Subject: Retrospective: Alien (1979)

From: Ram Samudrala <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 18:48:16 -0000

Alien
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/alien.html

/Alien/ is classic sci-fi/horror film that has not been diluted with
age.

The crew of a mining transport vessel, carrying cargo from a distant
planet back to earth, are in cryostasis. They are woken by their
ship's computer, Mother, to what seems like a distress beacon. The
crew land on a desolated to investigate, but bring back a strange and
extremely aggressive creature who only cares about its survival. Like
with any classic horror film, the alien picks off the crew members one
by one, until Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only crewmember left.

The futuristic visuals, set design, as well as the creepiness of the
alien creatures are still as effective as ever. Even though the ship's
computer seems a bit dated, the way it is presented (as an extremely
intelligent AI being) is clever.  The pacing seemed a bit slow to me,
but it certainly gives one enough time to enjoy the cinematography.
This is a classic film that's worth watching on the big screen.

As an aside, It is not clear to me if there is indeed a survival
advantage to a predator like the one showcased in /Alien/.  While a
creature may certainly be willing to kill all humans, killing off all
its food sources will only result in its starvation and eventual
extinction. Most species learn to exist in an equilibrium with their
environment in this regard.

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