Matchless sci-fi thriller

Rating: 10/10 (12 July 1999)

Twenty years after Ridley Scott directed his first Hollywood movie, it's hard to remember a time when the Alien wasn't around. Thanks to designer HR Giger, the steel toothed xenomorph became the last word in big screen extra terrestrials who kill to live and live to kill. So, two decades after the event, we have four films in an ongoing series charting the adventures of ill-fated warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who seems to be far more indestructible than her murderous rivals. The first of the quartet is a delirious fevered dream ride through the imagination of a fine director and an unrivalled designer. As Alien 5 gears up, give this another look if you get the chance. If you've never seen it, then beg, borrow or steal a copy and slap it into the VCR, DVD or projector tonight.