Alien (1979) User Reviews

"Alien" is not just the monster, it's the atmosphere and the way you feel!

[chrishn · 9/10 · 6 February 2005]

In "Alien" we follow a seven man crew en-route to earth on board the huge space freighter "Nostromo". The crew is in cryosleep, but the on board computer interrupts the journey when a foreign radio signal is picked up. It originates from an uninhabited planet and the crew lands to investigate. There they make contact with an alien life-form...

What makes Alien so great is the constant feel of uneasiness. Right from the beginning you have a feeling that something is wrong. The crew is not particularly friendly towards each other, and you truly feel all the in-group tension. The ship itself is a huge worn out industrial-style maze of halls and corridors, and it feels more like a prison than a place to live. It is as if not only the alien but also the ship itself is against the humans. The Alien itself is the scariest monster in history because it is a ruthless, soul-less parasite completely devoid of any human or civilized traits. The design of the monster is a stroke of genius. Sure it has a humanoid form, but it has no facial traits or anything else which could give away emotions or intentions. Its actions reveals no weaknesses nor civilized intelligence. The Alien is more or less the opposite of everything human and civilized, plus the creature is more well-adapted to the inhumane interior of the ship than the humans who build it. To sum up, you then have a setting where the humans are caught in a web of in-group tensions, an inhospitable ship and the perfect killer which thrives in the ships intestines. You almost get the feel that the humans are the ones who are alienated to each other and to their own ship.

Ridley Scott tells the story with a perfectly synchronized blend of visuals and sounds.

The actors do a superb job, portraying their characters in a subtle but very realistic way. The seven man crew is not a bunch of Hollywood heroes. They are ordinary people with strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. In this way they all seem so fragile when confronted with the enemy.

As mentioned the ship is very claustrophobic and Ridley Scott adds to the eeriness by using camera movement, lights and shadows in an effective way. The living quarters are bright and should be comfortable to the crew, but there is something sterile about it all. The rest of the ship is basically a huge basement.

The music by Jerry Goldsmith underlines the eeriness so well, and the movie wouldn't have worked without his score. Combined with the sounds of the ship it all adds to the uneasiness.

This is not a story about heroic people who boldly teams up against evil. It's a story about ordinary people facing true fear, which is the fear without a face. The fear we can't understand and can't negotiate with, because its only goal is to survive on the expense of us. It's a story where some people bravely fight back whilst others are destroyed by the terror. It's a story where people a killed in a completely random way. There is no higher-order justice behind who gets to live and who dies. All seven characters are just part of a race where the fittest - not necessarily the most righteous - will prevail, and all seven characters start the race on an equal footing. None of them are true heroes, and none of them are true villains.

All the above makes Alien so great as a horror movie. The terror isn't just the Alien itself, it's the entire atmosphere which gets so effectively under your skin, that you just can't shrug it off after the end credits like you can with so many other Hollywood horror movies. The title "Alien" doesn't just refer to the monster, it is the theme of the movie and it is the feeling you have during and after the movie. 9/10

The facehugger scared me as a kid and i still find em creepy.

[Fella_shibby · 9/10 · 24 March 2021]

Everything has already been said about this great film n there seems to be little left to say but lemme contribute a lil more by praising how good this film is.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs n as a kid i found it to be a bit slow but was shaken by the chestburster scene.

The facehugger terrified me as a kid.

Revisited all the four parts in the early 2k on dvds which i own.

Revisited this part again few days back as i am on Alien movie marathon n very impatient to check out Prometheus n Covenant.

I feel that this part is inspired by Bava's Planet of the Vampires.

The ruins with the skeletal remains, the design and shots of the ship itself does have the deja vu effect.

This one is atmospheric n dark, gory at times, it has enuff stuff for sci fi fans, it also has slasher n war like tone.

But the best thing is the feminist tone where in this part the women are not being cast as the helpless victims.

Milestone

[Pluto-3 · 9/10 · 14 August 1998]

The beginning of one of the greatest series of all time. This film will always remain a classic. It's scary, influential and insanely entertaining. Not just that but Ridley Scott actually has a great sense of style and mood and he plays with that a lot, to make us shiver. There's also an interesting mystery surrounding the Alien which we know practically nothing about. Sigourney Weaver is just as powerful as usual and really brings strength to the film; they make one. Last but not least, the musical score. Wow! It's fantastic. I think the Alien series is known for that aspect as well. Let's hope they'll continue the series and dang we need it all on DVD !

