Alien Film Review

Initial Thoughts

            Okay the first thing that you need to know, is that I hate horror films. not that i just think that all horror films are bad, its just i personally don't enjoy being scared half to death. But because so many people asked me to review a horror film, I don't really have a choice.

 

            I had heard all about Alien, saying that it was one of the best Sci Fi horror films of all time, and by far the best film in the entire Alien franchise. but are the masses right? lets find out! this is the first Alien movie.

 

Story: 20 out of 25

            Honestly the story in Alien is a pretty generic Horror story, there's something out killing the members of a crew and they either can't find it, can't kill it, don't know what it is, or in some cases all three. The film doesn't leave many plot holes (which from what I hear is common in horror films) and does tie up all of the loose ends fairly well at the end of the film (except for a few minor ones that bother me but probably wont bother you).

 

            I think that the story is mostly driven by the Alien life forms, for almost every plot device and or plot element, is brought on by the creatures. which means that the Aliens play a big role in the story section, and they do a good job of keeping the audience guessing all throughout the film, about the Aliens, and while not telling everything about them, they did tell enough to help the audience feel satisfied.

 

            Overall a most enjoyable storyline, driven by mostly enjoyable characters.

 

Characters: 15 out of 25

            Okay, some of the actions made by the characters are totally RETARTED and since I am not a huge horror fan i am not sure if this is a recurring theme in the characters of the horror genre, but if it is, it is a very poor aspect of horror. If a character does a really dumb move and is basically asking to be eaten (and in this movie that's almost literal) then you feel very little emotion for the character and you just end up saying "you know what, let him die". And that does add up near the end of the movie.

 

            Some clichéd characters, however not enough to make a huge impact. Furthermore with some plot twists, and good emotional bond to some of the characters, they are overall okay, not great however not terrible. (and like I said before some are more enjoyable then others).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atmosphere: 19 out of 25

            I felt that the atmosphere was rather shallow, for most of the film, the crew is contained just in the ship, and when most of the scenery looks very similar, and is in the dark, you can and will get a little lost at some points. because of the intriguing storyline this does not cause a major problem however. and the darkness does cause un-easiness as there is barley any music. so it is mostly just silence and darkness. these two aspects are what set the atmosphere for the majority of the film.

 

Horror Elements: 19 out of 25

            How does the entire horror backbone hold up? well you defiantly get an un-easy ora from the film, natural in the horror genre, But does it really separate itself from other horror films? I surely think that it has a huge advantage over other horror films, creating a supreme aspect of mystery and darkness to the villain. And I do think that space setting does give it a sense of helplessness', making them seem like their all alone with no one to help them. But I do not think that it is totally and utterly superior to other horror films. (I have not seen a lot of horror films however I plan on seeing a few more this month.)

 

And so the final verdict for the first Alien movie is a great

73/100

Really Good

 

It does have a convincing and good horror themed storyline, and the horror elements are done reasonably well. A strong atmosphere, filled with helplessness'' and un-easiness due to the setting and lack of sound. however it does lack strong characters, and while the horror elements are done well, they are not worthy of legendary status.

 

However don't get me wrong, it is still one great movie that will send shivers up your spines! and is defiantly worthy of including during your horror marathon this Halloween!