Alien is a good film but perhaps not as good as everyone makes it out to be.

Rating: Null/10 (18 April 2001)

Through its sets, story, and characters, Alien would influence many science fiction films that would follow it. Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett's screenplay is pretty good. The subplot involving Ian Holm's character, Ash, is fairly interesting but I always felt that it bogged the film down. Overall, the cast is pretty decent; there are no astonishing performances, however. Now for some of the film's high points; Ridley Scott's direction is phenomenal. His attention to detail is astounding. Jerry Goldsmith's musical score is great; it is very effective and quite ominous and unnerving. The art direction and set decoration in Alien is absolutely terrific. The sets are large and yet they have a very claustrophobic feel. The special effects for the alien creature are quite convincing. The alien is not shown in prolonged shots or whole-body shots. This is a wise decision on the filmmakers' part; had the alien been shown in full body shots it would give the impression of someone in a suit and so wouldn't be as convincing. Alien is a worthy addition to anyone's film library.
7.5/10