FIRST TIME WATCHING: Alien...the tension is TANGIBLE 

in 1979, before the movie came out, the trailers revealed absolutely nothing! not who was in it, what it was about. anything! just a picture of the egg with earie green light spilling out of it as the title spelled out above it, with the caption, "In space, no one can hear you scream..." theaters were packed, not knowing what to expect. it made quite an impact on audiences.

The reason the ship looks and feels so "realistic" is because Ridley Scott wanted it to be as claustrophobic as possible and as functional as possible. The set was built with long, tight corridors leading into large rooms, which could not be accessed by the cast/crew without actually walking through the "ship". The buttons and lights were all functional as well, giving it a very "usable" look and feel. That combined with the background hum that James noticed makes this ship feel much more grounded than in most sci-fi movies.

The fact that this movie, which is 42 years old (!). is still capable of generating strong reactions, even in the younger generations, speaks volumes about its craft. The birth scene is still shocking to this day to a first time viewer, even with all the gore and blood we are used to nowadays. Imagine seeing something like that on a big screen in '79.

It's difficult for me to fathom why some people haven't seen this classic. It blows my mind, but then you guys are young and I'm ancient. So there's that lol.

You guessed right at that being their truckers in space because that's actually the log line for the whole movie "a bunch of space truckers encounter something on the road." that is basically the entire movie

It always makes me laugh when everyone always yells, "Why didn't you kill it?!?!" during the chest burster scene. I always yell back, "Acid for blood, remember?" Lol

Those sets are REAL. No CGI. To make them look even larger....( like when you see the astronauts walking out of the ship...) they had kids wearing spacesuits.

The actors had a vague idea from the script of what would happen in the chestburster scene, but didn't know any details about how the effect would actually be done or what it would look like. So all their reactions are totally genuine, which especially shows in Veronica Cartwright's slurred "Oh my god!" One of the crew members was so disturbed that when shooting ended for the day, he tried to get in the wrong car. It wasn't even the same color.

The thing to remember about this movie is that its not only a legendary classic of scifi horror, but it was the first of it's kind. This was the blueprint that all following movies of this kind were fashioned from. So when you were saying why are they doing that, or don't go near that egg, or why didn't they kill it.....and so on, remember that you've seen this scenario many times before, but when we first saw this in the theater, we had never seen all of these scifi horror standards. An egg was just an egg...that you didn't necessarily expect something horrible to come out of. And a little baby alien was just that...and you didn't expect that it would be 9 feet tall in a few hours. The only alien movies we were used to was Star Wars and E.T. No one had ever even thought of the idea of an alien parasite that could burst out of you so, this was ground breaking horror that blew our minds.

RIP John Hurt (Kane), Ian Holm (Ash), Yaphat Kotto (Parker) Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), HR Giger ( VFX), Carlo Rambaldi ( VFX) Jerry Goldsmith(Composer). Thank you all for making this film possible.

An artist you need to definitely Google up is H.R Giger... He's a surrealist who has tons of paintings that are nothing but otherworldly. And it's his art in the book Necronominon that Ridley Scott found his Xenomorph.

"You just let it go"? A franchise was born lol

The original trailers for this movie gave nothing away except that it happened in space and was intense. Imagine watching it in a big old-fashioned theater packed with excited people who had absolutely no idea what they were about to see. It was one of the most exciting shared movie-going experiences of my entire life. At the time, we didn't know who Sigourney Weaver was and had no idea who, if anyone, would survive. When I got my first VCR in 1981 this was the very first thing I ever recorded, when it came on HBO that night. I couldn't believe I actually owned my own copy of it that I could watch any time I wanted to.

Ridley Scott said the computers were purposefully made to look archaic and old because those mining ships get the crap technology.

Fun fact: The first scene with the chest-burster. None of the cast knew what exactly was gonna happen, they knew what the thing looked like, but not how they were gonna do it. So, Langley and everyone’s reaction is genuine

Do the Quadrilogy! Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection! There are mixed responses to 3&4, but Sigourney Weaver is astonishing the WHOLE TIME! Ripley's character arc is mind expanding, and for decades women who loved Science Fiction and Horror could stand tall because of her.

