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Alien

Play trailer 0:33 Poster for Alien R 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 Flynn S Incredible for it’s time.Still incredible now! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Chris H A very scary film, brilliantly thought out and full of what are now sci-fi tropes; its influence is very far reaching indeed. Every member of the small cast is fantastic, as they have to be in this claustrophobic environment with no contact from the outside world (apart from the very worst kind). The characters appear genuinely and realistically scared, especially Lambert, which is refreshing. Of course the film spawned an ongoing franchise, but it doesn't need it - it is complete and self contained. Released in 1979, it still looks very modern; maybe that's because its tone has been copied over the years, with mixed success. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/25 Full Review Les N I loved this from teh start! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/20/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Alien

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Cast & Crew

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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

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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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