Sci-Fi/Horror Masterpiece!

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2016)

"Alien" is one of the most intense Sci-Fi thrillers to have ever graced the silver screen or the home theater in any format! It is the film's intensity that provides such an incredible draw to this extraordinary film. I was pulled in by the ultra high sense of realism. This film almost feels like a documentary because of a lot of the subtle hand-held camera work (read; not like the shaky, seizure inducing hand-held work of today's films). There's much going on in that film that was revolutionary for the time. Great ideas, design, cinematography, subtle, very realistic performances.
Sigourney Weaver stars as Ellen Ripley in her film debut role. Weaver is absolutely perfect for the role, and was practically the first girl-power type female heroine who single-handedly carries this international blockbuster right through until the final minutes. John Hurt also plays Kane to excellent effect, especially in his death scene as he frantically wriggles on the table with the alien inside him. Harry Dean Stanton is brilliant as Brett, as is Tom Skerritt as Dallas. Yaphet Kotto is also perfectly cast as Parker, who provides many on-screen laughs. Veronica Kartwright (who later went on to star in The X-Files some 20 years later) stars as the lovable Lambert, the only other female member of the crew along with Ripley. Ian Holm as Ash is absolutely brilliant in his role as the android secretly sent on board to bring back the alien life- form, while - in his eyes, and "Mother's" - all other crew members are expendable. The acting in this film is really first-rate, which is another big factor in why the film works so well.
The art designs are incredible: the entire look of the film, from the commercial nature of the spacecraft to the iconographic alien itself is right on the money. It amazes me how well visually this movie still holds up. It feels as rich and deep cinematically as most anything today due to Ridley Scott's brilliant visuals. You watch this film at certain points and it feels as slick and polished as any current genre film without the hollowness or incompetence.
All in all, Alien is a terrific sci-fi horror movie that plays with your senses incredibly well. Nothing happens for the first 30 minutes, and that is exactly the director's intent. By doing so, a feeling of extreme suspense is instantly formed, leaving you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.