I have told this story on other comments regarding the reaction to "Alien", but damn, I like telling this story. I'm now 63 years old and saw this movie on opening day, last showing. I had waited in line for nearly 2 hours, and the people I spoke to in line had no idea what this movie was about - some THOUGHT it was a horror movie, but we definitely knew it was Sci Fi. As you probably know by now, the trailers revealed nothing - and I was fortunate enough to NOT see any trailer before the movie opened. So skip to the chase: 50 or so minutes into the film is when the BIG SCENE occurs. I don't recall any particularly loud scream coming from the audience, but I can assure you this: my eyes were wide as saucers and my mouth was probably on the ground, and I think that is probably how the rest of the audience was too. Alls I knew from that point forward, I was scared to death. When the second jolt hit, I can remember it being the first time saying to myself "It's just a movie. It's just a movie." And I would go see it something like 6 times in the theater. It still remains one of my favorites to this day. And seeing you guys react to it shows the movie has aged very very well. And that was despite the fact that the movie took it's time building up suspense and such. Glad you guys liked it.

One of my favorite horror movies! A couple years ago, a New Jersey high school even did a play adaptation with an impressive set and costumes; it went viral and Sigorney Weaver came to their third performance!

I got to see this in a movie theater a few years back and one thing about this: The SETS. PRACTICAL SETS. No CGI.

13:45 - Ninetailedbrush: "Be careful, don't just open the door all willy-nilly!!!" OMG, you sound like you're my age (60)!!!! All hail Ripley! (and Sigourney Weaver)

This is what I miss so much from old school cinema. A film that makes you ask questions without stating them out loud to the audience.

A strong female lead was unusual for the time. Being in a packed theatre when the Alien burst through his chest is indescribable.

Wait until you guys watch 'The thing'. It's on another level of alien body stuff..it's... horrifyingly gruesome.

Tom Skeritt was supposed to be the one who lived but Sigourney was such a strong actress that Ridley Scott decided to give her the lead.

17:05...guys you're forgetting that the Little Chicken Alien's mum had acid for blood so Dallas and Ash's reaction (telling Parker not to attack it with a piece of plastic cutlery) kinda makes sense.

I think I was 10 when I saw this and I loved it! But I was more worried about the cat than anything lol. You have to watch Aliens as well, great sequel!

Sigourney weaver as Ellen Ridley is hands down the best character ever written for a woman especially because there’s character development in the sequels and she is a total badass. Second is Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in the terminator. Please watch the second aliens

Oh man, I remember catching bits of this on TV as a kid. Back when there was cable, some things WERE censored for daytime TV but you'd be surprised the shit they kept in. As a kid I flipped to the channel and thought, "Oh it's a just a fun, thoughtless little action thriller like Die Hard." Then I watched it and ended with surprise Pikachu face. I'll never forget the design of the aliens with the practical effects, scared the CRAP out of me

Parker is my dude. Fighting for his fair share. haha

“Don’t just open the door all Willy nilly!” 💜💜💜 NineTailedBrush is an Angel 😇

Activate comfy comfort objects. I have a pillow as well watching your reaction. Great Choice!!

Can't wait to see NineTailedBrush get all exasperated at the "willy-nilly" antics of almost everyone other than Ripley in the sequel hahha.. (also, so excited for the first "horror" movie I can actually handle watching along with! Haha) Continuing to love the lineup of movies, guys - so many genres and so many great films! Thanks for the fun 😊

This was the first "truckers in space" movie which would become a standard sci-fi trope throughout the 80s and 90s.

I saw this in the theater in 1979, I was 13 and had never seen an uncut Horror film before. The audience's reactions were off the chain. I had nightmares for a long time afterwards.

I saw this in a theatre in 1979, when I was 16, and walked out afterward into broad daylight. As I crossed a bridge over a freeway to the bus stop my legs were shaking so badly I had to cling to the side of the bridge. Probably too late to tell you.

