One of the best films ever made

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2014)

Not much to say that hasn't been said about Alien. I am doing my small part to pump the rating up to a solid 9 where it belongs.
I saw this on the big screen during it's opening week when I was 11 in a REAL theater - huge (holding 1075 people), packed house, spring-rocking seats, 70mm film, six track Dolby...wondrous. I have watched Alien at least 50 times since and I will never grow tired of it.
The overall mood of the film is chilling and suspenseful. The detail and sheer beauty of the Nostromo's interior is stunning. I could easily watch an entire hour of slow, sweeping pans of the rooms and corridors alone. Nothing before or since has ever come close.
The special effects in Alien are fantastic by any standard. Yes, there is one scene in which someone attempts to stand something upright on a table and another where something appears to be moving on a dolly that reveal some limitations, but these are more than acceptable trade-offs for the realism of makeup versus CGI. I am sure the editors wished they had a few more takes to work with, but they did their best with the shots they had and these very minor flaws do not detract.
I would have thought that by now, CGI would be a match for "old-fashioned" silicone and makeup, but sadly no. CGI still looks fake and has never produced a single, believable, creature or superhero in all these years. Ever. I find that very sad. I don't know if it is because the technology for realism just isn't here yet or if it is simply a lack of human talent in adding in the "imperfections" that make things look real. I suspect it's a combination of both plus a lack of budget for the time it would take and I don't think we will see real-looking CGI for at least another 30 years. I wish more films today would shun CGI altogether. Models, silicone and makeup are far superior. Come on CGI effects teams - CATCH UP!
Well, that's my rant on CGI... But although the sets and effects are wonderful, Alien is not a special effects film. It is pure suspense and horror in a sci-fi setting, done to perfection.
Alright that's enough. If you are the one person alive who hasn't seen this, what are you waiting for? If sci-fi or slow suspense is not your cup of tea, so be it. It takes all kinds to make a world, but give it a shot - give it its due. Alien is truly an amazing work of art.