At 30 years of age, "Alien" remains invigorating and vital to this day.

Rating: 10/10 (3 June 2009)

The crew aboard Nostromo – a commercial towing vehicle (a.k.a. spacecraft) – find their return to Earth interrupted by a mysterious signal. Upon their investigation, they stumble across an abandoned alien spacecraft, and unwittingly bring aboard a deadly threat. It seems the same creature(s) that wiped out the alien spacecraft intend to do the same to the Nostromo crew, and it has some interesting ways of breeding as well.
Ridley Scott's second feature-length film, and the one that put him on the map, "Alien," arrived in 1979, truly ahead of its time. In the wake of the smashing success of "Star Wars," the science fiction genre was suddenly in vogue, and in an attempt to cash in on its own success, Twentieth Century Fox greenlit the film which is in stark contrast to its family friendly predecessor. Dark, brooding and menacing – these are words that only begin to describe "Alien." Akin to "Jaws" and "Halloween," it was destined to become a seminal and influential film, inspiring countless other film-makers, spawning a string of sequels and ultimately leaving its mark on the film-world, setting the bar so high that to this day, no one has crafted a better sci-fi/horror story.
To say everything in "Alien" is perfect would be a bit of an overstatement. Yes, there are some special effects that look ridiculous by today's standards (chest-burster scene, anyone?) but are forgiven by the film's sense of realism, tight-pacing and bleak atmosphere. It helps, for starters, that most of the interactions between characters were improvised by the actors, further lending credibility to the film's grip on reality. Despite the fact that the plot unravels aboard a massive spacecraft, you buy it because the characters look and feel real (with several of the players being middle-aged) and because they fit into the environment so naturally. Sigourney Weaver, as Ripley, sticks out the most as our unorthodox (at the time) female lead, single-handedly giving birth to the strong but feminine hero and the Sarah Connors of the world. To further the impact, the steady hand of Ridley Scott allows the film to play out at a natural, albeit, dreadful pace. As the film counts the minutes, things only worsen for the Nostromos crew, stacking suspenseful stalking scenes with paranoia and a sense of impending doom, until its intense and rewarding conclusion.
"Alien" is a slow-burner in every sense of the word, but thankfully, it never drags. Everything in the film sets up a payoff and the closer you pay attention and invest yourself in its happenings, the more rewarding it will be. You'll be wowed by the cinematography, the Jerry Goldsmith score that bubbles beneath the surface, the strong cast and the iconic and disturbing imagery of the Alien itself, as dreamed up by H.R. Giger. Over time, it's earned its high pedestal in the pop culture world and is worth revisiting time and time again. A true classic in every sense of the word.