The Making of book on Alien is a larger book. I was also expecting to see maybe a few new bits and pieces of some trivia here and there, but was mostly set on reading everything I already knew in one, large book format with a gorgeous cover. I was even more surprised with this one than with the Aliens one. As I mentioned in my Aliens book review, I didn't really see how anything new or substantial could be added to all the info on making of the film that's been out, especially with the phenomenal Anthology Award winning documentaries. I expected to find much less "new" information on the original Alien, since it's been so thoroughly covered, especially in recent years. Not only the Anthology documentaries covered it in such detail from its inception, but also the laserdisc and TV specials also added to it (or rather, the Anthology added to it, since it came after), and detailed books on its production were already published, such as, for example, Alien Vault.
I was extremely surprised by the amount of unknown facts, stories, and anecdotes that I have never heard about. And it's not just a filler material, it's all really, really interesting stuff that kept me reading till late hours even with work looming early the next day. It was so interesting I couldn't put it down, and mind you, I know the Anthology extras by memory now.
I can say that while the Aliens book provided me with about 15% of what I've never heard before, the Alien one had about 70% of it, and I thought it has been already covered to a T for years
Also, after reading the book I have a very different view on the movie, or maybe rather, it's creation. First of all, while I knew some of it, I was surprised at how much of its genius is actually a result of budget and time restraints. Not only the idea of showing less, but the ideas in general. For example, I always thought Dallas' death scene is one of the greatest scenes ever made. I knew it was different from the original concept (which was the alien running around in circles after Dallas in large tunnels), but I thought they changed it to what it is because they felt it'll be better, not because they didn't have funds for the set or time to shoot. Also, thanks to the limited budget and constant interference of the studio, a lot of absolutely terrible ideas were scrapped. I think what works for the alien creature is its Lovecraftian mystery and its primal instinct, and if not the rush and the pressure, alien could have been much more than an instinctual creature bend on reproduction. I think the beauty and the horror of it lays in its primal simplicity - it's beautifully terrifying work of art, but with nothing but pure instinct behind it. A large, heart stopping parasite which there is no pleading or negotiating with, because it's an animal guided by an instinct. Its a spider and we are flies.
Secondly, I was shocked at how troubled the production was and how nearly, if not every shot and every day presented problems and interference and pressure from the studio. It was a fight all the way through right until the moment the studio had literally cut the power on Scott and told him that's it. It's easily as troubled, if not ever more so than a production of Alien 3 was, and that was quite a surprise.
Not many photos of the actual alien adult creature as in the other book, but plenty of great photos nonetheless. Highly recommended
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