I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about Ridley Scott’s epic space thriller Alien, which turns 40 this year.

Turns out I knew very little about the “origins of Alien”, and this new doco by Swiss writer/director Alexandre O. Phillippe is a fascinating deep dive into the story behind the iconic film.

Exploring the climate the film was created in, from the “fun space adventure” of Star Wars in 1977, to later works like The Thing, and E.T. Memory primarily examines the three key components of Alien, namely scriptwriter Dan O’Bannon, visionary artist H.R. Giger and directing powerhouse Ridley Scott.

Memory also explores the many influences on Alien, from H.P. Lovecraft to Weird Science Comics.

Proclaiming that the chest-burster scene is one of the best film moments of all time, it made sense when I learned the director had previously made an entire documentary about the shower scene from Psycho.

Explaining the presence of mythical creatures in various cultures the world over as a fundamental reason for the deep connection Alien has sustained with audiences for four decades, Memory is a delight for fans of the cult classic film.

4 Stars – “The Definitive Guide to a Classic Film”