HAPPY ALIEN DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right, for the first time ever, 4/26 has been claimed as Alien day. As in, 1979 Ridley Scott Alien. That's right horror nerds...we've got a whole new day to celebrate every year.
In case you've lived under a rock for the past what...30 something years? (I don't math). Alien is a terrifying and phenomenal film that changed big budget alien films forever. Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Sigourney Weaver as possibly the most bad ass final girl EVER, Ripley. Along with an amazing cast like Tom Skerritt, John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright, Alien takes you on a believable and horrifying journey into space. The story was written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett and was produced through Brandywine Productions. The alien itself was designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger and with the help of concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss, the film is filled with fascinating and gorgeous costumes and scenery.
Alien was just the start of what is now a massive on-going franchise. BUT today we are just talking about where it all started.
SPOILERS IF YOU'RE AN INSANE PERSON WHO HAS NEVER SEEN THIS MOVIE (seriously...if you've never seen it...what better day than today to go watch it?!)
The story revolves around the spacecraft Nostromo who is returning to Earth with a 7 person crew but after detecting a mysterious transmission from a nearby planetoid, the ship (MOTHER) awakens the crew from their space slumber. The crew lands their ship on the planetoid and sets out to discover where the signal is coming from. What they find is an abandoned alien spacecraft and inside are the remains of a massive alien creature.
Ripley, who is perfect and amazing, realizes the transmission is actually a warning while Kane discovers hundreds of eggs on the spacecraft. While letting curiosity get the better of him, Kane is attacked by a creature that bursts out of the egg and attaches itself to his face (yeyyy face hugger!). The rest of the team carry Kane back to the ship but Ripley, who is so incredibly smart and beautiful, refuses them entry but unfortunately Ash gets past her.
The creature can't be removed from Kane's face but eventually it's like whatever, I'm over this, and lets go and crawls away to die in a corner.
The Nostromo crew take off while Kane awakens, seemingly healthy at this point, and so they all enjoy their last meal before going back into space sleep and continuing back to Earth. But while eating, an alien bursts out of Kane's chest and escapes. People start dying one by one as the crew fights to contain the creature and save the cat (Jones...just go with it).
After the captain, Dallas, is killed, Ripley (precious sunflower) is in charge and discovers that Ash (the science officer) was told to return the alien to the crew's employers, regardless of who dies. Then shit gets REAL, Ripley (goddess of the sun) confronts Ash, who then attacks her, and after getting his head chopped turns out HE'S AN ANDROID!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!!!!!!! After interrogating the android they realize THIS WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG!!!!!!!! Mind blown!...no offense Ash.
Ripley (wonderful tropical fish and all around joy), Lambert, and Parker decide as the remaining members of the crew they shall escape in the shuttle and self-destruct the Nostromo. But alas, the alien stops that plan real quick and so Ripley (all around badass) and her cat set the self-destruct sequence and escape during a terrifying and nail biting scene where the alien is just all up in her business.
Everything is great! Except it's not. As Ripley (perfect snowflake) gets herself settled for a final space sleep she realizes the damn alien is on HER SHUTTLE! So she throws on a spacesuit and using science stuff, forces the alien out of the shuttle. Finally she can get her space sleep and head back home to Earth.
END OF SPOILERS
Boy, what a thrill ride.
What started out as a film titled Memory, then Star Beast, and finally just Alien, this story is one heck of an original idea. And one that many movies to this day try to replicate. And you know what else I love? When the script was pitched to the studio, it was pitched as Jaws in Space which is a movie I can get behind.
Filmed over fourteen weeks, Alien was a triumph of a film. But production time was cut short due to the low budget and pressure from the studio to finish on time. The crew was over 200 and they constructed the three main sets. Les Dilley was the art director. To create the realistic scenes, tones of sand, rock, gravel etc was moved into the studio. The filming was brutal for the actors as they had to wear these massive space suits which had no cooling systems. During heat waves they would often pass out and oxygen tanks were never too far way.
To film the famous chestburster scene, now iconic in film history, the cast was not told that along with the fake creature bursting out of a fake torso, there would also be a huge spray of fake blood. The scene was shot in just one take using the fake torso with Hurt's real arms and head coming up from beneath the table. When the creature breaks through the fake chest, so came the big stream of blood scaring the crap out of all the actors. Every reaction you see is honest. Cartwright was so scared she went into hysterics.
For a lot of the film, the now iconic alien was portrayed by Bolaji Badejo wearing a latex costume. He was 6 foot and 10 inches tall. While you never really see the full alien in the film, this was done on purpose by Scott. He felt that by never giving us the full image, it would be more terrifying as it would allow the viewer's imagination to go wild.
The special effects in Alien won them an Academy Award that same year along with various other prestigious awards.
Alien holds up to this day and will continue to hold up for another 30 years. The story, the cast, the effects....it is all perfection. It's no surprise that basically any "top 100 movies ever" list has Alien in there somewhere, and why people like me lose their shit on April 26th and watch the movie over and over.
So why 4/26 you ask? Well, LV-426 was the planetoid where this whole story starts.
Alien is great. Hands down. Go watch it. If you've never seen it, go watch it. If you've seen it 1000 times, go watch it. Just watch Alien.
Stay spooky! (and stay out of the damn air filters!)
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