An iconic sci-fi movie, but a bit slow.

Rating: 6/10 (7 March 2015)

Sigourney Weaveer stars in her signature role as Ellen Ripley, who, along with six others in the mining ship Nostromo, were on their way home when they picked an SOS warning from a distant planet. After picking up the signal, the crew realize that a dangerous alien species has stowed away on their ship.
I may be the minority in in this, as I believe this film lacks the excitement and intrigue of its direct sequel, Aliens. Much of the first half of the movie is very slow and any alien action doesn't take place until a good 45-60 minutes in. However, the suspense does build somewhat when the alien is found on board and the crew members struggle to fend it off and survive. I actually saw all the sequels before I've watched the original, so it was interesting to see how the facehuggers, alien impregnation and the very first alien creature were introduced and explained in the movie.
Ridley Scott did do quite a nice job directing, keep the film eerie, dark and foreboding, perfect for a sci-fi movie that takes place in outer-space. Jerry Goldsmith's music score is quite thrilling and Derek Vanlint's cinematography work is brilliant.
Most of the characters were OK in their acting, nothing that blew me away. However, Weaver's performance as Ripley is the highlight of the movie, displaying her fearless and commanding attitude while trying to take control of the ship and take on the alien.
Overall, though, the film thought quite iconic, this film is not as captivating as Aliens and I thought ***spoiler ahead*** the alien creature does not even have much screen time and you can't see it very well ***spoiler ends***. The movie, however, is still worth the watch.
Grade C+