I can't believe ye have never seen these! I can't wait for ye to watch Aliens next!

Alien is probably the greatest horror and science fiction movie ever made. It was submitted into the Congressional Library as "A Work of Art with Cultural Significance". Thats a pretty big deal.

What’s interesting about this first movie is that it has no baggage, so you can tell there are certain things that went down the drain for later instalments. The Xenomorph clearly takes on a mechanical sort of appearence to better blend in with the environment of the ship, so it looks like pipes and beams etc. which pays off in the shuttle wall scene. But it’s such an iconic design that they couldn’t afford to change it for the sequels so now all Xenomorphs look like they’re designed to blend in with the Nostromo.

John Hurt went on to play Mr. Olivander, the wand maker, in the HP moves and lan Holm was Bilbo Baggins in the LOTRT and Hobbit films among many other roles.

You know, just because you already saw "Aliens" doesn't mean you can't watch it again for the reaction video. Really like the way you show appreciation for things like the models and the music. You're a little young, so you may not have been exposed to the brilliance of Jerry Goldsmith as much as older geezers like me. He was very, very good at creating a forboding atmosphere ("Poltergeist"). And I read that the modelmakers had to do the Nostromo over once or more because Ridley Scott wanted a different appearance. I find the detail mind-boggling, and you can just "draw" the detail in a CGI program. You have to fabricate the bigger pieces and then add the smaller parts with model kits or other fabricated parts you may want to design. Really like watching the way you guys watch a movie. I was psyched when I saw you were doing this one. Please do "Aliens" too.

I can't wait until you guys get through the whole series of alien and then on to predator

this was the role that put Sigourney Weaver into the spot light, and during the course of her career, became the Queen of sci-fi

Star Wars and Aliens wouldn't look the way they do, without 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)! 🥰 This journey really changed cinematography forever! 👌🏼✌🏼

@21:38 - that frustration in Ripley's dialogue and the snapping at Parker wasn't acting - Yaphet Kotto was by all accounts a pain in the ass on-set both in and out of character, and this was apparently Weaver finally getting sick of him talking over her.

They DID try to analyze it before they went out, but "Mother" was having trouble deciphering it so Ripley took a crack at it. They assumed it was an SOS. Either way they were required by their contract to investigate it. Of course we find out later, as it is strongly suggested, that "the company" already knew what it was, which is why they sent Ash up there, replacing their usual science officer.

For me, the perfect horror movie. No just the perfect movie, tension suspense, great acting and really hasn't dated. Watch it once a year and try to catch it on the big screen, great reaction and love seeing a new generation loving it.

Kinda wish this video was longer. Feels too short, hope you do a longer cut of it someday. What a legendary movie though, changed cinema for good. That's how you build tension with showing as little as possible, a hell of a movie. Ridley Scott did wonders here.

I just wanted to say, I really love this channel and the appreciation you both have for the art of film. Your reactions are never over the top, but you're not boring to watch at all. I love how Ninetailedbrush has a more subtle, introspective view and James, the way your face lights up during reactions is so satisfying and genuine! I hope you guys stick to the channel and keep it up. I have no doubt your audience will continue to grow

It's fair to say I'm an Alien purist and it gnaws at me a little when people refer to the Alien species as "xenomorphs". When Gorman is briefing the Marines in Aliens he uses the term Xenomorph, but at this point Ripley is the only known human to have encountered the Alien and survived, so it has yet to be classified. Gorman is using "Xenomorph" as a generic term to refer to an as yet unspecified extra terrestrial life form as opposed to it being the name for that species in particular. I accept (grudgingly) that this has now become the accepted name for the species in order to differentiate it from other extra terrestrial species in pop culture, but to me the creature will always be "The Alien".

