40 Films in Robotech: Alien (1979)

       

This was the first horror film I ever saw – decades ago. And it still freaks me out.

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

In Jack McKinney’s 1987 Robotech book Metamorphosis, Earth rebels Rand and Annie infiltrate an Invid base with the intent to gather intel and assist the rest of their group take out the whole base. Once Rand and Annie enter the base, Rand processes the alien surroundings by referring to multiple films including Alien (1979). While he never mentions this horror film by name, he clearly references its infamous "facehugger" scene. Read these excerpts from pages 106 and 107 of Metamorphosis… 

 SYNOPSIS:  

2011 Blu-Ray case synopsis: “In the first chapter of the terrifying Alien saga, the crew of the spaceship Nostromo answers a distress signal from a desolate planet, only to discover a deadly life form that breeds within human hosts. Now the crew members must fight not only for their own survival, but for the survival of all humankind.”

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

IMDB.com lists 19 award wins for Alien including the 1980 Oscar win for Best Visual Effects – largely due to the disturbing designs by H.R. Giger.  

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

From the #classicfilmreading book A Rough Guide To Cult Movies: Your Guide To The Good, The Bad And The Very Weird (2004): "Ripley (Weaver) remains the one true female action star in a universe dominated by male characters. This is doubly ironic, because the role was originally written for a man and Veronica Cartwright (who plays Lambert in this film) was the first female choice. This tale of a shapeship responding to an SOS and inadvertently letting an alien on board was inspired by the 1958 [low] budget sci-fi flick It! The Terror from Outer Space." (p. 316)

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

By design, Alien is a giant metaphor for how disgusting sex and reproduction can appear. Robotech is a huge metaphor for how disturbing and complicated love and mating can be. Every alien species in Robotech is confused and annoyed at their reaction to human courtship. Zentraedi wince at seeing a man and a woman “press lips” (kiss). The Robotech Masters outlaw emotion – punishable by death. And the Invid, once they take human form, hate themselves for being attracted to a potential human mate. 

To read my ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating for Alien on Letterboxd, click here.