a review of 异形

It had been many years since I last saw Alien, and I mainly remembered some highlights, such as the classic face hugger. The external and internal designs of the Nostromo spaceship are still impressive, especially given the fact that this was way before realistic CGI, and everything was handcrafted, including the alien creature, based on the imaginative designs of the late H.R. Giger. Alien's art direction was a dress rehearsal for the visionary sci-fi imagery of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982). Some of Alien's effects have become a bit dated, such as the obvious human movement of the alien creature, and the retro-computer screens. But I didn't find that distracting. The narrative falls in the slow-burner suspense category, as opposed to James Cameron's action spectacle in the Aliens sequel. Both approaches have their own charm in the Alien series. Last but not least, I think it's also laudable that Ridley Scott was a pioneer in introducing a strong female protagonist.