The modern horror story meets the space opera in this outstanding film that launched a small franchise. Weaver quickly rose to the top of everyone’s hit parade for her characterization of the tough-as-nails Ripley, and Scott’s visual pizazz (with the help of H.R. Giger) upped the ante for movie images of visceral horror. This director’s cut adds some material that was deleted in the 1979 original but it also shaves some seconds from pre-existing scenes. Among the new scenes is the inclusion of the alien’s nest, with various crew members sucked into its being, and a confrontation between Ripley and the other female crew member Lambert. During the restoration process, the six-track sound mix was rebuilt and created for the new scenes. Alien remains an impeccably crafted thriller that seems almost as fresh today as it was 24 years ago. (See “Let the Work Speak for Itself,” Oct. 31, 2003, for interview with co-star Yaphet Kotto.)
This article appears in October 24 • 2003.
