A panic stricken, frantic sci-fi thriller about a feral, predatory alien that is killing the crew members of a space ship one by one, the spawn of a pop-culture icon, and my first and only Ridley Scott film. I felt it was time to introduce Tetramoose to some films I used to love that I feel are up to standard after he introduced me into seriously viewing movies. So for the next few films expect mostly well known, but highly acclaimed blockbuster popcorn entertainment. I was pretty excited to show Tetramoose Alien, and while this film is very good, yet basic cinematic entertainment, a technical marvel, an intense atmospheric experience, an exhibit of great lighting, camerawork and practical effects, I don't feel as if the film quality wise lives up to be the huge pop-culture sensation it had become, and still is today, mainly that the film didn't make me enter a blissful state where everything on the screen was exactly as it should be in a perfect mind-blowing entertainment package that filled me with joy (13 Assassins).

Alien is basic cinematic entertainment done right. This is because it relies very heavily on its connection with the audience on an instinctual and emotional level. Everyone has an understanding of feeling like you're being watched, followed or hunted, so it's easy to relate to Ripley and the rest of the crew. It also hits hard on everyone's fear of things that are biologically unfamiliar and makes psychological implications using the alien's appearance. The alien has many extremities, implying its ability to control things around it, it has great influence and control over any situation it's in. It's size implies dominance, its mouth and lack of visible eyes imply predatory and sinister intentions. Eyes are a way people connect with other living things mentally, when creatures or people have less revealed eyes, people are less inclined to trust them, because it is as if they wish to not reveal their true intentions or feelings. The alien incites fear because it's the last thing you'd want stalking you in the wild (or anywhere really).

Not to mention how the main characters are actually pretty easy to relate to. These guys may be on a space ship, but at this point in time space ships aren't just used for military or extravagant purposes, but also for commercial use. So our crew seems like a group of people at their day-job. While it may be a little far from home, the characters seem as if we walked into a local business and watched the employees interacting. People feel the same way as these guys at the beginning of the film, they want to get their work done, get paid, and go home to relax. Normal people can connect with this, and connection makes these great blockbuster films what they should be. Cool action and CGI is not what makes such an accessible film like this great, (Transformers) but actually being able to understand on an emotional level the conflict that is occurring.

The look of this movie spits in shame on most popcorn films (which I define as a film not meant to intellectually challenge the viewer or take film in a different or radical artistic direction, but simply entertain them in a cinematic fashion) of today. This film makes brilliant use of stunning practical effects, such as the scene with the weird milky blood, the alien and the face-hugger, the famous alien reveal scene and so much more. The lighting is also gorgeous, this being an example of using orange and blue contrast tastefully during the final act, instead of shoving it in every shot of the film (Drive). The lighting and the industrial setting work together to create a frantic kill or be killed tone, and make it hard to take ones eyes off the screen.

The performances in this film are pretty solid, Sigourney Weaver does a great job along with the rest of the cast (Ash is awkward but I believe this to be intentional and anyone who's seen the film would know why). As I said everyone is convincing as a tired worker who just wants to finish their shift and be on their way.

Overall I believe this film to be highly entertaining and a very easy and accessible watch. One can pop this film into their Bluray or DVD player and have a good time, and not expect to have to think deeply about what they are watching. This film is an example of a movie using cinematic elements properly to entertain, not just being cool and making millions in the box office, and this film is well more than enough to make me ready to see Ridley Scott's other work. I strongly recommend Alien to anyone who has happened to have not seen the film yet.

*Edit - What I initially considered a 4 star film I now feel to be 4.5 stars, because I guess I was expecting to be blown away, but I basically know every twist and turn of this film (I've seen this film nearly ten times), so I should give it more credit. Aliens really opened my eyes to this when I kept feeling the film was missing something. So I honestly believe this film to be worth putting on ones shelf to own in hindsight. This film meets the standard of cinema, and I really appreciate it much more now.