Holds up as a classic.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 16 January 2020]

Alien remains one of the most original, terrifying movies of all time. Compare this with the lame sci fi horrors we get nowadays, 1979, and it still packs a huge punch.

Fantastically atmospheric, chilling and terrifying even now, the story holds up incredibly well. The special effects were incredible for the time, no wonder the franchise is still in demand, though sadly nowhere near the quality of this one or its amazing successor.

The music is fantastic, the direction is incredible, and as for the Alien itself, way ahead of its time. Weaver is phenomenal, but arguably she's upstaged by the creature.

You can't help but remember scenes days after watching it, it definitely has the chill factor.

A cinematic masterpiece. 10/10

A Timeless Science Fiction Masterpiece

[gogoschka-1 · 10/10 · 11 February 2018]

'Alien' is one of those special films that have aged very, very well. Even now, after nearly 40 years, everything about it just feels fresh. The restrained, natural performances by the fantastic cast; the outstanding production design; the beautiful, ominous score by Jerry Goldsmith; the realistic, "lived-in" look of space-freighter Nostromo's interior: it actually feels less dated than many science fiction films that were made much later, which is quite an astonishing feat. Even the (what now must be considered) "retro" technology inside the ship doesn't necessarily have to be viewed as anachronistic in the face of our obvious recent advancements, because it's the most simple technological equipment that is usually robust enough to survive the longest under harsh conditions (like the extreme temperatures in space).

I feel it's especially hard for science fiction films to stand the test of time - which is kind of inherent to the genre I suppose - and 'Alien' simply remains an outstanding achievement in that regard. It's a testament to the talent of everyone involved, but especially to the vision of director Ridley Scott. The film was crafted with so much love for every little detail, and the designs by Moebius, Chris Foss - and in particular the Lovecraftian horrors unleashed by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger - are among the best and most iconic in any science fiction film. This isn't just an outstanding, timeless piece of entertainment: it's a work of art. 10 Stars out of 10.

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

A horror classic

[ContagiousLasagna · 10/10 · 21 September 2018]

What makes Alien great is it's synchronization of sound, visuals and showing great attention to detail. Not only that but Alien has an unnerving atmosphere right from the beginning. We're introduced to a crew who is not exactly too friendly to each other add to that the ship. It's huge, and with its halls and corridors, it feels almost like a maze.

Enter Alien, a ruthless parasite with humanoid form yet it lacks any civilised traits of a human. It does have humanoid form but it doesn't give a single emotion. The design of the monster is what's the most terrifying (and it still holds up despite Alien being released in 1979). The creature is also better adapted to the ship's interior making a big part of the movie feel like a sinister game of cat and mouse.

What I particularly like is how the characters are written. They are not Hollywoodized heroes, in fact, there is no hero. They're just people which makes them even more threatened. The performances are all equally realistic and do deliver. Kudos to director Ridley Scott for using crafty cinematography and combining it with shadows and lights in an eerie way. The music is unrelenting and combined with Scott's cinematography, sound and visuals it adds to the eeriness.

The plot is also not another Hollywoodized cliché. It's more like "survival of the fittest". The characters battle true terror as they race to survive or outlive each other, they're all just a part of a race to see who will prevail and who will die.

Final Rating: 10/10

For me, it doesn't get any better than this

[boardertrash · 10/10 · 23 December 2022]

I'm often amazed that people prefer Aliens to the original, I guess it's down to personal taste but in my opinion the first film is far and away the best. It's the way Ripley's whole world just unravels gradually from the get go, the pacing is sublime and it simply doesn't have to rely on tons of action set pieces like the second film does. My assumption is some people find it too slow but everytime I watch it I just marvel at every scene, the effort that went into every detail. The true mark of what an achievement this film was for the time is also how nothing appears dated even now in HD or in 4k, there are countless instances in the second film where it's blatantly obvious scale models have been used and it always bugs me. You have to remember this was made when Christopher Reeve's Superman was about which vfx's look terrible in comparison, blows your mind doesn't it?! Don't get me wrong I enjoy all of the Alien franchise movies, they do gradually worsen in sequence apart from Prometheus which is joint second place for me. I won't go into script or acting, needless to say both are top drawer and feel completely authentic and natural.

A masterpiece! Simple as that.

