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Average User Score: 9 (271 sources)

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zeldafans1

-1

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A true classic. Its a must see movie for sure. The story is awsome and the alien coming out of the stomach was just wicked. No matter what you have to see this movie because every thing about it is perfect!

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Posted jul 21, 2009 2:32 am pt

Lynxan1

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Filmmakers, listen... if you want to make a horror film and want to know how to pace and give the audience the chills... Watch this now... then again...

This is a textbook example of how these things should be made and almost never is.

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Posted may 15, 2009 1:01 pm pt

Agulf

-1

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The setting and atmosphere is amazing, and it holds up even to this day. It also has some very memorable scenes, and the acting and chemistry between the actors feel very natural and their performances are very believable. Sadly it also feels like...
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The setting and atmosphere is amazing, and it holds up even to this day. It also has some very memorable scenes, and the acting and chemistry between the actors feel very natural and their performances are very believable. Sadly it also feels like the movie doesn't really play out any psychological scares (being trapped in a space ship with a monster on board should be enough you would think) but instead resort to cheap scares like many other horror movies such as the "oh, it was just the cat"-cliche... I guess what I'm saying is this movie didn't need to resort to such and would be much better without them. My biggest gripe with the movie is that I knew exactly what was going to happen, and foresee the twists and turns. But I'm not sure I can blame the movie for that because I don't know if this is in the nature of the movie, or because I saw the other movies in the series prior to this one. I heard very good things about this movie so I saved it for last: and that might have been a mistake. I was originally going to give this movie a 3, but when I take into considderation that this is the first movie, not the 5th or however many we're up to now, I pretty much have to recommend this movie. You should totally check it out - and if you do, try not to spoil it by watching the other movies first.

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Posted nov 23, 2008 5:05 am pt

BoredMark

-1

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This movie set a bar that just doesn't seem to ever get crossed. 29 years old and counting and no one has come close except for James Cameron in the sequel. How is that possible. Well done Ridley Scott.

Must see for anyone.

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Posted apr 28, 2008 7:13 am pt

XDGRifle

-1

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Wow what a great Sci-Fi film. It was pretty scary but not really. I loved how They Had to fight the one alien in this movie it made things alot better. And i really liked this film.

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Posted feb 13, 2008 5:56 am pt

Vampjezzc

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Just watched the entire series and I have to say that this one is the best by far. The fact that most of the film was improvised, including the most recognizable scene of probably any movie, kind of makes it the best acted, directed, and written...
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Just watched the entire series and I have to say that this one is the best by far. The fact that most of the film was improvised, including the most recognizable scene of probably any movie, kind of makes it the best acted, directed, and written of the four. The effects still hold, the horror was there without unnecessary gore. Great film.

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Posted feb 8, 2008 12:48 pm pt

Seankieran

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great sci-fi movie and an even better horror movie.

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Posted jan 12, 2008 2:19 am pt

ninjacat11

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Ridley Scott's original Alien is one of those rare movies that manages to get every single thing right. It has held up extremely well despite being almost 30 years old already.

The story seems like the run-o'-the-mill space monster...
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Ridley Scott's original Alien is one of those rare movies that manages to get every single thing right. It has held up extremely well despite being almost 30 years old already.

The story seems like the run-o'-the-mill space monster pictures of yore--and it kind of is--, but it is so expertly crafted and paced that it never feels derivative.

The characters are expertly written and acted, making them seem more realistic and drawing you into the movie even more. None of the characters feel wooden or cliched.

Due to their mainly abstract nature, the visuals have held up surprisingly well. You can't even tell this movie was made on a shoestring budget. We never get to see a full exposure of the alien (who may be the single coolest monster in the history of cinema) like in most of these types of movies, an expert twist that keeps the monster scary.

This film is one of the only horror films that actually manages to genuinely scare me. This may be due to the excellent pacing and set-up behind the scares. None of these scares feel forced at all. It may also be because of the frightening monster design. Either way, it's scary as hell.

Overall, Alien is my personal favorite movies of all time. It has aged rather gracefully and spawned one of the best franchises in movie history (if you ignore the crapfest that is Alien Resurrection and the entire AvP franchise). I also recommend seeing the sequel Aliens. It's one of the rare sequels that is just as good, if not better, than the original. Still, if you miss either one, you are missing out on a fine slice of movie history.

