Alien
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Eddie PowellDirector: Ridley Scott
Studio: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Running Time: 117 minutes
DVD Release: January 2nd 2007
Buy DVD:
DVD Review
A landmark of science fiction and horror, Alien arrived in 1979 between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a stylishly malevolent alternative to George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo, who fall prey to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most popular heroine in a lucrative movie franchise. To measure the film's success, one need only recall the many images that have been burned into our collective psyche, including the "facehugger," the "chestburster," and Ripley's climactic encounter with the full-grown monster. Impeccably directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is one of the cinema's most unforgettable nightmares. --Jeff Shannon
User Reviews
Give that gleek a tophat - Rating: 1/5
So, yeah, big cutesy designs and icing innards glowing green. Big Whup. Hey man, that alien would make a great bike. Real sleek, glistening design. Nice electric blue. Hold the acid juice, dude. This movie totally rips off Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Shame on whatshisface.
IN "ALIEN," FROM BEGINNING TO END, ONE MUST KEEP LOOKING OVER ONE'S SHOULDER OR ELSE!!! BUT IT WON'T SAVE YOU, IF..... - Rating: 5/5
IN A NUTSHELL:
Simply stated, "Alien" is a landmark horrific-science-fiction film set in deep space that must be seen to be believed. Yes, "ALIEN" IS THAT GOOD!
WHAT "ALIEN" IS ALL ABOUT:
All was going rather well for the crew of the ill-fated Nostromo until the computer awoke them from hypersleep before they reached Earth. The reason was unexpected, to investigate a possible life-form, and the crew was less than thrilled over the prospect.
BUT FOR THE AUDIENCE, IT ALL STARTS OUT WITH A SETTING:
Even before the crew awakened, the setting was eerie as though something was already underfoot. I can recall seeing this film in the theater in 1979 and thinking from the beginning of the film that this sound or that must be coming from the alien. If something was moving or vibrating on the ship, before the crew was even awakened, one gets the impression that perhaps a monster was already lurking. Of course, without having seen the film, one does not yet know that the monster is not yet on the ship, but this feeling of anxious doom seems to start from the opening credits and pervades all the way through the film.
BACK TO THE MISSION: ACT I: IS THERE A LIFE-FORM ON THIS PLANET? LET'S TAKE A LOOK!
Okay, so the crew wakes up. After grumbling a bit to Captain Dallas, Dallas [Tom Skerritt] leads an away team to ascertain the source of the distress signal which has mother [the computer] suggesting that there may be a life-form on the planet. In the course of their excursion, they discover a strange pod field, reminiscent of eggs. Then things get really weird and dangerous when some sort of face-hugging crab-creature explodes out of one of the pods and attaches itself to 1st Officer Kane [John Hurt]. Despite Ripley's [Sigourney Weaver] objections, science officer Ash [Ian Holm] opens the ships air-lock so that the away team and the immobilized Kane can return to the ship. The acid-blooded crab-monster eventually just came loose from where it had attached itself to Kane and appeared dead. Kane appeared to have been fully recovered, with only a ravenous appetite to remind him that something had happened to him. As he satiated that hunger, Kane began to suddenly convulse. The convulsions became more violent until, without warning, an alien lizard burst from Kane's stomach and vanished in the bowels of the huge cargo vessel.
TIME FOR ACT II: ALIEN STALKS THE HUMANS ONE-BY-ONE
Once on the loose, the alien hatchling appears to have grown as evidenced by the shedded skin that is found shortly thereafter by one of the crewmen. Then, the now-enlarged alien starts stalking the humans. One-by-one they start to vanish, but there is nothing quiet or mysterious about it, only real, unnerving surprise when the alien does strike. Each member of the crew is systematically eliminated in a rather dramatic and suspenseful manner. Creepy or chilling would be an understatement.
ACT III: SURVIVAL OR NOT?
Even before they are all but killed-off, the remaining survivors decide to get off the ship and blow it up by setting the nuclear reactor to go supercritical. Apparently, the alien has something to say about this. This is the climax of "Alien," so I will refrain from giving away the ending. Suffice it to say, that "Alien" is among the fastest-paced 115 minutes you may ever spend watching a film. So compelling a film is "Alien," that it spawned three sequels all of which are worth watching.
