Not quite as good as Aliens, but still well done

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 1999)

I think Aliens owes a lot of it's success to the original but it is a film that stands on it's own. Alien, however is a very terrifying film, it just takes a little while to get there. What is very good about the original is that the set design is really one of the stars of the film. Everything is meticulously laid out before us and this adds to the element of fear that Alien is famous for. I have to say that Aliens scared me more that almost any other film ever made and although I personally find Alien to be very good, (but just a step under Cameron's version and vision) it has to be said that this movie is very frightening and it is extremely well made. There is quite a bit of tension in here and it stars Tom Skerrit, that alone makes it worth the price of a rental. I think this is the perfect predecessor to Aliens. You should see this before you watch the second one. They complement each other perfectly. And if you skipped the last two all together, you would have a true feel of what good film making is all about. Alien is a very frightening film.