"In space, no one can hear you scream"

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2007)

A Gothic horror move set in outer space, ALIEN proved that material derided as B-movie fodder could be handled with finesse and glossy production values, without diminishing the thrills or polishing over the hard-edged horror.
The story is an amalgam of elements from older sci-fi flicks. The working class crew of the spaceship Nostromo (the name taken from the work of Joseph Conrad, whose story "The Duel" served as the basis for Scott's debut movie THE DUELISTS) encounter an unknown distress call that leads them to a primordial planet. This leads them to an investigation; in which a alien attatches it self to one of the crew members face and spreads when its removed. After all of the crew succumb to the aliens power, only one is left, bring in one of cinema's greatest heroes and sole survivor, Ellen Ripley, played fantastically by Sigourney Weaver.
The art direction, performances and visuals are amazing. It is easily one of Ridley Scott's greatest films, along with Gladiator. There is almost an unrelenting tension that puts other pretenders to the horror throne to shame, whether they are big-budget studio flicks like Jaws or low-budget exploitation shockers like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Alien is definitely one of the greatest horror/science fiction films ever crafted. Its intelligent, beautiful, haunting, claustrophobic, and boasts fine performances.