Alien

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Alien

R

Released May 25, 1979

1h 57m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

205 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

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

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Half the joy of Ridley Scott’s miraculous sophomore film is watching Weaver ascend from the film’s pack of charismatic character actors to become a movie icon in under two hours.

Mar 5, 2025

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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

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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

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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

Full Review

C S

Science Fiction is truly Ridley Scotts jam. The movie is one of a kind and gave us some of the weirdest sci-fi horror to ever be filmed. H.R. Giger and everyone involved really built something special.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

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Dylan P.

The perfect blend of science fiction and horror!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

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tim s

Alien is a bit of a slow burner, but it's a staple of both the sci-fi and horror genres. The Facehugger, Chestburster, and the Xenomorph itself embed themselves in viewers' minds. Aside from the exquisite design of the alien, the production value of the human characters' ship is bewildering. Its bleak design, long hallways, and cavernous rooms perfectly befit the aesthetic. And Sigourney Weaver's timeless portrayal of Ellen Ripley makes her one of the best protagonists in cinema.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

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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