10 Things You Learn Rewatching Alien

5. The Protagonist Switch Is Genius

It's easy to underestimate or even forget how unassuming the character of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is for the first half of this movie.

Rather than introduce her as the obvious protagonist and "final girl" of this horror movie, Scott treats her as just another member of the ship, while handsome captain Dallas (a decidedly more famous Tom Skeritt) more obviously fits the hero archetype.

In fact, Ripley even seems like a bit of an a**hole early on, refusing to break quarantine procedure to help save Kane's life, even if her by-the-book approach is what ultimately allows her to survive while her comrades flout procedure.

That Scott can shift the audience's initially frosty perception of Ripley and make them root for her survival is practically miraculous, though it's also fair to say that Ripley earns our support through her intelligence and resourcefulness.

It's an extremely tough bait-and-switch to pull off, though it'd certainly be great to see more contemporary movies at least attempting it.