I think it was very smart to introduce the flamethrower, if you were to go into space and needed to defend yourself, bullets are out, you know in space you don't want to puncture the hull, so fire (provided you don't ignite anything flammable or explosive, which with most the decks and walkways bare metal) is the best way, that and the concept of a "motion tracker" was another cool touch

Just want to say I really love your videos and it's a lot of fun to rewatch these movies with you guys ! keep up the good work !

"Alien" has been likened to a "Haunted House in Space" kind of movie. With the monster rampaging through the ship. But it's a lot more Science Fiction than "Star Wars", which is actually a Fantasy tale. The first scene you see in the original "Star Wars" (long before they put the "Chapter 4" tag on it) is text stating, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...". There is absolutely no difference between that and "Once Upon a Time...". Spoiler: "Aliens" (the sequel) is much, much more like an Action / Thriller movie. Directed by James Cameron.

Your spot on with your comment, Ridley Scott called the film truckers in space.

This film was a trailblazer of its time. The fact that you barely see the alien makes it so terrifying. The first 2 are some of the best films ever!!

I love Tailebrush's reaction to them letting it get away in the beginning 😂

Saw this at the drive in when I was 7 years old. Scared the crap out of me, but I loved it at the same time.

I watched the movie recently and was really surprised how well the visual effects and practical effects were for 1979. And being an animal lover,as soon as I saw the cat, I was like " if the alien eats the cat, I am going to space with a flamethrower!" 😂 Alien 2 is also a good movie.

16:08 One of the most iconic scenes in all of cinema, the most terrifying scene in all of sci-fi ... and one hell of a way of getting out of doing dish duty. 😂

MY FAVOURITE FRANCHISE 😭❤️❤️

@18:03 ish “Watch…it’s already like, massive or something!” If they only knew 😅 my guy’s a freaking psychic

It wom the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. This movie scared the hell out of me and my family when we first saw it on UPN in 1999 a week before my birthday. I had nightmares with the alien chasing me down a hall and Killing me!!

My favorite horror movie ever! Excited for the next ones! Also idk if you guys are too into video games but Alien:Isolation does a perfect job of capturing the atmosphere of this movie and it’s scary as hell too

This is a classic horror movie. So suspenseful. Aliens is more action oriented which I liked but this scared me to death. Ripley was one of the first female leads in a movie. She was a badass. Everyone in this was good. Good plot, good acting, great movie sets. They were miners and not NASA engineers/scientists so that’s why maybe they weren’t as careful. Really good reaction guys.

The Sci-Fi style in the movie 79 still looks the similar as modern Sci-Fi. From the futuristic corridor, to hibernation, spaceship, etc... Unlike most old Sci-Fi movies which are too colorful or look Sci-Fi for kids... Lol. 😂😂😂

Star Wars was the introduction of epic hope; Alien was the introduction of horror in space!!!

Are you guys going to watch the Predator series as well? There is crossover with the Alien franchise.

The original ending had the Alien successfully killing Ripley, then imitating her voice in a call to Earth, indicating it's headed there next. Ridley Scott ultimately rewrote it into the ending we ultimately got, convinced that the film was horrific enough without it. In addition, he had story-boarded an extended scene in which Ripley was _also_ thrown out the airlock, shooting the alien with a pistol, climbing back into the ship via the harpoon cable, then disintegrating the alien with the shuttle's engines. It wasn't shot because the film was already over budget by that time.

Two of my favorite movies in a day!! I should be death, I'm in heaven ✨

Alien = Horror. Aliens = Action.

had to laugh at James nodding off a couple times xD it definitely has its slow moments. i think its the age of the film. different pacing back then :D

I haven't watched Alien as-well - time to watch it and then come back to this video.

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream tagline says yes it’s a horror film and one of the very best to come out after John Carpenter’s Halloween but before Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street expanded the horror genre and made it more mainstream aside from dramas and action films.

Every 70's/80's sci-fi movie: Smoking is even more popular in the future

(Not so) fun fact: during the infamous chestburster scene, Ridley Scott didn't tell any of the cast (except John Hurt) about the specific blood effects and that it was gonna burst out of his chest. So their reactions are 100% genuine, even Veronica's "Oh God!". She even fainted after that scene...