The mother of all movies

[Patuquitos · 10/10 · 31 January 2005]

Back in early 20th century, Lumière brothers didn't have a clue of what they were playing with. I'm freaking sure that if somebody could have magically told them that thanks to their work, a movie like 'Alien' would have been made in the future, they both would have died of a sudden, shocked by the consequences of their labor, like an honest scientist would if he was shown an evil use of his research. In that sense, but in the best way imaginable, 'Alien' is the atomic bomb.

In my opinion, 'Alien' is the only perfect movie in the history of cinema. Of course, this could be debatable, but of all the films I've watched since I was born, this is the only one in which I haven't been able to find the slightest flaw. It gets a golden ten out of ten. Bright, solid and massive.

I could go on with a panegyric, but I'll try to be short and accurate:

The direction is just perfect. Every shot is marvellous, every movement of the camera is breathtaking. There is absolutely nothing you could add or subtract. Touch it, and you spoil it. Seriously.

The acting is splendid. The performances build a credible world centuries away. I don't know about you, but this take on the future was unveliabably acceptable. Sigourney Weaver is more than a revelation, John Hurt is a master, and the rest are nothing short of marvellous.

The script is a work of art, the story is mesmerizing, well-constructed, well-developed, and free of absurd twists. Its simplicity and efectiveness are yet, 25 years after, to be matched.

The atmosphere is pure genius. Gothic, claustrophobic and sometimes baroque. The use of light and dark is beyond description, the use of sound is as creepy as it gets.

The FX are the best possible for 1979. In the time of the release, some scenes were stomach churning.

The score. Jerry Goldsmith's work matches the images so perfectly it seems to bleed from them. It is and will be the best soundtrack for a sci-fi flick in space ever.

The tagline. "In space, no one can hear you scream". THIS is a tagline.

And, of course... the alien. The only alive creature that can steal Weaver the movie. Its design is the most innovative I've seen. It has spawned dozens of disgraceful imitations. This is the real deal. Not only the look, but the complete design of a life form, including biological features. Acid instead of blood. Jaws inside jaws. What more could you possibly want? This is how a movie is done.

A very good sign of a movie that has gone down in history is the amount of collectively well remembered scenes. Well, 'Alien' has so many that I won't go into it. This movie contains so many iconic scenes that has become an icon itself.

So, what else? I urge all young directors to watch this movie a zillion times, as I've already done, and take notes all along. But not in order to rip off from it, as many others have done, but to learn, learn, learn, learn and learn how a movie should be done. 'Casablanca'? You must be joking.

Oh, I almost forget! There's a lovable cat in it.

RATING: 10

Structural perfection matched only by its hostility

[oneshotstop · 20 July 1999]

Director Ridley Scott's well-honed talents of pacing and editing create a tense atmosphere that superbly conveys dread and fear of an unknown, unseen evil entity. In 1979, the technology didn't exist to generate a computer image of a Being from another world, and thank God, because this film would have sucked just like all these post-Alien creature features do. Everyone who loves this movie knows what I'm talking about. Ridley Scott had to be extremely careful not to show a full shot of the Alien, except in very brief scenes, and not to reveal exactly how it moves, because then we would see that it is just some tall, skinny guy in a rubber suit. Nowadays, some computer guy would whip up a really scary-looking, but nevertheless FAKE-looking (yes, computer guys, we can tell) Alien, and the director would not have to even think about trying to breathe life into H.R. Giger's hallucinations to make a successful picture.

The dark, cold beauty of this film will never be equaled.

Did I just get Punk'd?

[dead47548 · 5/10 · 29 January 2008]

I'm kind of at a loss for words. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed. I thought the film was one of the most excruciatingly dull I've ever seen. It just dragged on and on, with even the violent scenes were the alien attacks being completely uninteresting because you see nothing that happens. It's just some blurs, some terrible acting, a closeup of the mouth and it's over. The characters were total clichés and completely uninteresting ones at that. I didn't care once about what was going to happen to them. I was just praying they all died and the film ended an hour before it was supposed to. The film wasn't remotely suspenseful or engaging. A lot of scenes were unintentionally laughable because of how absurd they were (like the one in the picture above) or because of how contrived and idiotic they were (like Ash being a robot). As much as I want to give this film a below average rating though, there's no denying that it's technical aspects are phenomenal. The art direction and makeup completely revolutionized science-fiction and the cinematography is ingenious. But when all is said and done I was just bored to tears and extremely disappointed.

