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Memory: The Origins of Alien

Play trailer 1:19 Poster for Memory: The Origins of Alien Released Oct 4, 2019 1h 35m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 78 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings
An in depth voyage into the sci-fi film "Alien" with the visionary filmmakers who created it. See how one of the most terrifying movies of all time comes to life 40 years ago, inspired by ancient mythology and our universal fears.
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Memory: The Origins of Alien

Memory: The Origins of Alien

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Kenigsberg New 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. Oct 4, 2019 Full Review Leonard Maltin leonardmaltin.com This much I can promise: after seeing this documentary you'll never look at Alien the same way again. Oct 4, 2019 Full Review Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com It has a complex and rigorously argued set of theses that all come together at the end. Rated: 4/4 Oct 4, 2019 Full Review Greg Carlson Vague 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. Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep 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. Rated: 4/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Seattle 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. Rated: 3/4 Nov 20, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member If you loved the movie Alien 👽 You will love this documentary. I don't care for documentaries but actually enjoyed this! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This was such an awesome film. It wasn't simply a behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of a film, there was so much more to it than that. So much has already been said, written and filmed about the Alien universe, its origins and its making, and although some of that is touched upon here, this is mainly focused on Alien and its place in our culture, exploring Alien's attachments to the past, the effect and synergy with its contemporary audience and, in hindsight, its connection to the future. This is a very fresh perspective for the Alien franchise, and with many new interviews and movie artifacts, this is not just a great film for those who are already fans, but for anyone interested in delving into the intersection between the film and the societal consciousness. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member To be fair going into this review. I did not consider myself a fan of documentaries unless it was something I had a strong interest in. Alien was a great movie. Loved it and watched it a few times over the years but didn't consider myself a fanboy. However, not for one second was I not deeply engaged in this story. So many intriguing tales about the production you never would have considered for the time period, and even today. It was all around a well done documentary and I will watch both this and Alien again immediately after seeing this. If you are an HR Giger or Ridley Scott fan this is a must see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Kyle M While the movie itself is average and a classic horrific thriller, the documentary that goes over the elemental roots doesn't enhance the subject any better but complements it over what inspired it and why did it turn out the way it did, acknowledging previous discussions with new insights by timely dissuasion then. (B+) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/04/23 Full Review Rick A The first half showing how all the various elements of the film fell into place is fascinating and absolutely amazing, but the whole documentary gradually disappears up in own backside when the parade of pseudo-intellectual social critic types come in to analyze the film and predictably shoehorn it into modern day notions of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Cannot eye-roll hard enough at the utter stupidity of this section of the film. Literally, this documentary shifts from being one of the best to one of the worst I've ever seen. The first half and the last 20 minutes is a must-see. The section in the middle with the critics/analysis is embarrassingly bad. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/10/23 Full Review bruno l I've had to introduce a half rating due to this documentary film. It looked so promising but probably should have been something that only lived on as a bonus on a DVD or additional footage on streamers. In fairness, I have watched countless hours of behind-the-scenes and making offs, I just expected this to be more. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Memory: The Origins of Alien

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis An in depth voyage into the sci-fi film "Alien" with the visionary filmmakers who created it. See how one of the most terrifying movies of all time comes to life 40 years ago, inspired by ancient mythology and our universal fears.
Director
Alexandre O. Philippe
Producer
Kerry Deignan Roy
Screenwriter
Alexandre O. Philippe
Distributor
Screen Media Films
Production Co
Exhibit A Pictures, Screen Division, Milkhaus
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 4, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.2K
Runtime
1h 35m
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