When discussing films that became unorthodox success, such minds usually come to a small film called “Jaws”; quickly after the idea of horror in film wasn’t just for scare for the masses. With the success of the film it opened the door for other directors to experiment with the genre. No longer was it just about the gore and jump scares but also about a real bold story line. In comes a small director named Ridley Scott; who was picked to direct a obscure film about a space crew realizing a nightmare they never knew. The idea on paper seems simple and basic, your typical monster film. But, this isn’t your everyday Wolfman. Instead, Scott decided to do what wasn’t possible before, make the audience feel as though they are in the film, not just viewing. Even with a the time a measly budget of $11 million, Scott still manged to pull this off.
How he did such was by creating such an intense environment to leave the audience uncomfortable. Sci-fi movies coming out before (if in color) usually showed bright lights and vivid images. Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” came out two years earlier and displayed friendly extraterrestrials as being without bad intentions. “2001: A Space Odyssey” showed space ships has being big, bright, and artistic; a modern artist dream. These movies had the complete opposite feel of what Scott wanted to do. He flipped it a complete 180 degrees to make a movie experience that would be unforgettable. Instead of lights and colors the movie is shades of dark neutral colors. Instead of open areas the set was made to be tight fit and suffocating. The audience looks at their screen to see what the crew is living in and instantly understands the feeling of claustrophobia. As an audience being told it was uncomfortable environment to endure isn’t enough, you need to feel it to fully grasp the intensity.
Due to the sets being small and camera shots being up close and personal, set designers were tasked with creating pieces that would feel real to the audience. With the effects added on what we see on screen feels like a real ship. The Nostromo is now a more realistic ship compared to that of Star Wars, it doesn’t feel as though we are being transported to a fable but instead a realistic take on what the future of space travel is. The sets made were intricate and micro detailed. It creates the perfect environment for the actors to get in to full character, thus providing outstanding performances. The ultimate task when it comes to design was making sure our monster, the now famous xenomorph, felt real and not like a man in a costume. The best way Scott achieved this was doing the Spielberg affect; show the creature as little as possible, but just enough. With that being played out correctly the movie has aged magnificently. It almost looks as though it could have been made this year. The xenomorph was the greatest risk of the film. Without it being done precisely, the film would have felt like a dark comedy instead of a true horror film.
Ridley Scott had another task on his hands, making sure the audience related to the actors on screen. To do this, Scott didn’t rely on back stories, he relied on the audience feeling the emotions the actors were portraying on screen. This meant if the character laughs the audience laughs, if the character is angry, we need to be angry. One by one we watch them go through emotions all over the scale. Scott even didn’t warn the actors about the most notable chest bursting scene so he could get a real reaction on film. They did one take of that shot and it made it into the final film. We watch them get picked off one by one, in gruesome endings, and slowly we start to watch one character take in charge. Ellen Ripley, played by newcomer Sigourney Weaver, becomes the hero we need. We slowly start watching her more and more than the other characters and we find that she is going to our only hope to surviving this experience. We root for her because she becomes the tough warrior we hoped one of the characters would be. In a sense she’s our Rambo in space. Ripley isn’t scared to show she’s scared but she doesn’t let it take over. With this a sci-fi movie did what no other did before; it related to female audiences as well as male. This broaden the spectrum of women in film whether it was intended or not. With such creativity Scott created a film what would make $300 million at the box office, and it produced sequels and spin offs; thrusting it into our culture.
