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kaiielle
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Alien (1979) ✦ YouTube Edit

Officially my shortest movie reaction yet! I had a lot of fun editing this one and there is one moment where I got jumpscared WORSE editing the jumpscare than I did watching it. 😂 What a time. I have a feeling the same thing might happen with the October scary movies. 👀

Please enjoy the early access to my Alien edit! This will premiere on Thursday, September 15 at 13:00 MDT / 19:00 UTC. I will set up the premiere 30 minutes before it begins, so you have until then to watch this, unless you plan to join the live premiere! As always, I'll be hanging out in the live chat! 😊

For those who watched the full-length reaction, you'll want to skip ahead to the thoughts and review portion of this video to get all caught up on what I think of this movie!

Here is the direct link to watch this reaction. 

I feel like I should prioritize watching Aliens before year-end, right? I'd love to continue on in this series. Please let me know your thoughts below on this reaction!

Enjoy!

✦ KL

Alien (1979) ✦ YouTube Edit

Comments

Thanks Alex! Yeah, I caught in editing that they weren't in OUR Solar System (I tend to catch a lot of things in editing that I missed since I am watching the movie slower, and often re-watching scenes a few times). Agree with you that Parker was a fantastic character. I do plan on watching Aliens at a minimum, but not sure when I'll get to the rest. So many movies, only so much time! Appreciate your insight and TY for no spoilies. 😊

kaiielle

Hey, Kaiielle! NO SPOILERS!!!! This is one of the greatest and most influential horror films of all time! I prefer the original THEATRICAL CUT you saw because I feel it's paced better and lacks a scene which contradicts the sequel. However, the Director's Cut boasts a moment when Veronica Cartwright smacks the crap out of Sigourney Weaver which definitely SHOULD HAVE BEEN in the Theatrical Cut! For the sequel, "ALIENS", you must watch the SPECIAL EDITION with longer runtime! There are critical additional scenes that add context to the movie and it is the version director James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver themselves prefer. You mentioned the cast being clueless about the details of the CHESTBURSTING scene except for John Hurt. Veronica Cartwright got sprayed by fake blood and fell over backward. They only filmed the scene twice. It remains one of the most ICONIC IN CINEMA HISTORY! You mentioned your appreciation of the pacing. You figured out that "Alien" is set in the year 2122. You said you were uncertain if the story were taking place in our solar system. The ringed world the moon they land on orbits is not Saturn. Lambert tells us they're near Zeta II Reticuli and repeatedly says it's not our system. This movie and "Star Wars" changed the FUTURE AESTHETIC from antiseptic cleanliness to lived-in, worn-out dinginess. The Swiss artist, H.R. GIGER, who designed the xenomorph, tapped into insectoid and reptilian features that evoke primal fear. His artwork is very bizarre, erotic and has a distinctive look called Giger-esque. The final product is an iconic movie monster that is pure NIGHTMARE FUEL! By the way, the alien's retractable inner jaw is found in nature in a deep-sea fish! THE COMPANY is the TRUE VILLAIN of the film. They put profit before all other considerations. You noticed the crew were just blue collar concerned with company policy and pay inequity. They're just SPACE TRUCKERS hauling rocks. This was a First Contact situation they were wholly unqualified for. Hence, all the bumbling and bad judgment calls. Of course, Ash was privy to a secret corporate mandate. Like most Captains, Dallas had an inherently CALM DEMEANOR. By minimizing the situation, it prevents both him and the crew from panicking. You can tell he's very worried because he seeks counsel from Mother. He also acknowledges his culpability for the predicament by preventing Ripley from volunteering to go into the shafts and by shouldering that burden himself. He accepted this task not even knowing if fire would be effective! His last act is a rather valiant gesture and I always feel bad for him despite his initial missteps. Parker is MY FAVORITE supporting character! Yaphet Kotto played him to the hilt! He's the blue collar EVERYMAN who just cares about payday and who enjoys deliberately antagonizing his superiors but ends up sacrificing himself for a fellow employee. He's also the only one who made a move on the chestburster before being stopped by Ash! Some viewers strongly believe the alien raped Lambert! This is nonsense. The PREHENSILE TAIL probably drew her closer to itself so it could mouth-punch her with the retractable jaw. Those viewers aren't mistaken for perceiving phallic eroticism, though, as that was Scott's intent. The giant elephant-headed alien pilot of the derelict spacecraft is one of the GREAT MYSTERIES of the franchise. Was he a zoologist, a bio-warfare specialist, an exterminator, a trader in exotic organisms, a waste disposal tech or a trucker like Ripley's crew? No one knows. Sigourney Weaver became a FEMINIST ICON because of this movie. Many will try to dissuade you but I strongly encourage you to see the ASSEMBLY CUT of "ALIEN 3" as well. It's a solid film that adds to the lore, has terrifying scares and a great cast. The ASSEMBLY CUT is the version director David Fincher acknowledges as coming closest to his original vision before studio interference. If you want to see the "ALIEN VS. PREDATOR" films, then you need to acquaint yourself with the PREDATOR franchise. The first is an action classic with Schwarzenegger. The underrated "PREDATOR 2" features some great set pieces! Dark Horse comics ran with the crossover concept inspiring Hollywood to make two crossover films with moderately successful to excellent results. They're fun and exciting guilty pleasures with the second one, "ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM", being particularly lean and mean. There is also a "PREDATORS" film produced by Robert Rodriguez that is definitely worth a look. "The Predator" (2018) REBOOT, however, should be avoided at all costs; it's a franchise-killer! "PREY" is a prequel to the original film that was released on Hulu August 5! The Alien films have a RICHER SUBTEXT while the Predator films are more ACTION FARE but they're both fun sci-fi thrillers. Below is a VIEWING ORDER and an INTERNAL CHRONOLOGY: VIEWING ORDER: Alien Aliens (Special Edition) Alien 3 (Assembly Cut) Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL] Predator (1987) Predator 2 Predators Prey Alien vs Predator Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (Unrated) Prometheus [OPTIONAL] Covenant [OPTIONAL] INTERNAL CHRONOLOGY: Prey Predator (1987) Predator 2 Alien vs Predator Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (Unrated) Predators Predator (2018) [SKIP THIS AWFUL FRANCHISE-KILLING REBOOT] Prometheus [OPTIONAL] Covenant [OPTIONAL] Alien Aliens (Special Edition) Alien 3 (Assembly Cut) Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL]

Alex Vazquez

I second SNACO's appreciation of "Alien 3"!

Alex Vazquez

I love that they expanded into a whole franchise! The sci-fi part definitely intrigues me too. Yeah I'll def be watching Aliens, probably in Nov or Dec. I'm interested to see which one I like better!

kaiielle

I watched this for the first time about 10 years ago having no idea how much I was going to love it. Like you, horror is a genre I tend to stay away from, but it was really the Sci-Fi that piqued my interest and it delivers quite a bit on that front. Even though it can definitely pass as a one-off movie, I was really glad there were more movies in the series because I actually found myself wanting to know more about the creature and the universe that this movie takes place in, and sort of deep dived into the whole thing. In the end I just found all of the mystery and lore surrounding this the creature to be unexpected, but very fascinating; just great sci-fi world-building. No spoilers - I personally like this and Alien 3 more than Aliens. But many people's favorite in the series is Aliens, it's some people's favorite movie period. Even if you didn't watch any of the others, Aliens is definitely a movie to have on your radar from how much you enjoyed this one. It's James Cameron....it's good.

Turnt SNACO


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