Memory: The Origins of Alien

Released Oct 4, 2019

1 hr. 35 min.

Documentary

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81%

81 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

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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

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MMC G

Good documentary but I don't think it added anything new to the original 1979 film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/22

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Alexandre O. Philippe

Director

Veronica Cartwright

Self

Roger Christian

Self

Roger Corman

Self

Diane O'Bannon

Self

Ivor Powell

Self

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Memory: The Origins of Alien: Trailer 1

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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

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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
Executive Producer: Leslie Barany, Diane O'Bannon, Carmen Scheifele-Giger
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

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