Superb attention to detail, intelligent plot.

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2001)

One of my favourite movies.
What enthrals me every time I see it, is the intelligence behind the whole thing, the way the people and spaceships look and operate is believable (eg a tug towing a huge mineral refinery through space - obviously if the journey takes months, it makes sense to not just transport the minerals, but refine them while you do it - little points like that make this a jewel of a film).
Of course the main thing is the Alien, which is again handled most intelligently, instead of the normal Hollywood approach of spending all the budget on special monster effects to the detriment of the story and thus having to justify that expense by showing you the monster in as many different, ultimately boring ways as possible, its left mostly to our imaginations (far more powerful than any effect) with only a few glimpses to keep the tension going. The incubation idea borrowed from the desert wasp and the lifecycle of the Alien is intriguing, its not just another monster "created" by radiation or some superficial reason, somebody put some thought into it, I appreciate that.
The temptation for large explosions and massive weaponry is resisted most admirably. Instead the story, acting, attention to detail and management of tension and mood by Ripely Scott still make me cower behind a pillow after seeing this movie many times.