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Posted jan 3, 2008 7:00 am pt

goldtop2007

-1

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Wow, this movie changed my life. I understood that girls could be like Indiana Jones too! But more importantly it's a great story, filmed with limited resources (you can't tell) with great casting, acting, directing, and the most shockingly scary...
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Wow, this movie changed my life. I understood that girls could be like Indiana Jones too! But more importantly it's a great story, filmed with limited resources (you can't tell) with great casting, acting, directing, and the most shockingly scary monsters you'll ever see in cinema. A classic if there ever was one. Watch!

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Posted oct 4, 2007 9:49 am pt

belial_77

-1

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I remember being a kid and seeing this on tv... being a Sci-Fi fan who loved Star Trek TOS, Star Wars, and the classic Dr Who series, I expected the glossy hopeful future... man was i in for a wake up call... the gritty, naturalistic setting......
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I remember being a kid and seeing this on tv... being a Sci-Fi fan who loved Star Trek TOS, Star Wars, and the classic Dr Who series, I expected the glossy hopeful future... man was i in for a wake up call... the gritty, naturalistic setting... the indescribable design of the alien... the not-so-bright and happy ending...

WOW!
I was blown away. And I still am decades later...

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Posted sep 14, 2007 12:24 pm pt

• [+] Dallas Observer
  
  100
  This is the breakout role for Sigourney (née Susan) Weaver, whose iconic presence still propels this ride beyond the scores of substandard imitations that followed. Why see it on the big screen? Because it's bloody brilliant.

  by Gregory Weinkauf | Read Full Review »
• [+] San Francisco Chronicle
  
  100
  Feels like a streamlined improvement on the original.

  by Peter Hartlaub | Read Full Review »
• [+] Empire
  
  100
  With the visuals and soundtrack given a wax and polish job for the big screen, Scott’s masterful use of shadows, framing and sound has never been more terrifying. No matter how many times you’ve seen this, you’ll still be hiding behind your fingers at every conceivable juncture.

  by Chris Hewitt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  100
  Pay attention to the enhanced detail audible in a new six-track sound mix, which may be the most important cleaning job of all; silence and Jerry Goldsmith's score have never twined so hauntingly.

  by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  100
  This edition -- clean and tight as Scott would have it -- presents a strong case for Alien as both the greatest horror film and the greatest science-fiction film ever made.

  by Shawn Levy | Read Full Review »
• [+] Slate
  
  100
  The scariest movie in history is actually a bit shy. The subtle, romantic score by Jerry Goldsmith is what keeps the tension at a simmer.

  by Michael Agger | Read Full Review »
• [+] Film Threat
  
  100
  This is a five star film because it is one of the most perfect science fiction thrillers of all time.

  by Kevin Carr | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
  
  100
  The best thriller of 2003 was made in 1979.

  by Stephen Cole | Read Full Review »
• [+] Salon.com
  
  100
  I recognize how few horror movies I've seen before or since that ever manage to capture such a tangible feeling of menace.

  by Andrew O'Hehir | Read Full Review »
• [+] Charlotte Observer
  
  100
  Watching it again reminded me how remarkably the sound engineers did their jobs. Listen to the subtly amplified heartbeat - Ripley's? the ship's? - that pulses under the soundtrack through the last 15 minutes.

  by Lawrence Toppman | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  91
  A landmark film, the unnecessary tinkering has not perceptibly harmed its overall effectiveness and it's a special Halloween treat to see it digitally spruced up and on the big screen for the first time in 25 years.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  90
  Despite years of imitators, sequels (some great, some not so), and edited-for-television broadcasts, Alien has lost none of its power, and the big screen only intensifies its impact.

  by Keith Phipps | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  90
  Twenty-four years later -- digitally spruced up, with some scenes shaved and others padded with previously cut material -- Scott's film still shreds nerves.

  by Manohla Dargis | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  88
  Alien, even with some scene tinkering that has left this "director's cut" one minute shorter than its original release, is still one of the creepiest, scariest, most shocking films ever.

  by Chris Kaltenbach | Read Full Review »
• [+] Boston Globe
  
  88
  What's most unusual about the original 24 years later, though, is its elegant minimalism.

  by Ty Burr | Read Full Review »