Alien 1979
When Alien hit screens in 1979 it changed sci-fi /horrors forever, not only did it have impressive effects and rich production design, it’s director was able to do something that few had achieved up until then, create an intelligent and claustrophobic horror that pinned audiences to their seats. At the core there was a profound mystery which slowly unraveled with the initial landing on the doomed planet to the birth of the alien and it’s subsequent reign of terror.The characters on board one by one fell victim to the seemingly unstoppable killing machine that looked like no other monster audiences had witnessed up until that time. The film featured John Hurt in a pivotal role who succumbs to the initial alien and becomes it’s host until it’s violent eruption in the middle of dinner. For most audiences who John Hurt was known to, it was a shocking moment when one of the main stars is killed off in the first reel.
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As the film progressed the character of Ripley stood tall and faced the creature head on, she would later become something of a role model for strong female characters. Sigourney Weaver was a relative unknown at the time however this would become her star making role and she would reprise the character 3 more times, and receive an academy award nomination when she returned 7 years later in the James Cameron sequel ‘Aliens‘.
30 years later and production is in full swing for a new Alien story that will once again take audiences to a place where no-one can hear you scream. For this movie a new generation of actors will fill out a story that is still being kept tightly under-wraps. It seems unlikely that Sigourney Weaver will be returning to the franchise which is being billed as a prequel story set some 3 decades or more before the events of the first film. The Ripley character became a nemesis to the alien, and in each outing, whatever her incarnation she was always able to defeat it, even in death. This would be the likely problem with reviving her character as audiences would anticipate less peril and expect the usual solution; at least on three occasions she has used the ‘Blow the Alien out the space door trick’.
Did you know?
The chestburster scene was filmed with 4 cameras running simultaneously and the rumor is aside from John Hurt, the other cast members were not fully aware of what would happen, especially Veronica Cartwright who does not expect to be sprayed with the blood, which is why the actors experience genuine reactions to this graphic moment.
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