Alien

How a movie about surviving a Xenomorph attack warns about the dangers of capitalism and artificial intelligence.

Did I catch your attention with that subtitle? Good, more on that later. This evening, I begin my four-part journey of writing about the Alien franchise. Watching Ridley Scott’s 1979 film for the first time in years was so much fun. Let’s discuss some categories and meet our new friend before we get into the main theme of the film.

The Poster:

I would give this poster a solid 8/10. Imagine it’s March of 1979. You get to the theater to see Boulevard Nights and you see this poster for Alien. The green glow from the egg immediately catches your eye. It appears to be cracking. What will emerge? We know it’s an alien because of the title, but there’s a mystery there to send chills down your spine.

It gets more terrifying. The tagline: “In space no one can hear you scream.” Think about that for a second. You and a few others are isolated in space. You’re on a ship with a dangerous creature that wants to kill you. You can’t drive to the next town for safety. You can’t run away. No, you’re stuck on the ship and there’s no one to save you. It is terrifying.

The Ellen Ripley Badass Scale:

The 70’s and 80’s introduced us to two of the greatest female action heroes of all-time. I grew up in awe of Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, from the Terminator movies. Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, in Alien is our star this week.

Ripley is by far the smartest character on the Nostromo. Dallas, the captain, is just trying to get the job done and get home. Parker and Brett just want their fair share of pay, but are getting hosed by The Company. Lambert and Kane are both a mess of stupidity and the AI, Ash and Mother, want all the humans dead. Ripley has the right sense of survival early on and it benefits her as the only person that lives. She makes one incredible annoying decision and that’s going back to save the cat (I’m not a pet person). So, how does she score on the Badass Scale? I’ll give her a 7/10. That’s a C. I know that sounds low, but we know her apex mountain comes in the next movie. Just like Sarah Connor, the first film lays her foundation as a fighter, but it’s the second film that establishes her as an action hero. And again, I would’ve left the cat behind.

Most Relatable Character:

Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo, is by far the character that I most related to. He’s just like me on a Friday at work. Let’s come in, get the job done, and survive to get home. The problem is that he didn’t survive, but it’s not his fault! I blame the incompetence of his crew mate, Lambert. My man just wanted to get home, but was willing to do the necessary and dangerous job to snuff out the Xenomorph and kill it. RIP, my dude. Here, watch the scene for yourself:

Scariest Scene:

Alien is not just a sci-fi movie, but also a horror film. The scene when the infant alien pops out of Kane’s chest is the most famous scene in the movie, and probably considered the scariest. It’s #2 for me. The deaths of Parker and Lambert hold the title for this film. First off, they pissed me off so much in this scene. They’re so freaking loud! Lambert is slamming canisters down and of course the banging noise would alert the alien. The scariest part of the scene? You don’t see the moment Lambert dies. Ripley is running through the halls of the ship and you hear the screams…until they go silent.

An Appreciation Of The Director:

Ridley Scott, arguably one of the 10-15 greatest filmmakers of all-time. Alien was his second film! Imagine being so great at making movies that the second one you directed is one of the best of all-time! The opening sets the tone of the film. It’s a slow movement in space and into the ship. It’s dark and lonely, and we like our crew is in danger before we even meet them. Though the first act is a slow burn, Ridley Scott really ramps things up in acts two and three. You are peaking behind every corner and jumping at every noise because there’s a possibility for the Xenomorph to attack. Job well done, Mr. Scott.

What other movies are on Ridley Scott’s Resume? (We’ll ignore his two very late Alien sequels…for now).

• Blade Runner

• Thelma & Louise

• Gladiator

• Black Hawk Down

• Kingdom of Heaven

• American Gangster

• The Martian

Meet Zenny The Xenomorph:

Say hello to my little friend! Zenny is watching these movies with me. He’s a little standoffish at the moment, but hopefully he comes out of his egg…or shell…or whatever….as long as a Xenomorph doesn’t pop out of my chest!

The Main Theme Of Alien:

What I love about sci-fi and horror films is that the best ones have a deeper message within the story. Part of the reason why I started this Substack was to reflect on those deeper messages in movies. Alien has a very relevant deeper message.

I have to be honest, I wake up a little angry every morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life. I have a beautiful family, I love my job, and everyone I care about is happy and healthy. So, why am I angry and what does this film have to do with it? The Company, and its artificial intelligences, Ash and Mother, care about one thing: Bring the Xenomorph home for profit. They want to capture the alien, use its corporate military division, and get richer. The humans on the crew? Expendable. Literally, Mother says they’re expendable. Ash admits that the mission is to bring the creature home whether or not the crew survives. Shoot, before the movie is about life and death, members of the crew complain that they aren’t getting paid fairly. So, back to why I’m angry….that’s our world today. The rich get richer at the expense of everybody else. Income inequality is the worst it’s ever been and the richest of the rich aren’t paying what they should in taxes. They can lose billions in a day and still live comfortably, but hard working folks are barely scraping by. You can’t even get proper health care without it wiping out your bank account. I’ve seen homelessness in my hometown getting worse every year and I know young people in school working full-time or even two jobs to help support their families. It’s not right. They aren’t working harder than us, but they’re sure as hell profiting off us. In the movie, The Company uses artificial intelligence to do their bidding. Today, we’re seeing these billion dollar corporations developing AI while ignoring the potential consequences. Shoot, what consequences exist for The Company at the end of the movie? There are none. It all sounds way too familiar to our reality. Sometimes it feels like we’re all on the Nostromo.