It's hard to believe that this was released in 1979. It spawned a whole series and ensured a long career in filmmaking for a number of its stars. Easily 10 out of 10.

[Ford2112]

Scared the bujeezus out of me. 10/10. Still freaks me out.

[riderpride]

Absolutely fantastic movie in all aspects. 

Unfortunately watered-down in the sequels, but the original holds strong. 10/10

Cheers

[Cigar Surgeon]

Listen man. Alien is a 10/10 masterpiece in filmmaking and storytelling. 

[helix]

10/10 Sigourney was so hot. LOL.

[Doctorossi]

Perfection. And it stays with you and just grows and grows (inside your chest?).  Easy 10/10.