Stunning sci-fi classic that still terrifies

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2011)

In the future, a group of exploratory refinery workers are prematurely awakened from suspended animation to investigate what initially appears to be a distress signal emanating from an inhospitable planet. Once landed, the three crew members who investigate come across a mammoth derelict spacecraft housing leathery eggs, which spews forth a hostile alien life form that attaches itself to one the crew members. The fallen crew member is taken back to the mother ship for help and this becomes the precursor for all hell to break loose. Although by now near legendary, I will refrain from revealing more for any new viewers.
There are those that dismiss this film as being a glorified big-budget retread of It! The Terror from Beyond Space, but the film is infinitely more than that. I choose to think of it more as a rendition of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None set in outer space with a far more frightening nemesis than anything Christie imagined.
A lot must be said about the style and realism of the film. I believe this may well have been the first (or at least one of the first) science fiction films where the heroes were blue-collar workers rather than the proverbial scientists. The dialog and interaction among the various crew members is believable and engaging. H.R. Giger's alien designs are much-celebrated for a reason and very few have been able to come up with something as continually shocking. The creature is seen in various stages of evolution, with each one being a repellent yet oddly hypnotic realization.
Director Ridley Scott provides the tense and unrelenting atmosphere of the film. He also paces the film to perfection. It starts off slowly with a sense of creeping dread and then Scott ratchets up the suspense to a near unbearable crescendo. We are allowed to get to know each character and their quirks and share in their terror as they realize that their unwanted stowaway is a lot more dangerous and intelligent than they imagined. Scott makes effortless use of the dank dark confines of the spaceship, with its dripping water/coolant, tight spaces, oddly shaped doorways and clanking chains. It chronically seems as though something unspeakable is always on the verge of jumping out at one of the characters. Interestingly, although the film has a reputation for being violent - after the notorious "chest-buster" scene, Scott keeps the remainder of the deaths largely offscreen.
The cast fit well into their roles, with Tom Skerritt's stalwart captain and Ian Holm's icy scientist especially notable. However, acting-wise the film is deservedly known for allowing the previously unknown Sigourney Weaver to burst onto screens as the ever-resourceful, cool and intelligent Ellen Ripley. Ripley initially (and wisely) blends into the ensemble cast, but as the film progresses it becomes apparent that she will be the one to watch and will be the biggest obstacle to the alien. The fact that Weaver is also quite sympathetic and identifiable certainly helps the audience root for her.
The final moments of the film are sublimely exciting. The film was followed by James Cameron's equally legendary sequel, which struck out into new territory and became a classic in its own right and also cemented Weaver as an action heroine. Then the series was vivisected by David Fincher's audience-hating vomit Alien 3 and the barely better Alien: Resurrection, before lapsing into Alien vs. Predator nonsense. However, none of those atrocities can dim the brilliance of the original Alien and its sequel Aliens.