In 1979, director Ridley Scott released his second feature film, Alien, a sci-fi horror movie that has only become more relevant as time has gone on. With every rewatch, it's nearly impossible not to appreciate another specific aspect of the movie that can now be considered a cinematic masterpiece. While Scott brought the movie to life, the story wouldn't have been as polarizing without writers Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, who seemingly predicted the future through one Alien element.
Drawing inspiration from movies like Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey, O'Bannon, Shusett, and Scott embraced the popularized sci-fi setting but injected it with deeply unsettling terrors plaguing a small crew trapped in space. Sci-fi and horror often go hand-in-hand, and it’s Alien that so convincingly proved how a movie doesn’t need to be identified as one or the other.
In less than two hours, Alien's cast and crew changed the landscape of horror forever, not only introducing some of the scariest visuals in movie history, thanks to H.R. Giger, but also cementing Ellen Ripley as one of the coolest fictional characters ever created. That said, there are several factors that have paved the way for Alien's legacy, even nearly 50 years after the movie's debut.
The AI Elements Introduced In 1979's Alien Are More Timely Than Ever
Parker, Ripley, and Ash gathered together in Alien
Shockingly, Alien’s reception was mixed when it was first released in 1979. It’s now one of the culturally significant movies in history, with the franchise still going strong to this day. While its ongoing popularity remains deeply rooted in nostalgia, its incorporation of artificial intelligence makes Alien surprisingly timely with its deeper themes.
Like the case with “Mother,” who is overseeing the mission on behalf of “the company,” Alien questions whether Ash should be trusted, which is something still being asked with current AI technology. AI isn't being used to develop synthetic androids that oversee space missions to acquire alien lifeforms (or maybe it is…), but the technology is being used more than ever before. From mundane tasks in everyday life to running aspects of some of the world’s biggest corporations, AI is everywhere.
Ash may have been a secondary antagonist in Alien, but as time goes on, his presence in the movie becomes more ominous with his ulterior motives. At one point, Ash even tries to kill Ripley. Fast-forward a few decades, and discussions surrounding AI have grown increasingly concerning in real life. Aside from its negative impact on the environment, AI carries a lot of risk when it comes to concerns surrounding misinformation, security, privacy, and the overall loss of human autonomy.
Whereas H.R. Giger changed the game with creature design with Xenomorphs, Facehuggers, and Chestbursters, Scott and Alien's writers deserve ultimate credit in creating such a culturally influential story deeply rooted in sci-fi. Even ignoring the Alien franchise timeline and futuristic setting, the threat of powerful companies that rely on AI is even more unsettling now than it was when the movie was first released.
The continued interest in the Alien franchise has given the original movie an even more significant lasting legacy. With seven Alien movies, two crossovers, and a prequel show, among other media, the franchise is still going strong after nearly 50 years. The AI concepts, in particular, have become more relevant with each franchise entry, including the recently released Alien: Earth.
Alien's prequel show embraced nostalgia by incorporating a doomed crew similar to that of the Nostromo. It also featured several familiar creatures in addition to Alien: Earth's other alien species. However, the focus on synths, cyborgs, and hybrids, specifically the discussion surrounding AI and human consciousness, has paid off with interesting elements first introduced in the original Alien. Xenomorphs will always be synonymous with Alien, but the warnings about AI still ring true today.
