A Ground-Breaker In Sci-Fi/Horror

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2006)

Usually I don't care for films that have nothing but unlikable characters and a lot of verbal blasphemy, but this was so well done that I just had to have this on a good DVD because I'll always watch this film every few years. It's just too interesting to ignore.
The attractions are the incredible suspense; excellent photography and set design and memorable horror scenes. They didn't overdo the action scenes, either, as is so often the case with modern-day films. In fact, some of this might be too slow-moving for today's audience.
The suspense, as crew members search for the killer alien, is almost unbearable at times and helps make up for the profane cast, all of whom are low-life people who would never be astronauts in real life. I personally applauded when Veronica Cartwright, who had one of the nastiest faces and mouths on screen, met her demise. The rest of the crew wasn't much classier. Since this movie came out, in fact, the sequels to this plus many other science fiction films seem to portray astronauts as trashy people which is the opposite of reality and just plain ludicrous.
Anyway, Alien a memorable movie to anyone who has seen it. Who can ever forget the alien emerging from John Hurt's chest? That's a scene that stays with you forever. Others have tried to imitate the horror of that scene, but never quite been as successful.
The restored DVD gives this 25-year-old film a new appearance. It looks fabulous and really highlights the great cinematography and superb direction by Ridley Scott. This is just great entertainment if you want to spend a night on the edge of your seat.