Alien

Described by Roger Ebert as a "trapped in a haunted house" movie, this movie set the bar for Horror in the Summer.

The "Nostromo," like "Star Wars" spacecraft, looks worn and in use, compared to the "just out of the box" look of "Star Trek" spacecraft. (And I'm a fan of the "Star Trek" universe!) The claustrophobic feel of the "Nostromo" is due to "filming inside of a tube" location shooting next seen in "Das Boot."

A band of "space truckers" are awakened from hibernation, and are shocked to find that they are only half way home. The Company orders them to investigate an Alien transmission, which sets up a descent into Hell as the crew finds themselves being stalked by an opportunistic "Exomorph." As the crew is picked off one by on...

There is a clause in the contract which specifically states any systematized transmission indicating a possible intelligent origin must be investigated...

Alien is directed by Ridley Scott and written by Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon. It stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Yaphet Kotto, Ian Holm and Harry Dean Stanton. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Derek Vanlint.

The space merchant vessel Nostromo receives an unknown transmission as a distress call and land on the moon where the call had come from. Bad idea...

Back on release it was one of the most talked about movies of 1979, backed by a terrifically tantalising trailer - which itself was backed by one of the greatest tag-l...

The standard bearer of horror in space, Ridley Scott's masterpiece still thrills new generations of fans. The Giger-inspired alien induces a claustrophobic nightmare that still carries on in sequels and prequels.

'Alien' isn't as eventful, and as such as entertaining, as I had anticipated, though it is still an enjoyable near two hours.

It's a strong cast, with newbie Sigourney Weaver putting in a great performance. Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto and John Hurt are good too. I wanted to see more of them, though that's normal given the tightness of the setting - there's only so much they can do, of course.

Other positives include the neat set design, solid special effects and well done tension building. I can't say I was ever fully unnerved, in fairness that's more a personal thing as fiction rarely scares me, but I was locked on for the entirety. It also gets respect for setting the benchmark it did.

Will check out the sequel...

Horror in Space, that's what this is. It's a space monster movie, and the thing is, if you see Aliens, or most of the other Alien related films BEFORE you see this one, you're going to be expecting something completely different.

But what you have is a horror movie set on a space ship with an atmosphere so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

You can taste the eerie tension when you watch it...and, at least in my eyes, that makes it better than the over-the-top Space Marines that you see in the later installments.

And, no questions are answered. There is no broad sweeping mythology. There is only the movie, there is only the monster, there is only the fear and tension. But that is all the movie needs.

It's just science-fict...

One of the great founders of modern sci-fi.

Anyone who knows me already knows that I don't really like alien-themed movies, because I don't strictly believe in intelligent life outside our planet. However, the theme has already yielded many quality horror or thriller films. Alien is arguably the best, best-performed, and most enshrined and culturally significant of them all. It's one of those films that has already gone beyond cinematic issues to become a piece of art and culture that we all know, even people who never took the time to see it.

Thus, it is not worth wasting time explaining the plot around the Nostromo, a cargo ship with seven crew members who are decimated by a highly dangerous and carnivorous alien. The direction,...

Back in the day before Sir John Hurt took to being little more than a highly paid cameo-man, he was a great actor and here is a prime example. His merchant ship is travelling through space when it receives a distress call. They stop to help and one of their number becomes infected with a... well, now you have to watch it. Sigourney Weaver is superb as the feisty, no-nonsense "Ripley" who leads the defence against a beastie that has brute strength, determination, intelligence and an astonishing ability to move at speed through the corridors and conduits of the ship. Ridley Scott allows the tension to rise gently and violently, by degree, and the clever use of sound and light; Jerry Goldsmith's tense score and excellent supporting performance...

The baby xenomorph looks like a muppet.

A masterpiece!

Can be rewatched indefinitely!