Alien (1979)

20110528,9:
This is an edge-on-my-seat sort of movie. I probably had a different first-time viewing experience of the first movie than most people, because I already watched the sequel Aliens (1986) and some of the plot elements from the first movie are discussed in the second.

I read my post on the sequel, and it seems like I would have to conclude I liked the first one better. For one, this one establishes an annoying character, but with redeeming qualities. Another point is this movie seems to carry more suspense than the other movie.

I wouldn't really know how the two movies differed simply because of a change in director. But they certainly differed and I'll stick to my intuition that this one is better than its sequel.

Awesome movie. IMDb.com labels it as a horror, sci-fi movie. This is appropriate and if you like or can tolerate these two genres then I highly recommend you watch this movie.

Question:
Why didn't the alien eat the cat?

[20110529]

Instant Comments:
Love the opening title scene.
This sort of movie is just great for keeping me on the edge of my seat. If I think about it though, it usually has to do with the eerie music. Also, there tends to be slow movement, which is followed by rapid movement and/or sound. The scare is likely a combination of that and randomizing which potential scares are real and which are false.
34 minutes. Attachment.
39 minutes. Acid.
? minutes. Exit.
1 hr 7 minutes. Adult.
1 hr 20 minutes. Ash.
1 hr 32 minutes. Get out of the way!
The beauty with the alien is that it looks so mechanical.

Cast:
Apparently Ian Holm played the role of Ash. John Hurt played Kane.

Special Features Watched:
Deleted and Extended Scenes
01 Transmission
02 Kane's Weapon
03 A Slap in the Face
04 Waiting/A Quick Glimpse
05 Cocooned/Jonesy

I was talking to my friend about movies I had recently seen and some of his comments on Alien and its sequel Aliens were spot on. He said he liked Ripley better in Aliens. Furthermore, he liked the action in Aliens. Of course, he said he appreciates the first one because it was original, blended two genres, and set the groundwork for Aliens. While I agreed with those comments, I liked the original Alien better than Aliens and he liked Aliens better than Alien.

Watched 20110528,9 (DVD 1001 from Eisenhower Library) (1979 Theatrical Release) (English subtitles)
Alien (1979) Ridley Scott. 117 min.

Relevant Links:
Alien (IMDb.com)
Alien (film) (Wikipedia.org)

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