An undeniably fun, suspenseful, and thrilling ride

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2017)

Alien beautifully illustrates how to make the thriller genre. Starting off with the typical sci-fi novelty, the film introduces a world resided by intelligent life, and as Kane is attacked and a unidentified creature is brought to the ship, something not good is clearly about to happen. The second act and third act are perfectly executed and we are hooked to experience the terror and suspicion with the main character. Hell even the robot revelation at the end of the second act does not seem far-fetched at all, and it incredibly increases the tension at that point. The only problem I have with the film is the cat. It clearly serves as a plot devise, but not a very good one. I cannot see how it is a strong motivation for the risks the crew undertake in rescuing it. A bit setup would absolutely help the audience understand why the cat matters.