A deep dive into an influential classic, Memory: The Origins of Alien speaks to the influence that myth, culture, and fear had in creating a work of cinematic art, doing so with an intelligent if not at times pretentious tone.

Inspiration can come from many quarters, especially these days where information is at a critical mass. Just like pop-songs often use the same three chords, certain types of films also riff off the same notes. The 1979 sci-fi horror classic Alien is a film that definitely owes its existence to creations both cinematic and obscure. Not to mention a good dollop of fear, a must for any nightmarish vision come to life.

Director Alexander O. Phillipe (The People vs George Lucas) dives deep into the formation of Alien, and finds that artistic inspiration is more primal than expected. It is embedded in our conscious, our spirit, our evolution as a species, in which we express our beliefs, hopes, and fears through all matter of mythos. Afterall, are we not a species that have passed on stories from generation to generation, era to era? In the debate as to what happened to “original” storytelling, maybe it never existed in the first place.

Philippe expertly presents Alien as a product of three distinct visions: screenwriter Dan O’Bannon; artist H.R. Giger; and director Ridley Scott. For fans of the series this is not much of a surprise, yet the serendipitous nature of how these three creative minds came together is almost eerie. Interviews both new and old tracks the progress of their eventual assemblage on a project that, thanks to studio interference, was almost made into a near certain abomination. O’Bannon’s story is particularly interesting, with his upbringing in the otherwise placid surroundings of the Midwest generating a fear of the unknown, and an escapism into all things sci-fi and horror.

There are moments of over analysis that is akin to banging a square into a circle with a jackhammer. One particular assertion that Alien provides commentary on the broken home epidemic of the ‘70s, as portrayed by the likes of Kramer vs Kramer, is eye-rolling at best. Furthermore, the overuse of the term “male rape” to describe the means in which the alien creature injects its hosts, is ludicrous in its usage.

Such grasping at straws are part and parcel of these deep dives. Thankfully, Memory: The Origins of Alien offers much more substance in the way of reflective and fascinating insight into not only the making of a masterpiece, but the inherent inspirations that trigger such bold creativity.