Your Heart Will Exit Your Body Like A Chestburster

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2011)

Plot: The seven crewmembers of a commercial spaceship, wake up from their stasis and realize that they haven't yet reached earth. They receive a strange signal from a nearby planetoid, send some people to explore the signal's source and get attacked by a strange creature that attaches itself to one of the crewmembers.
You'll love Alien if: You want an extremely atmospheric Sci-Fi thriller, if you appreciate great props & SFX despite the movie's age and if you want to see great acting. The props and SFX certainly have a retro look however everything is surprisingly good, "realistic" and never over the top. The characters are terrific and diverse, played by great actors with Weaver doing a fantastic work. Part of the feeling of uneasiness that the movie achieves comes from the relationship of the characters which aren't exactly too friendly towards each other and from the spaceship they live in which looks more than a complex prison than a place to live. You can actually see the claustrophobic environment affecting the characters of the movie. The pacing of Alien is quite slow but this along with the scenery, the actors' great work and the clever use of sound\music, (or lack of), creates an astounding atmosphere, still undefeated by later Alien films. Finally the Xenomorph one of the most iconic creatures in cinema due to its wonderful design and mystery surrounding its existence. Very strong, extremely adaptable, without moral delusions a perfect killer. As a final word here's a little personal story: I watched this again after many years, but now with my girlfriend who is a girl who thinks of Fantasy\Sci-Fi as something that just goes well with popcorn. She is a also girl that whenever she sees a horror film like Saw, The Ring and so on mostly laughs(!?!). Alien however kept her on the edge of her seat, eyes and mouth wide open! Her reactions are my main reason why I am writing this review, because they were the reactions of a person who saw Alien for the first time in her life, not knowing what to expect and she enjoyed it very, very much!!!
You'll hate Alien if: You have a problem with its slow pacing, if you want a fast, action movie and maybe if you have seen another Alien movie before. The movie is very slow, so some people expecting something more adrenaline pumping will have a hard time seeing this one. Also people who have seen other Alien or AVP movies might get a bit disappointed by the "inferior" SFX, the very brief appearances of the Xenomorph, the lack of fast paced battles and the fact that you pretty much know everything about the creature. If you want a movie like that go watch Aliens, this one is a whole different thing Finally even though I love the movie more than any other Alien film it's the only one I have a hard time watching again because its value lies in viewers not knowing what to expect.
FINAL VERDICT: Classic Sci-Fi Thriller (8.7/10)
[+] Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Wonderful actors. Claustrophobic atmosphere. Greatly designed scenery and creatures. If my girlfriend loved it I don't know who won't :)
[-] Very slow pacing. Hard to re-watch too soon. Not for Action film fans.
Also Check: Cube (1997) – Event Horizon (1997) - The Fly (1986) - The Thing (1982)
P.S.: My purpose in all my IMDb Reviews is not to say "I like\don't like this movie" but to help you decide whether YOU will like it or not since everything is all about taste and expectations IMO...