Alien

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.

'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/

I just came around to watch the original Alien on Netflix and I have to say that I was positively surprised that a horror movie from the '70s is this suspenseful and effective.

The characters actually behave like thinking human beings. The soundtrack is great and the direction is superb. Especially when comparing this movie to the modern movies with similar stories that borrowed many of the things that are working well here.

A classic every horror and overall movie fan should watch.

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.

"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.