Reasonably One of the Best Films Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (5 March 2016)

Alien is directed Ridley Scott and stars Sigourney Weaver in her breakout role as Ellen Ripley, a female astronaut that belongs to a crew that receives a distress call from an unexplored planet while in space. They respond to the call by landing on the planet, and searching it. They seemingly find nothing, but, upon leaving, find an unwanted visitor aboard their ship. Once they figure out that this "alien" is superior to humans in most every way, the film becomes a battle to either kill, or at most escape, the deadly creature.
This film is widely considered one of the best horror movies of all time, and I can really see why. I can also see why some consider it one of the best films of all time. Alien is teeming with suspense, and keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat for almost the entire run time, say for some exposition in the beginning. Every time the audience gets even a subtle glimpse of the beast, each and every time there's a subtle jump, singularly due to the amazing practical effects of the alien itself.
To start with some pros, the directing is utterly fantastic, to say the least. Ridley Scott does such a good job working the camera; it makes every emotion pop right out of the screen and suck the watcher right into the movie, drawing out the tone drastically. Some of the long takes can pull forth the tension throughout the scene, or the fear that a specific character feels at the present time.
The acting is also amazing, starting with Sigourney Weaver. She gives one of the most breathtaking female performances in cinema history. Her character, Ellen Ripley, is a very strong and independent female; one in which no male is required to make her who she is, unlike most female leads today. If movies delivered more characters like Ripley, films would be better in almost every way.
The hands down best thing about this film, however, is the simplicity of the plot. One can only imagine a person pitching the idea for this film, saying "a crew of astronauts are stuck on a ship with an alien that kills them." The straightforwardness of the plot is so astounding, it makes one do a double take upon the complexity of a horror, or even action, film in the modern day. This simplicity is present in many "best films of all time," such as Die Hard (1988), or Jaws (1975). Overcomplicated plots are one of the many reasons why too many movie goers say "they don't make'em like they used to."
Overall, Alien is understandably one of the best films of all time, thanks to the characters, directing, and clarity of the plot. I'm going to give Alien an A+, or a 10 out of 10.