I've tried to like Alien, but just can't get into it.
I feel like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like this movie. I'll give credit where credit is due because it's shot very well and the production design is excellent, but on the whole I've always been disappointed with it.
I'll probably get flak for this but the biggest problem I have with the movie is the inconsistent special effects. The famous chest bursting scene is set up very well and John Hurt sells it perfectly but when it eventually comes out I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit because it looks like what it is, a plastic puppet that is being twisted on a stick by a stage hand. Then when it scurries off, it also looks like what it is, a plastic puppet being pulled along on a track that is hidden in the table. I think the same thing about E.T when he is trying to get to the ship before it takes off, it's pretty poorly done in an otherwise decent movie.
I might be coming down a little hard on the movie because I'm well aware that Scott was being rushed for time and resources when shooting a lot of these effects sequences, but essentially it's an A movie that settled for second. The scene where Ash has his head knocked off and his wooden arms are flailing around everywhere is pretty laughable and the god awful jump cut scene following it is basically unforgivable, there was another way to shoot that scene without resorting to an obvious jump cut.
Which brings be to my next point about the Alien, which for the most part is shot well, keeping it in the shadows and showing only certain sections of its figure was a good move on Scott's behalf. However there are shots that really show that it's just a man in a suit and when it gets blasted out of the air lock it gave it away. All of these things broke my sense of danger and suspense when watching it and I've had conversations with people online who chastise me for judging a movie on its special effects, but I think its warranted. The Alien is the draw card of the film and if you can't sell it with the special effects then there's a problem.
Obviously I'm in the minority here as people have loved this movie for nearly 40 years but I've re-watched this film several times since I first saw it in 1998 and still feel the same way. As they say, first impressions last and those dodgy special effects really stick out like a sore thumb to me and prevent me from feeling the same suspense and terror that the characters are.