Classic horror

[bob the moo · 16 October 2001]

The further we go in special effects, the more movies show us and ignore the unseen, the more people will return to dark horrors like this one.

It's hard to look at this film without considering the sequels and knowing the alien itself, however when made the alien was mostly unseen and a mystery. It's difficult to forget what you've seen, but it's important to approach this film first if possible rather than joining the series late.

It's amazing that this is over 20 years old - apart from the actors looking so young, the film doesn't feel dated at all. The sci-fi visions here are still bleak and futuristic as they were then - this is not the Star Trek vision of the future. The foreboding exists long before John Hurt spills his secret, Scott's direction is excellent throughout. Once the alien is "born" the tension is cranked up and the characters dispatched one by one (a formula we know oh-so well now!)

However here the characters are not merely alien-food but have some dimension to them. Weaver is excellent, while the support cast is full of great support actors (Stanton, Kotto, Hurt, Skerritt, Holm), but of course the real star is the one we see least of.

We barely see the alien in full detail, most of the time it is set in shadows, moving with deadly intent.The alien here is not simply a killing machine as seen in later films but is cruel with it. Witness the alien trap a female crew member and slowly rub up her leg, moving with slow seductive movements before moving with terrifying speed to kill another crew member sneaking up behind it. The slow movements betray the alien's pure cruelty.

The film is a study in terror. It may not be as action packed as the other films in the series but it brings the claustrophobia of being hunted to a new level.

After 40 years it still scares the hell out of me

[a-alexander119 · 10/10 · 23 April 2021]

When I see reviewers ratings less than five I have shake my head in disbelief. Alien set a standard that has yet to be equaled let alone surpassed. I watched it on the wide screen when it was first released, and over a dozen times since. And even though I know what's coming, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up. What a brilliant work of theatrical genius.

Alien.....the one that started it all........

[shortround8391 · 10/10 · 17 April 2009]

Alien....the creature......the film.....the legend. The one that started it all, the one that led to one of the greatest sequels ever made, one that got a comic book mini-series and 2 cross-over films with "Predator". This is THE film. And without a doubt, the greatest horror film ever created, and this totally makes "Halloween" look like "Chicken Little". You can forget about all those rubbish "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, 'cause "Alien" just takes horror up to so many levels! In "Alien", we find ourselves in the distant future with a crew just coming back from a haul of 20 million tons of ore back to Earth. But while the crew members are in stasis, their ship picks up an "SOS" from a nearby planet, and once the crew is awakened, they are forced by the "Company" regulations to follow that signal. And then when they land on the planet and it turns out that something terrifying is in store for them, when a hostile organism attaches itself to one of the crew members. And later on, it becomes clear that the crew member was being impregnated and then dies a horrible, violent death from a deadly breed of an other-worldly life-form. And now the rest of the crew must fight off the creature.

As other classic films should always have, "Alien" does great on the characters. And of course, the most recognizable one is the lead woman, Ellen Ripley who is played then-unknown Sigourney Weaver. She provides a very human face and you're gonna feel like you're actually watching a real-life woman in here, and it could be because of her accent, or her mannerisms. But as the film progresses, she develops into a more mentally tougher woman while combating the Alien. There are times when she totally keeps it cool, times when she's afraid, times when she's angry, and times when its just Ripley being Ripley. And thanks to Weavers acting talents, she can really dish out one hell of a character.

The rest of the supporting cast are nothing short of spectacular, Parker and Brett are the selfish, sarcastic men who only want to make a profit. And through most of the film, you can feel the tension that Ripley and Parker have. Lambert, who one of my favorites from here is the second woman who happens to be the opposite of Ripley, a total coward. Dallas, who the viewer might get the vibe that HE is the main character in the 1st 15 minutes or so, is pretty much the leader here. Kane, is the tired, dead-looking guy who is the one that carries the alien species inside of him. And finally, Ash is the one with the sinister purpose and you start to suspect that he's up to no good at some point. And movie characters need to have their own personalities and that's what "Alien" has.

And as for the Alien itself, well what can i say? It is the most horrifying creature in the history of cinema, period. I mean, how could you stop it? It has acid for blood, and is very lethal to fight face-to-face. And the special effects were over 20 years ahead of its time. The face-hugger on Kane looked so freaking real, that you're gonna be scared just by looking at it, even it doesn't do anything except breathe most of the time. And the sets couldn't have been better, very futuristic, yet there's always something ominous and dark about them.

