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Alien

Play trailer 0:33 Poster for Alien R Released May 25, 1979 1h 57m Sci-Fi Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 207 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
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Alien

Alien

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Critics Consensus

A modern classic, Alien blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.

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Critics Reviews

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Jack Kroll Newsweek Alien will scare the peanuts right out of your M&M's. It was about time someone made a science-fiction thriller that thrills... and just boils everything down to the pure, ravishingly vulgar essence of fright. Nov 16, 2023 Full Review Elston Brooks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com You can have Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001. I'll take Alien. Nov 16, 2023 Full Review Desmond Ryan Philadelphia Inquirer Miss Weaver, a New York actress making her film debut, makes the most of the opportunity without overdoing it. She suggests toughness and fear in equal measure. Nov 16, 2023 Full Review David Day Horror Movie Talk Alien is one of the most impressive pieces of cinema in history. It set the bar so high for horror and sci-fi that I think it’s still the apex of both. Every single aspect of this movie is carefully thought-out and crafted to the highest of standards. Rated: 10/10 Sep 18, 2025 Full Review Mat Brunet AniMat's Review (YouTube) They'll save all the complexities for what you see visually, but in terms of the premise, all it needs is just a monster, a spaceship, a bunch of people, and let things fly out as it is, especially with the focus on the survival aspect. Rated: 9/10 Aug 29, 2025 Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) It is scary but fun scary. It is one of the finest films in that genre ever made Aug 15, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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VictorHFerr AWESOME SCIFI/HORROR FILM BY DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/08/25 Full Review Jeremiah My all time favorite film. it needs no justification. watch and see the genius of true horror. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Aaron Bacchus A Horror Classic. The beat in the series. A must watch for all !!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/24/24 Full Review Andrew Great classical movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/06/25 Full Review Zeferino P. One week after i was born this was released It set a bar for horror/sci-fi And till this day it holds up The anxiety you get watching the last act is intense Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/28/25 Full Review Skky S One of the best practical horror movie out there. And the alien from alien >;3 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Alien

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Movie Info

Synopsis In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
Director
Ridley Scott
Producer
David Giler, Gordon Carroll, Walter Hill
Screenwriter
Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox, Brandywine Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 25, 1979, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$82.6M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1), 70mm
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