Yeaaaaah alien saga is so cool. Alien 2 and Resurrection 💕 And I recommend Predator (‘87) and Predator vs Alien I

I love your special “scary movie” lighting!

I've watched a few good quality reaction vids to Alien on RU-vid. This vid is up there. So good to see you boys getting properly into it, and just watching the film, rather than give us a running commentary

By the way, are you guys aware of the famous trick that went with the Birth Scene? If not, it’s darkly hilarious. Scott and the effects crew didn’t reveal how messy it would be before shooting. That way, Scott got very real reactions, especially from Cartwright.

H.R. Giger's art design is incredible.

The best installment of them all, to be fair. Eerie, modest, thrilling. Nothing cash-grabby or cheap about it!!

Great review guys!

An absolute iconic film!

I love when you guys film in this lighting 😍😎🔦

Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack for this is perfect. Not much actual "music" but more just ambient sounds perfectly created to instill tension, isolation and dread from the very first frame of the movie. Only very sparingly do we hear an actual score, which gives it that much more impact when it is heard. The special effects and production values hold up very well even to this day. In my opinion it deserves to be right up there with "2001 - A Space Odyssey" for sci-fi. A masterpiece! The direct sequel is also excellent but in different ways. Don't waste your time with any of the other movies in the franchise. You will be let down.

Best reaction I've ever seen of this movie. Good job 👍👍

Opening day for this movie a group of us skipped work to go to the first matinee showing. There was great secrecy - the cast/crew had to sign non-disclosure agreements and no publicity shots were released that were later in the film than finding the space ship. This movie blew us out of the water. By time we got home the newspapers had splashed pictures of the Alien around. I'm glad we didn't know what was coming. The scenes in and outside the alien ship were filmed with children in space suits to make everything look larger. Carry On!!

The first extremely well done space extravaganza was "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Now you can watch Spaceballs. Although if you haven't watched Mel Brooks, there are some that you should do first (Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles).

Navigator Lambert's character tends to get a lot of flack from fans; you know because she's peceived to be a "wuss" 🙄 But you know what? - That's me there and frankly she's everyone else in the RU-vid chat as well. I/you/we would be hysterical in these circumstances

'Now, I actually don't know how horror this is....' Oh, don't worry. haha

Good set up with the lights, btw...

And no CGI... Interesting that sometimes the old special effects look more "real" than what we get with CGI. Good reaction video guys! One observation... You were wondering why they had a hull breach upon landing. The ship was landing on extremely rough terrain and let's face it...it weighed a lot! Lol! They made a point of showing one of the "landing legs" pushing a boulder down into the ground to emphasize this. The stress of the landing on that terrain was the reason for the breach. 😊

Ok finished, great job as usual, gents. I love how you picked up that these were like "space truckers", not explorers. Hey, you have to do the other major sci-fi movie of '77: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. It's Spielberg's best, most dazzling movie, I can't believe it doesn't have more reactions since it's one of the hugest, most important movies in his filmography. You guys specifically would do a fantastic reaction video to it....and believe me, there's A LOT to react to. Definitely pop that on your list, that's a major movie to have under your belt, and on your channel. There can never be too many reaction videos to "Close Encounters", and there aren't nearly enough.

Still so damn good! And i really thionk practical effects are better than most cgi. Thanks for the reaction.

I don't think Alien looks outdated with its computers Just view it as a Retro Futuristic Movie

As soon as I saw that Alien Derelict I'd have been like, "I'm out, see you back to the ship!"

Ellen Ripley is hands down the BADDEST bitch in space! She is honestly a role model. H.R Geiger is the one who made the Xenomorph, his style was otherworldly!

Sigourney Weaver..... The Queen of Science Fiction!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Good point about ''space truckers'' since Dan O'bannon one of the writers described them with exactly the same term at the time.

Fun fact: John Hurt who is ripped apart in the dining room played Ollivander in the Harry Potter movies.