Alien 40th Anniversary in 4k is like seeing the film for the first time. With a great initial price point, fans of the film should definitely pick this up while it lasts, hopefully allowing for the rest of the films to be given the same treatment.
“Experience the terror – from the beginning – with the first chilling chapter of the Alien saga, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver in her breakout performance as Ripley. When the crew of the space-tug Nostromo responds to a distress signal from a barren planet, they discover a mysterious life form that breeds within human hosts. The acid-blooded extraterrestrial proves to be the ultimate adversary as crew members battle to stay alive and prevent the deadly creature from reaching Earth.”
Alien, arguably one of Ridley Scott’s best and influential films, has always been my favorite from the franchise, solidifying the genre mashup of sci-fi/horror demonstrating how great it can be when done right. What Alien does best is establishes the universe it’s set it, world-building the film in the first half very fluidly. It doesn’t tell us, but shows us different aspects of this futuristic world.
This future of mankind is bleak to say the least, one of the traits of the film I enjoy the most, as it lends itself more to the hopelessness and emptiness of space. We aren’t told what year it takes place in, the crew sleeps between journeys for years, with Ripley even spending 57 years in cryo-sleep between the events of the first and second film. Time is meaningless out in the depths of space, and that void plays a big part in the first film as they’re trapped with this creature with nowhere to run. Throughout it all, The Company is the biggest unknown, being referred to as having absolute control over the lives of its employees through contracts and clauses that require them to investigate a possible alien life-form, putting its capture and return above the safety and survival of the crew. The brain of the ship that enforces The Company’s agenda is Mother, a computer system seeming to be as equally secretive when it comes to allowing the crew to have knowledge of their true mission. These aren’t really the focuses of the film, but wonderful details that only add to its flavor.
The film’s all-star cast also heightens the enjoyment of the film immensely. Originally written as a male character, Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Ripley emboldens the female protagonist creating one of the strongest female characters of cinematic history. All the performances come together to create a lot of tension among the crew during certain sequences, and help sell the fear of walking in dark corridors with the alien on the loose since we only see it a few times.
As much as I love this film and consider it my favorite of the franchise, revisiting this time and again I always feel the pacing is a bit slow in the first half of the film. Granted, it has a lot to establish, and does include the great face-hugger scenes, but the story seems to take a snail pace while I just sit and wait for the alien to show up and make things exciting. Whether it’s a product of seeing it so many times I’m not sure. Thankfully, the beautiful 4k transfer of this film gives me renewed interest in every frame of the film.
Video
Alien is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1. This new transfer comes supervised by Ridley Scott and includes both the Theatrical Version and Director’s Cut. In one of the opening scenes when everyone wakens from their cryo-pods, the white of the walls showed some major grain that gave me initial pause about the transfer. Although it can be intense at times, mostly in these white background sequences, the overall darkness of the film hides it. The HDR provides some of the deepest darks and this film is probably one of the best examples of just how much of a difference the upgrade to 4k can make in these darker sequences, which is most of the film. There is some great detail in a lot of the scenes, highlighting aspects of the background I had never noticed before. But, the film looks its absolute best in the darker scenes with the flamethrower casting the light on the actor’s faces, making it look like it was filmed yesterday. A very impressive feat to say the least.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I was disappointed, as I’m sure many others are, that we don’t get an upgraded Dolby Atmos or DTS:X track for this release. Despite that, the track still sounds amazing. Levels are exceptional, especially the atmospheric effects and computer/alarm sounds which echoed throughout my house. During the ship taking off from the planet sequence, it felt like my house was getting ready for lift-off it was shaking so much. Jerry Goldsmith’s score sounds as great as ever, providing that haunting instrumental music that is a staple of the franchise.
Special Features
It doesn’t look like there are any new features included with this release, save for the 4k treatment.
- Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Cast and Crew
- Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott (Theatrical Version Only)
- Introduction by Ridley Scott (Director’s Cut Only, Blu-ray Only)
- Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
- Composer’s Original Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
Alien still ranks as one of my favorite sci-fi/horror films of the genre, and its presentation in 4k makes the film look brand new. Hopefully this will sell well enough to warrant 4k treatment of the rest of the films, and for the current price point it is definitely worth picking up.
