Alien

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Alien

R

Released May 25, 1979

1h 57m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

202 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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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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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

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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

Alan French

Sunshine State Cineplex

Combined with the brilliant visual aesthetic, impeccable production design, and great performances from top-to-bottom, Alien has few equals in cinematic history.

Rated: 10/10

Aug 17, 2024

Full Review

Germain Lussier

io9.com

Like so many great sci-fi films of the era, it leaves those to the imagination in favor of character and story.

Jul 5, 2024

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Sarah Vincent

AwardsWatch

Human beings mostly die in the order of how much they acquiesced to the company without complaint, and even the robot and alien are not immune. Only the rebel, Ripley, and Jonesy, a cat who is the embodiment of a being who is never subservient, survive.

Jun 14, 2024

Full Review

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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

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Aaron Bacchus

A Horror Classic. The beat in the series. A must watch for all !!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/24/24

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Tommy B

Ever since I have seen this film I have loved it. The way they portray the characters as just average Joes just trying to do a job for some extra money is brilliant. The heroine of the film Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) is shown as some what of a side character at the start of the film. She mainly only starts talking when the 3 crew members are exploring L.V.-426. Then when ye action starts to roll in she still isn’t a main focus of the film, its a focus on all characters equally. This gives the thought of how all characters are just normal people trying to do a job. The practical effects of the alien and the hand built structures of the Nostromo cargo ship are amazing for that era. The team behind the aliens suit did an amazing job. This film really is one of the best, Classic, horror films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/20/24

Full Review

Wyeth C

All time favorite. This movie has an in rivaled sci fi aesthetic that is rarely tapped into and should be utilized more! Not to mention the beautifully disgusting alien from the mind of Geiger that fits the movie’s message as this beast is super intimidating, a mayst see horror classic with impactful characters and awesome aesthetic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

Drake T

Amazing. Perfect special effects and amazing acting. I watched it when I was 12, and it was an automatic favorite for me! If you love horror movies, Alien is the first you should watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

Full Review

David W

Alien is a horror sci fi classic that has become a part of our culture. Delivering notable firsts that took horror in a fresh new direction, it’s as fun and impactful today as it was nearly 50 years ago. It is one of my personal favorites that I will continue to revisit throughout my life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/12/24

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Tom Skerritt

Captain A.J. Dallas

Sigourney Weaver

Warrant Officer Lt. Ellen L. Ripley

John Hurt

Engineer G.W. Kane

Veronica Cartwright

Navigator J.M. Lambert

Harry Dean Stanton

Engineering Technician S.E. Brett

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Alien: 45th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer 1

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Alien: Trailer 1

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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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