some of my friends have been really into the alien franchise. they've been watching all the movies and playing the TTRPG. they watched the original 1979 flick and invited me along. it's got a rating of two stars not because it's a bad movie (i think, objectively, it's the opposite) but because it's admittedly not for me. i'm not much of a sci-fi fan, so it was just not going to be a hit with me from the start.

i did like all of the practical effects and set design. the 70s-80s clunky future aesthetic was really fun, and the practical effects made for a way grittier and grodier experience. i did a lot of fawning over that. the style of filmmaking is also (obviously) different from how we usually make movies nowadays, in ways both big and subtle. the acting and dialogue in particular feels very naturalistic in a way a lot of movies today aren't. that's not necessarily a bad thing in either direction, it's just interesting. sigourney weaver is very skilled at acting and also very beautiful, and i wouldn't be scared of the xenomorph if i was on the ship because i'd give her a little kiss.