-----> THE ACTORS <-----
Tom Skerritt - Dallas
Sigourney Weaver - Ellen Ripley
Yaphet Kotto - Parker
Veronica Cartwright - Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton - Brett
John Hurt - Kane
Ian Holm - Ash
Helen Horton - Mother [Voice]
Bolaji Badejo - Alien
-----> THE PRODUCTION CREW <-----
Ridley Scott - Director
Gordon Carroll - Producer
David Giler - Producer
Walter Hill - Producer
Dan O'Bannon - Screenwriter
Derek Vanlint - Cinematographer
Jerry Goldsmith - Composer (Music Score)
Howard Hanson - Featured Music
Lionel Newman - Musical Direction/Supervision / Conductor
Terry Rawlings - Editor
Peter Weatherly - Editor
Leslie Dilley - Production Designer / Art Director
Anton Furst - Production Designer
Michael Seymour - Production Designer
Roger Christian - Art Director
Ronald Shusett - Executive Producer
Ian Whittaker - Set Designer
Roger Dicken - Costume Designer
John Mollo - Costume Designer
Nick Allder - Special Effects
Brian Johnson - Special Effects
Bernard Lodge - Special Effects
Carlo Rambaldi - Special Effects
Paul Ibbetson - First Assistant Director
Adrian Biddle - Camera Operator
Mary Goldberg - Casting
Mary Selway - Casting
Martin Bower - Model Effects Supervisor
H.R. Giger - Creature Design
-----> THE MAJOR AWARDS <-----
Best Art Direction (nom) Michael Seymour 1979 Academy
Best Art Direction (nom) Ian Whittaker 1979 Academy
Best Art Direction (nom) Roger Christian 1979 Academy
Best Visual Effects (win) Nick Allder 1979 Academy
Best Visual Effects (win) H.R. Giger 1979 Academy
Best Visual Effects (win) Brian Johnson 1979 Academy
Best Visual Effects (win) Carlo Rambaldi 1979 Academy
Best Art Direction (win) Michael Seymour 1979 British Academy Awards
BOTTOM LINE: A BIT GRAPHIC BUT VERY WELL-DONE HORRIFIC SCI-FI
A really frightening horrific science-fiction film set in space that has held up incredibly well over time. The actors were first rate and the direction by Ridley Scott created an atmosphere of impending doom. The first sequel, "Aliens" from 1986, is also an incredibly well-done film featuring a larger scope.
The Scariest Movie Ever Created! - Rating: 5/5
I remember being FOOLED by my younger brothers to take them to this movie. It played on EVERY fear...and worked my last nerve up that I LEFT the movie theater before the monster started its carnage. It took me over a DECADE to finally watch the whole thing...and that was with the sound turned down and fast forwarding it through the carnage.
Of course, I've finally seen the whole thing.
Still creeps me out.
If you don't own it and you're a horror fan, buy it. The sequels don't come close to the original.
Science fiction horror movie! - Rating: 4/5
This movie is one of the best science fiction movies there is.An unexpected alien invader stalks the passengers on board a ship headed for somewhere.It kills many people and tracks down Ripley.Will she survive the alien attacks,or die trying?
A milestone in Science Fiction (now with extended scenes!). - Rating: 5/5
Ah, Alien. Where would science fiction be without it. It spanned a whole generation of alien/creature films - both great and.... not so great. It's about the crew of an outer space craft going out into space to check out where the distress signal they got came from. Unfortunately, they find that whoever sent it is dead, and one of the members, while in a space suit and looking for someone, sees some sort of alien egg/pod opening up, and a creature comes out and sticks right to his face! When they finally get it off him, an alien rips through his stomach and runs away. The android that was sent with them - now basically destroyed - tells them about the creature and that it will grow extremely fast, and will kill anyone it comes across. Yeah well, you can kinda predict what happens next: Sigourney's character eventually kills the alien by flushing it into space. In between there's a lot of gore, and the alien costume very realistic, not cheesy like all of those costumes in old Japan monster movies (don't get me wrong; I still like those movies, I'm just comparing the 2).
If you're interested in buying only this film from the alien series and you see this director's cut, buy it instead of the original. There's so much more violence and gore in the movie, and you can feel satisfied knowing you're not missing out on any scenes. If you want to own all of the films, buy the Alien Quadrilogy (which is what I did). It even comes with a bunch of bonus features! But whatever you do, don't miss out on this masterpiece in sci-fi cinema!
P.S. Happy Halloween!
