Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Memory: The Origins of Alien scores 7/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Ending (Below Average).
The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.
Memory: The Origins of Alien is a thoughtful documentary that digs into the mythological, artistic, and collaborative roots of Ridley Scott's Alien. Its exploration of Dan O'Bannon's vision and H.R. Giger's art gives it genuine depth beyond a standard 'making of' piece, earning it above-average marks for plot structure and novelty. However, the talking-head format is fairly conventional for film documentaries, and the cinematography, while competent, doesn't distinguish itself. The ending trails off without a strong culminating insight, leaving the film feeling somewhat incomplete despite its fascinating subject matter.