Alien (Director's Cut) ***½ (7/10)

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2018)

Available on Blu-ray Disc (Region B)
USA/UK 1979 English (Colour); Science Fiction/Horror/Thriller (Twentieth Century Fox/Brandywine); 116 minutes (18 certificate)
Crew includes: Ridley Scott (Director); Dan O'Bannon (Screenwriter); Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill (Producers); Ronald Shusett (Executive Producer); Derek Vanlint (Cinematographer); Michael Seymour (Production Designer); Terry Rawlings (Editor); Jerry Goldsmith (Composer)
Cast includes: Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), John Hurt (Kane), Ian Holm (Ash), Yaphet Kotto (Parker)
Academy Award: Visual Effects (H.R. Giger et al); Academy Award nomination: Art Direction-Set Decoration; BAFTA Awards (2): Production Design, Sound; BAFTA nominations (5): Supporting Actor (Hurt), Editing, Film Music, Costume Design (John Mollo), Most Promising Newcomer (Weaver); Golden Globe nomination: Original Score
"In space no one can hear you scream."
A deadly organism is unwittingly brought onboard an earthbound spaceship, after it responds to a distress signal emanating from a desolate planetoid, and as the fast-adapting alien stealthily stalks its human prey, each meets a grisly end, until the terrifying, climactic showdown between acid-spewing monster and last remaining crew member (Weaver).
A creepy, intensely atmospheric landmark of the sci-fi/horror genre that opens leisurely, but after a relatively mundane 55 minutes, all hell breaks loose, literally, as something evil rips a violently writhing Hurt's body open in the justly celebrated chest-bursting scene.
Classic status attained due to Goldsmith's minimalist score; claustrophobic, dirty sets; non-heroic, realistic characters; and a female, sole survivor.
Blu-ray Extras: Original Version (117 minutes), Commentaries, Documentaries, Featurettes, Deleted/Extended Scenes, Interviews, Music-only Tracks, Screenplay, Storyboards, Stills Galleries, Outtakes, Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Multi-Angle Sequence, Screen Tests, Video Graphics, Production Notes, Parody, Trailers, TV Spots. ***** (10/10)