Change Your Image
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg0OWEwZGUtMjQ2MS00NmVkLTgxMWItMzYzZTZjYzY2ZWJjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzc1NTMxMDc@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
Bijan_Karim
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Alien (1979)
Perhaps the most competently made horror film ever
There has always been one big debate with Alien. Is it a horror film, or is it a science fiction film? The answer to me is simple, it is both. Although, I do believe that it is primarily a horror film. Barry Keith has said that the distinguishing factor between science fiction and horror is that "The appeal of science fiction is primarily cognitive, while horror
is essentially emotional." The reason that I think of Alien as a horror film, is that all of the science in it is there to instil an emotional reaction, specifically the emotion of terror. The production design, art direction, make-up, writing, all rely heavily on science fiction ideals and visuals. However, all of these ideas and visuals are presented in a way to scare the audience. The large spaceship with its dark, narrow corridors serves the purpose of a massive, claustrophobic haunted house. The alien is designed to play on the audience's fears. Even the android character is primarily used for scares, as even he takes the place of a villain from a slasher film in the second half of, similar to the alien. If the film were primarily science fiction, all of the inventions and futuristic elements would primarily be in presented to cognitively affect the viewers. Though the film does have some science fiction ideas that aren't meant to purely instil horror. However, none of these ideas have the sense of awe or wonder that is usually to be expected from science fiction. The space travellers in the film are miners who see what they do as labor rather than a journey. The idea of a dirty, muddy, industrial look was foreign to space operas and science fiction at the time of the film's release. This is where the film succeeds as pure science fiction.
The fact that Alien is largely a horror film is not a negative at all, as I think it is a great one . As I have mentioned before, I think that film is not the best medium for cognitive art. Books are generally the best as they do not deal with the dimension of time to present their ideas, allowing the viewer to take their own pace in understanding ideals. Alien in many ways encapsulates everything I love about science fiction cinema. The sense of mood created by the locations and cinematography are mesmerizing. Every part of the spaceship feels like its own character, and the superb special effects present them in a perfect manner.
'I also feel that Alien is a good example of using realistic acting in a science fiction film, as opposed to Advantageous. Most of the dialogue scenes feel improvisational, and though the actors have everyday looks and qualities, they do not appear or behave "plain", instead they are ordinary, but with character. I personally think that the dinner scene after a crew member has been impregnated by the face-hugger is the best scene in the film. The scene is a perfect example how effects that are not necessarily amazing can be used to amazing effect in combination with great filmmaking. The interactions during the dinner scene, which might be the best scene in the film, feel very mundane and ordinary. It has occurred to me that most of it might had been improvised. Scott brilliantly makes us laugh and take comfort for the first time during this scene before the small alien bursts out of the crew member's chest. We are slowly made to believe that everything may actually be okay with the characters and spend some time with them. When the alien comes out of the crew member's chest, the audience is entirely shocked, and at that point it does not fully matter how good the effect looks, as it was not the effect that made the audience feel something, it was the craftsmanship of the film.
Advantageous (2015)
"Nice Try"
Advantageous explores themes of technology in relation to the alteration of the human physique and the social impacts of it. The film also asks the question how far these ideas can be taken by humans. The main character in the film, Gwen, has to change her appearance in order to become a better public figure for her job. The obvious idea here is that she is getting old and her looks are not enough. But I found it interesting that the film had a large cast of East Asian actors, and that when she switched her appearance to that of a Caucasian woman. This speaks about the obsession that Western media has with the looks of Caucasians.
We find out near the end that Gwen in reality had to die and a clone of her with a different appearance took her place when she got the augmentation. This twist is shown to the viewer via a flashback. Gwen wilfully agrees, knowing that her daughter will be raised by this clone. Themes of family, capitalist economy and determination come to the forefront. The second half of the Advantageous is largely spent on the ramifications of this decision. And to me, is where the film finally becomes interesting. I initially found the movie to be a tad dull. Many of the actors in the film, including the lead are very blank faced, humourless and oddly stoic. Even the usually goofy Ken Jeong shows up for a limited part where he does not even get to crack a smile. The film is going for an aesthetic of pure realism, though I have never found that "plain" can equate "relatable". The lack of personality for me always makes scenes of exposition similar to the experience of reading a book unless the acting is absolutely perfect. So, on that level, the film did not work for me as much of the dialogue is in fact, exposition. However, this sense of realism began to grow on me as the film went along. I have always found myself to be interested in the theatrical aspects of cinema, working with actors, telling narrative stories. And this film took a turn for the better in its second half, because my favourite type of science fiction is the type that is about the feeling of ideals rather than an analysis of them.
Film, to me, is a medium that is purely about making the viewers feel emotion, and this movie at its core is about the relationship of a mother and daughter. The idea of science fiction films being an impossibility as mentioned in Grant's "Sensous Elaboration", I think is more about the distinguishment between interesting and uninteresting science fiction films. The difference between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar is that despite being films about similar subject matter, they handle it differently. In Interstellar characters discuss the science fiction ideals with expository dialogue so that the audience understands what is happening while in 2001, Kubrick does very little to explain what is happening and the film is therefore more of a sensorial experience. This film explores a what-if scenario in which these two characters faced an impossible situation, which made it interesting. The movie to me is about how the relationship of two people would be affected in a fictional world. Since the intricacies of the technology is not necessarily spectacular, the film explores the characters, and if it were to focus solely on the technology, the film would be very boring to me. Instead, it is a serviceable character piece with a science fiction backdrop.