“Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.”

Justin’s rating: Remembering John Hurt in Spaceballs — “Oh no, not again!”

Justin’s review: I’ve been in love with the Alien franchise ever since sneaking a look at the second movie when I was 12 or 13. There’s something compelling about these giant indestructible space bugs that’s always had my attention — a mixture of body horror, retro-future tech, inspiring characters, and this “perfect organism.”

A director’s cut is always a valid excuse to rewatch and re-review a film. I’ve never seen this 2003 alternate cut, but with Alien Earth coming out this summer, I felt I needed a hit of xenomorph terror.

This version is a shade shorter than the original, with a few scenes trimmed and a few more added. Honestly, this may be the most inconsequential director’s cut I’ve ever seen, a few tweaks to justify a re-release. Probably the most interesting part is a late scene where Ripley discovers Brett and Dallas being transformed into eggs (?), but for the most part, it’s still the same film. A little snappier, perhaps. More chatter by the engineers.

It’s wild to go all the way back to the beginning, not only to witness a masterpiece of suspenseful filmmaking but to see where it all began. I always forget how Ripley wasn’t positioned as the main character — at least not for the first half or so of the film. She’s the ultimate Final Girl, a survivor who emerges from a whittled-down crew due to smarts, grit, and maybe a dash of luck.

This fresh watch emphasized just how amazing Alien looks and sounds. It’s a darker version of Star Wars’ chunky, grungy tech — a style that proved to have a lot more longevity than many contemporaries.

It’s also a loud, noisy film full of screeching metal, roaring wind, blaring alarms, and distorted comms. All of this takes confidence away from the technology as a potential safehouse or savior the way that, say, Star Trek would be.

The gradual introduction and (literally) growing horror of Big Chap must’ve been quite the discovery back in 1979. Audiences had no idea what surprises this creature had in store, including what it might transform into next. It’s only one xenomorph, yes, but that’s more than a match for a bunch of blue collar workers without weapons.

As much as I love the final race through the ship to get to the pod, it did strike me as funny how many flashing lights, strobes, and klaxons are going at the same time. It’s like Ripley pressed “ACTIVATE RAVE” button by accident.

In any case, this director’s cut is an absolutely fine version with some interesting bits of added dialogue and additional insight into this crew, but I can’t really hold it above the theatrical cut.

Intermission!

• Those opening credits are so iconic and so creepy
• As is that initial panning shot throughout the ship. It’s liminal spaces before we had that term.
• The visual contrast inside the Nostromo between light and dark depending on the room
• Coffee’s the only good thing on this ship
• Lotta smoking on spaceships
• Those ancient monitors still look pretty cool, in a retro-tech way
• I never liked the uneven Christmas lights on the bottom of the ship
• The estimate of repair goes from 17 to 25 hours in the space of a sentence
• When the music cuts out for long periods, no es bueno
• “It looks like a warning…”
• If Ash hadn’t overrode Ripley’s quarantine decision, this would be a much different movie
• That’s a good suggestion, they SHOULD freeze him
• “It’s an interesting combination of elements, making him a tough little son-of-a-bitch.” “And you let him in.”
• Random thought: From 1979 through 1985, this was the only movie in this franchise
• It’s nearly an hour before the chestburster arrives
• Someone explain to me the room in the spaceship that’s like three stories tall with dangling chains and constantly falling water?
• Ripley volunteers to go into the vents but is shot down
• This movie has ALL the cat fake jump scares