When “Alien” hit theaters in 1979, director Ridley Scott made film history. Thanks to iconic designs and shocking horror elements, the result was an absolute sci-fi cult film that is once again on television tonight.
As cinema set off for – symbolically speaking – new shores at the end of the 1970s with films such as “Star Wars”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” or even the first “Star Trek” film, an exciting phase in film history followed. Ridley Scott profited from the sci-fi wave, added a good portion of horror and created a mega hit with “Alien”. To what extent the science fiction masterpiece, which runs today 29 August 2023 from 20.15 clock on Nitro (according to cut reports despite FSK-16 release, by the way, probably unabridged), stands out from the competition, you can find out here.
That “Alien” enjoys cult status to this day is not a new insight, and there are probably several correct answers to the question of why this has developed. The establishment of a female action heroine (completely unusual at the time) or the fusion between fiction and realism are just two examples that could be cited here. Although all this is rightly praised and even film scholars deal with it in numerous essays and books, there is one factor that probably best explains the incredible fascination for “Alien”: the perfect symbiosis between artistically sophisticated aesthetics and terror-like horror.
FASCINATING & SHOCKING SCI-FI HORROR
Similar to James Cameron (director of the sequel “Aliens”), Ridley Scott has a strong flair for visually appealing imagery. Beautiful stellar panoramas as well as a certain roughness in the spaceship thus create a terrific atmosphere. The equally terrifying and grandiose accentuated design of the so-called Xenomorph by the Swiss designer H. R. Giger, but also the immanent unpredictability that resonates at any time, are just two examples among many that can be cited as the greatest artistic strengths.
Since there was nothing comparable at the time, “Alien” nevertheless resembles a cinematic experiment in which Scott was able to try out a whole range of creative ideas. Fortunately, this also ensures that everything here seems very fresh. Surprising moments, where not even the cast knew what was going to happen, thus make for unforgettable movie moments in the horror masterpiece. Through the original trailer, which captures rather low-key snippets as well as the line “No one can hear you scream in space,” Scott masterfully played on the unpredictability of the audience.
A POP CULTURE MILESTONE
Since “Alien” was followed by five more movies (as of 2023), two crossover spin-offs with the Predator, and various games, comics, and books, the result to this day is a universe that transcends cinematic boundaries. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there is hardly a sci-fi horror film that is not inspired by “Alien.”
“Alien” has survived the passage of time with flying colors and has long been considered one of THE great masterpieces of film history. And if you’re in the mood for a marathon with the entire series, despite the declining quality of the later parts, it’s best to reach for Disney+. On the streaming service, all six films of the “Alien” saga are available for download (as are, by the way, all the “Predator” films, the first of which with Arnold Schwarzenegger is also running today directly after “Alien” on Nitro).
