Memory: The Origins of Alien

critic Reviews

, 82% Certified Fresh Tomatometer Score
  • Memory - The Origins of Alien offers an entertaining inside look at the making of a classic -- and compellingly analyzes its creation in the context of its era.
  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Ben KenigsbergNew York Times
    While it is generally engaging to learn about the influences of the screenwriter Dan O'Bannon or the artistic process of H.R. Giger (who designed the alien), the documentary is at its least fawning when it focuses on technique.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Leonard Maltinleonardmaltin.com
    This much I can promise: after seeing this documentary you'll never look at Alien the same way again.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Matt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.com
    It has a complex and rigorously argued set of theses that all come together at the end.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Justin ChangLos Angeles Times
    "Memory: The Origins of 'Alien,'" a well-mounted peek behind the scenes of Ridley Scott's 1979 science-fiction masterpiece, is more interested in what you can see, as well as what you cannot unsee.
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  • , Rotten Tomatometer Score
    Ignatiy VishnevetskyAV Club
    The result often feels superficial; it is neither a definitive account of the creation of Scott's touchstone of horror and sci-fi, nor a cogent analysis of its aestheticized subtexts, those gritty and unnerving surfaces and the things lurking underneath.
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  • , Rotten Tomatometer Score
    Matt SingerScreenCrush
    Too superficial a treatment of the chestburster sequence, and also too lengthy an exploration of it to give the other elements of the movie their due.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Greg CarlsonVague Visages
    Alien is a gift that keeps on giving, and Memory: The Origins of Alien unwraps so many colorfully wrapped boxes of various shapes and sizes.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Brian EggertDeep Focus Review
    Just when you thought it was impossible to love a film any more than you already did, along comes Memory: The Origins of Alien.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Kathy FennessySeattle Film Blog
    It was an attractive work, in terms of the cinematography, editing, and graphic design. That can't be said about all making-of documentaries, especially those made by inexperienced or under-funded filmmakers.
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  • , Rotten Tomatometer Score
    Andrew GaudionVultureHound
    There is the feeling that one can't escape; the feeling being that this plays a bit too much like a glorified DVD extra.
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