The suspense is impossible to resist as the sequences deliver the chills at times when you least expect it, and when you do expect something to happen, nothing happens. And "Alien" is one of the very few horror films that understands that you can't scare people by raking up the bodies and the blood, but you have to build up the suspense to do it. And director Ridley Scott is such a genius, and he shows that here, he absolutely knows how to make any kind of film, ones that can scare (Alien), one that can sadden (Thelma and Louise), and one that can excite/thrill (Gladiator). And Ridley really keeps up the dark atmosphere, especially in the beginning when there's no talking for the 1st 5 minutes or so, we get the feeling that something's not right all the time. Some parts are very quiet and very depressing and we feel exactly what we see.

This is the legend that I'm talking about here, folks. Don't miss the chance to see this, because it will scare the living daylights outta you more than any other movie you're gonna see in your life. Take my word for it....I'm practically a movie buff, so I know what I'm talking about....

Brilliant

[aaronthomas1976 · 10/10 · 17 October 2019]

Alien is the pinnacle of sci-fi horror, and it is the standard for which all are measured.

In space no one can hear you scream

[adrian-trent-442-142266 · 10/10 · 27 August 2022]

First seen in 1979 , I was 15 Mum dropped me off. Seen once every five years since.

Seems to get better and better as time goes on, maybe because as I mature, I appreciate the fine acting details or is it that there are fewer and fewer films to compare Alien to. Alien is a masterpiece in so many areas (in no order); Editing, photography, acting, direction, art, music, sound, script. In fact Alien ought to be mandatory viewing for every film director whether budding or currently or even as a refresher for well seasoned film makers.

It's so clear Ridley was able to make the film he wanted to make without interference from non creative parties.

Classic tale of terror

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 10/10 · 15 April 2004]

This is one of the finest science fiction films ever made. Everything is so carefully and expertly constructed to the point that repeated viewings are just as good as the first. Also, the atmosphere, along with the amazing sets, is real shocker and few movies have managed to create the same kind eerie feeling.

The story starts with the crew of the cargo vessel "Nostromo" waking up before schedule. They soon realize their on-board computer has detected life on a nearby planet and they go to investigate. One of them unwillingly brings back an...ALIEN (!) which soon becomes a very unwanted passenger. The introduction of the title creature in the famous chest-burster scene is a real jolter. Especially if you watch it after dinner.

The music, too, must be mentioned and it moves the story along with unrelenting terror. However, the lack of music, in certain scenes, works just as well and this combination makes for one of the best musical montages to be put on film.

This is a classic film that spawned a series, which is good overall, and a bunch of copycats, many of which are just sad. "Alien" came first and it is easily one the best. 10/10

Rated R: violence/gore and profanity

Simplicity in Storytelling and Art Direction Makes the Film Timeless

[jazzest · 6/10 · 31 January 2005]

The very reason of the huge and continuing success of this 25-year-old sci-fi classic may be the simplicity in its storytelling and its art direction, which has seemingly made the film timeless and universal.

A simple And-Then-There-Were-None type of story has no era-related influence from the late 70s, while many sci-fi films tend to mirror the world at the time they are made. Staged mostly in a closed environment inside a spaceship and briefly on an unknown planet far from Earth, the film practically has no connection to any particular culture.

The designs of aliens' colony on the planet and of the alien by H. R. Giger must have been remarkably cutting-edge back in the time; for contemporary eyes, they look rather simply beautiful. The title design at the opening is also appropriately simple: Green LED-like lights turn on one by one to form the letters of "ALIEN."

The film doesn't look old at all after 25 years and probably will never do. This is one of great examples that simplicity attains eternity.

As Near Perfection As Possible.

[silsworld · 10/10 · 30 March 2005]

Three words perfectly describe ALIEN: Long, dark and ominous.

You know you're in for a good time when even the opening title gives you a shiver. The music plays perfectly as the word 'ALIEN' slowly appears, line by line. Then there are the establishing shots of the ship; poorly maintained, claustrophobic.

And then there's basically forty minutes of people in a ship pondering and eating and getting along (or not). The film has one little thing that allows it to draw you along so slowly - a promise. A promise made by the advertisements and hype that this was going to kick your ass. You just had to wait.

