Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Alien

Play trailer 0:33 Poster for Alien R 1979 1h 56m Sci-Fi Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 208 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Alien

Alien

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Jack Kroll Newsweek 11/16/2023
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. Go to Full Review
Elston Brooks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com 11/16/2023
You can have Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001. I'll take Alien. Go to Full Review
Desmond Ryan Philadelphia Inquirer 11/16/2023
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. Go to Full Review
Richard Freedman Newark Star-Ledger 5d
Alien is no ordinary movie. While its gruesome effects require a strong stomach, its overall impact requires an even strong mind and imagination. Go to Full Review
David Day Horror Movie Talk Sep 18
10/10
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. Go to Full Review
Mat Brunet AniMat's Review (YouTube) Aug 29
9/10
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. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Apr 8 AWESOME SCIFI/HORROR FILM BY DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT!!! See more 09/28/2024 My all time favorite film. it needs no justification. watch and see the genius of true horror. See more 05/24/2024 A Horror Classic. The beat in the series. A must watch for all !!! See more bob t 2d nothing really happens for the first hour but after that it becomes amazing! See more Michael A @Tomato547 3d Really damn good science fiction/horror movie based on Aliens killing crew in this spaceship. Fantastic movie on Aliens! See more Eamon A @EamonTheChicken Dec 31 Can't write a long review cuz there is so many alien movies, but, I'm impressed it doesn't look like stupid kindergarten drama club costumes! And the best part is the cat lives it's normal feline life! With experience with my cats, Jones shall experience no drama, in my pets case... they may be too dumb to know what even the F&#K happened! See more Read all reviews
Alien

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Alien 3 44% 46% Alien 3 Watchlist TRAILER for Alien 3 Alien Resurrection 56% 39% Alien Resurrection Watchlist Aliens 94% 94% Aliens Watchlist TRAILER for Aliens Lifeforce 58% 46% Lifeforce Watchlist Shivers 85% 58% Shivers Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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 56m
Sound Mix
Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1), 70mm
Most Popular at Home Now