Great Film!

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2012)

This is a fantastic example of how horror films should be made. There are few jumps, cheep thrills, and excessive gore. Instead, the film is eerily slow and full of tension. This mostly comes from the way the film is shot. Almost all of the sets are filmed in darkness, and the alien itself gets little screen time. This causes the viewer to feel unsure of the monsters whereabouts, much as the characters would feel.
ACTING: 8.5/10
The acting in this movie is good. The cast gives life to likable characters, something sorely missing from more recent horror films. There are no standouts however, and the actors have great chemistry.
WRITING: 10/10
The most well written horror film of all time. The plot is slow and dark, frighteningly so. The evolution of the alien is unique, the characters are well written, and the ending is satisfying. No complaints here.
DESIGN: 10/10
H. R. Giger is a genius! He alone designed some of the most unsettling sets of all time. He also designed the alien itself, which may be the most frightening creature ever in film. You will never see scarier art direction than that found in this movie.
EFFECTS: 10/10
Most, if not all of the effects in this movie are done before the camera, the way it should be done. For this reason, it is the most realistic alien movie of the four. The blood and gore is shocking, the alien moves wonderfully, and the sets look real. The darkness helped hide any flaws in effects for this film.
MUSIC: 9/10
There are no "songs" that I would listen to outside of this movie, however the soundtrack fits the movie perfectly and adds to the scariness immensely.
VERDICT:
This is the greatest scary movie ever created. Everything from the design to the music is nearly perfect. The atmosphere in this film is dark and slow, something that present day horror films could learn from. I give it a 9.5/10