But when it happens, it happens. Though the film doesn't speed up per se, there's a lot more happening in front of the screen to make it at least look like stuff's going on. The first half crawls almost depressingly, but the second half catches your eye and refuses to let go.

I suggest everyone sees this film. Even if you skip through the beginning, you need to see this. It defined sci-fi and horror all in one.

It's perfect.

The alien within?

[alexx668 · 6/10 · 17 June 2008]

Despite it's legendary status, the truth is that Alien is just a horror movie set out in space, i.e. the alien monster taking the part of the serial killer that's murdering the cast one by one (minus of course the main character, in this case Ripley - played by Sigourney Weaver). So, nothing original, apart from that it's set in outer space.

Then where does that leave us? Well, two things are really of note. H.R. Giger's design of the alien planet and the creature itself - chilling and nightmarish, in what is the brush of a true artist, and also Ash's poetic reflection on the alien monster: "Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility." "I admire its purity. A survivor.. unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."

And yet despite the atmospheric approach, it's unclear what angle or view, if any, the film offers. Seemingly it condemns the instinctive effort for survival of the alien creature, yet in the end it's the morally bound humankind which prevails. In fact, the scene in the end where Ripley comes face to face with the alien and kills it by shooting it in outer space is probably the film's center of gravity. The alien creature is for the first time looking insecure and scared of dying, but Ripley (guided by her own instincts) shows no remorse. Here, the roles of the hunter and the hunted are blurred, and so is the moral status of mankind.

Other minor themes are the remorseless capitalist stance of the mother/company, which also hides a metaphysical meaning (the company is called mother, it controls the destiny of the crew, has it's own purposes, has it's chosen representative amongst the crew with the robot Ash etc).

My favourite tagline for a movie

[WalterFrith · 22 January 2005]

"In space, no one can hear you scream." This remains my favourite tagline ever for a movie. When 'Alien' was released in 1979, it caused almost as much talk as 'Star Wars' did when released two years earlier. The science fiction genre was being revolutionized at this time and 'Alien' had a horror characteristic to it which was psychological, visually striking and compelling with the type of strength in silence not seen since '2001: A Space Odyssey' in 1968. Definitely a big influence in blockbuster film making, 'Alien' has spawned three sequels so far and is a great horror/science-fiction classic not to be missed. It is director Ridley Scott's best effort on the big screen for making fear the best character in the film.

Undeniably stunning

[hellholehorror · 10/10 · 4 May 2021]

This was made in the seventies. Seventies. The picture quality is stunning. Undeniably stunning. The sound is perfect except minor issues regarding occasional muffled dialogue. God it looks good. Rivals and beats many films made thirty years later. The blend of suspense, horror, science-fiction is perfect. The budget is perfectly used. Perfect. I say stick with the theatrical version, the various director cuts are not as well paced, add irrelevant scenes and don't fix the one bit that annoys me - the jump cut on Ash's head. Stay theatrical and think of the best film ever made and you would possibly have this. There may be a scant few other films but this would be the first. The ending is so intense and fearful without cheap techniques. I love it. Very minor technical issues are forgotten through fear, fascination and legacy.

Thirty-two years on, and still exceptional.

[philipwest89 · 10/10 · 19 September 2011]

In the crowded gallery of horror films, Alien hangs in a prominent position, high above its rivals. By virtue of its deft blend of psychology and physical horror, it lifts the genre out of the graveyard and into deepest space . While its scale models, grimy characters, and shimmering soundtrack may no longer appeal to a generation of audiences who revel in the hotchpotch storyboards of 'Drag Me To Hell', Alien still commands great respect, and rightly so. It has not lost any of its cutting edge, even after thirty-two years.

Alien's simplistic premise keeps the film tight and lean; a taut, slow-burning game of cat and mouse involving a vicious, shadowy creature whose acidic blood can melt the very girders of the ship it has invaded, and a compelling blend of the brave (Ripley), cautious (Dallas), and mechanical (Ash). There are no meaningless references to childhood memories or superfluous romance. The characters and their personalities are weathered, believable, and their mission plausible. The profit-driven search for mineral ore provides a realistic corporate counterpoint to the main story, which sees the seven crew members dragged, somewhat unwillingly, into the extraterrestrial's world. With the possible exception of Ash, they did not seek this encounter; the computers lead them to it. How each crew member responds to the situation is key; in effect, seven sub plots form, each focusing upon something different, be it a crew member's mannerisms, their way of thinking, or indeed, a violent death (Chestburster). This is Alien's greatest appeal; it provides an insight into the human mind, as psychological horror movies should. Which crew member do we, the audience, root for, admire, or resent? Who can trust who?

