Alien is a movie that understands the danger of using space travel as an excuse to reach God’s level, that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Humans selfishly aim to master the heavens much like how people did in building the tower of Babel, (Genesis 11:1-9) but don’t realize that the amount of control our Creator has is one not even all the humans of the Earth combined can reach a small percentage of. Likewise, Ridley Scott’s early feature film shows how terrifying it is for those who don’t fear the Lord to try and master the heavens.
When it comes to the Bible, movies, and aliens, numerous cinematic parallels exist between Jesus and aliens. There’s a cinematic concept called, “the Alien Messiah,” where an unearthly being comes down to perform miracles and save people, all while being hunted down by government forces, there’s usually a death and resurrection three-quarters of the way through the film, and ends with the being returning to the sky (think E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial or Superman). However, the Xenomorph of Alien perfectly defies the Alien Messiah, aligning closer to an “angel of death” concept.
When it comes to the Bible, movies, and aliens, numerous cinematic parallels exist between Jesus and aliens. There’s a cinematic concept called, “the Alien Messiah,” where an unearthly being comes down to perform miracles and save people, all while being hunted down by government forces, there’s usually a death and resurrection three-quarters of the way through the film, and ends with the being returning to the sky (think E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial or Superman). However, the Xenomorph of Alien perfectly defies the Alien Messiah, aligning closer to an “angel of death” concept.
Look at God’s four cherubim of Revelation 4:6-8 and Ezekiel 1:5-13; they are described as being covered in eyes and wings, having the appearance of bronze and fire, and each resembling a lion, cow, man, and eagle respectively—three warm-blooded mammals and a bird. The Xenomorph’s genius design appears very different, with no wings or eyes, a form that melts into the shadows, and an exoskeleton that resembles a cold-blooded insect/reptile in appearance, thus making the Xenomorph a metaphorical angel of death.
What’s even more ironic than the Alien Messiah trope being flipped on our expectations, these human characters can’t be anywhere near the color WHITE and are more comfortable in the dark shadows. If in a brightly lit room, their sinful selves are exposed, ready for the monster to stick its fanged tongue out at them. To a Christian, the color white can symbolize purity and spotlessness, but for a nonbeliever, such as those in this movie, it symbolizes blinding despair instead. (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3, Acts 9:3-9, Revelation 1:14) Fitting that, Ash bleeds white blood to give away his robot identity, and the sleeping chamber to introduce the humans in, along with the common eating space, is stark-white. Then the ship that Ellen Ripley finally escapes in is completely dark. So right from the beginning all the way to the bare bones of a human, this movie proves that without Jesus, a dark tunnel can’t be illuminated without exposing sinful individuals for the angel of death to strike. (Psalm 119:105, John 8:12)
Although while this movie does understand how dangerous it can be for people to escalate toward the heavens in attempts to feel like gods themselves, (Deuteronomy 4:19) it doesn’t quite understand how to properly attack the concept of idolatry, more specifically women. In the scene when Ellen Ripley strips almost naked, she is framed accordingly to make the most of showing off her legs, buttcrack, and waistline (in WHITE undies, by the way). This was purely an unnecessary detail to include in the film and distracts from the more important manners it does quite well.
What Alien does best is turning our fears into literal visual metaphors. There’s the fear of failed masculinity, where one of the male crew members gets pregnant from the crab-like facehugger. There’s insectophobia, which is triggered by the facehugger dropping from above then moving whenever touched. Then of course, there’s astrophobia, which when combined with insectophobia and failed masculinity leaves an impact with a clear visual of demons. But if you give your life to Jesus by confessing yourself as a sinner in need of a second birth, you have nothing to fear, not even men, space, or bugs. For without the Holy Spirit, you have every right to fear the Xenomorph, as its attack on a crew of seven is a sign of God commanding His creation to destroy our sinful selves. Henceforth, in space, no one can hear you scream.
What’s even more ironic than the Alien Messiah trope being flipped on our expectations, these human characters can’t be anywhere near the color WHITE and are more comfortable in the dark shadows. If in a brightly lit room, their sinful selves are exposed, ready for the monster to stick its fanged tongue out at them. To a Christian, the color white can symbolize purity and spotlessness, but for a nonbeliever, such as those in this movie, it symbolizes blinding despair instead. (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3, Acts 9:3-9, Revelation 1:14) Fitting that, Ash bleeds white blood to give away his robot identity, and the sleeping chamber to introduce the humans in, along with the common eating space, is stark-white. Then the ship that Ellen Ripley finally escapes in is completely dark. So right from the beginning all the way to the bare bones of a human, this movie proves that without Jesus, a dark tunnel can’t be illuminated without exposing sinful individuals for the angel of death to strike. (Psalm 119:105, John 8:12)
Although while this movie does understand how dangerous it can be for people to escalate toward the heavens in attempts to feel like gods themselves, (Deuteronomy 4:19) it doesn’t quite understand how to properly attack the concept of idolatry, more specifically women. In the scene when Ellen Ripley strips almost naked, she is framed accordingly to make the most of showing off her legs, buttcrack, and waistline (in WHITE undies, by the way). This was purely an unnecessary detail to include in the film and distracts from the more important manners it does quite well.
What Alien does best is turning our fears into literal visual metaphors. There’s the fear of failed masculinity, where one of the male crew members gets pregnant from the crab-like facehugger. There’s insectophobia, which is triggered by the facehugger dropping from above then moving whenever touched. Then of course, there’s astrophobia, which when combined with insectophobia and failed masculinity leaves an impact with a clear visual of demons. But if you give your life to Jesus by confessing yourself as a sinner in need of a second birth, you have nothing to fear, not even men, space, or bugs. For without the Holy Spirit, you have every right to fear the Xenomorph, as its attack on a crew of seven is a sign of God commanding His creation to destroy our sinful selves. Henceforth, in space, no one can hear you scream.
Thank you so much for your time in reading! Please feel free to e-mail me at Trevor@TrevorsViewOnHollywood.com or message me through social media if you have any further questions. I’m also doing these types of posts monthly, so if there’s another movie you want me to talk in-depth about from a Christian perspective, please let me know!
Have a great week, and happy watching, God bless!
Have a great week, and happy watching, God bless!
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