Sigourney Weaver, so often credited with inspiring a roll-call of female cinematic heroines, rightly earns every syllable of praise that has been heaped upon her since the film's release; Ripley's resourcefulness and courage are marvellous to behold. However, as the genuinely disturbing android Ash, Ian Holm is supreme; his reserved demeanour and considered approach masking the motives that lay hidden out of sight.

As an exercise in sound and vision, Alien is a memorable spectacle. There are many moments that are striking. The colossal hauler Nostromo, futuristic and industrial in design, dominates the screen as it crawls slowly, almost gracefully, towards Earth. The sheen of the soundtrack and the echoing calls from the freighter to 'Antarctica Traffic Control' are atmospheric to the core, while the fogbound alien planet, littered with blackened mountains and the silhouette of the hulking, derelict vessel, is hauntingly desolate. Spaces where, in modern horror films, the gaps would be filled with meaningless dialogue, are left vacant. The viewer can interpret what they see with no need for speech. Ridley Scott's vision of 'horror first, science-fiction second' was, without a doubt, fulfilled; audiences should ignore the flashing lights and controls of the spaceship and focus upon the Alien. Around which corner does it lurk? Who becomes its next victim?

Alien is a film of immense quality. It has the capacity to frighten and to deceive. It flows precisely from scene to scene with no wasted shots and most tellingly, does not stray off course by incorporating fanciful special effects or worthless roles filled by fringe characters. One spacecraft, one extraterrestrial, seven humans, and one cat is all we are given. And quite simply, anything more would have been a waste. While the genre of horror may have moved on, the art of horror is captured perfectly, here, in the blackness of space.

Sci-Fi Masterpiece

[deepfrieddodo · 10/10 · 23 October 2022]

Not only is Alien one of the greatest sci-fi films created, it is undoubtedly encapsulates all the best elements of the horror genre too.

The plot is perfect. Simple enough that missed dialogue doesn't throw the audience out of the loop, yet complex enough to demonstrate the depth behind the context. Twists are utilised at the perfect moments to ensure that intrigue remains at a high while tension is at a constant. Characters superb, with no real stereotypes of tokenism added in to no effect.

Visually, the 1979 release is still far more aesthetic than films released 40 years later. The sets are superb, costuming is great, and the lighting to capture the right atmosphere is perfect. Brief glimpses of the Xenomorph establish the fearsome foe without putting everything on show and lessening it's impact, and is a perfect example of why costuming and puppetry done right will always look better than CGI.

An excellent cast, with Weaver's breakout role supported by the likes of Hurt and Holm. Dialogue is delivered realistically and always at the right intensity, and never out-of-step with the perfect directorial pacing.

A phenomenal start to clear franchise material, which no matter how wayward later editions go, will always be a classic. Somehow Alien's sequel matches this performance too.

Overrated

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 20 May 2003]

Nice to see that a few all too rare reviewers agree that Ridley Scott`s ALIEN is a rather overrated film , yes I agree with everyone that the set design is fantastic but the film suffers from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY syndrome in that it has a very slow sterile atmosphere which makes it difficult to connect with the characters . The only character I felt any sympathy with was Kane and that`s only because he was played by the excellent John Hurt . As for the rest of the crew I couldn`t care less if they got eaten or not . To all intents ALIEN is a corny B movie script ( I think we can ignore all the pseudo-intellectual claptrap involving subtext - it`s a B movie script ) produced by A list technicians

Trivia point : Ridley Scott was working as a BBC designer in 1963 and legend has it that he was due to work on a fledgling sci-fi series but became unavailable at the last moment which meant Raymond Cusack worked on this new show called DOCTOR WHO and it was he who designed the Daleks undoubtedly the most visually interesting creations in the history of television.

Talking of DOCTOR Who check out the 1975 story ` The Ark In Space ` which has a very similar premise to ALIEN but is far more enjoyable

Prophetic & Visionary...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 30 October 2021]

Allegorically and quite unintentionally a tale of a virus, ignorantly released its only aim is to destroy us, the wheels set in motion, a search begins for a new potion, but perpetuation has begun and there's absolutely nowhere you can run - from the evolutionary transformations, variations and mutations, the prequels, sequels and unequals yet to come.