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The beginning

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This & the 2nd one are my favorites in this series. This one sets the stage for the rest. It's scarey, action-packed, & edge of your seat watching.

The only horror movie that actually scared me

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The crew of the spaceship Nostromo is forced to investigate a crashed alien craft on an unknown planet. Something seems to have killed the alien pilot. Something strange...something terrible....and *very* lethal...

"Alien" isn't just a classic horror movie. It's also the only horror movie that actually scared me. OK, "Poltergeist" might have scared me when I was a child, but that doesn't count! I found "Alien" scary even when I saw it a second time, with commercial breaks.

Clearly, there is something very special about this movie...

The monster, sometimes known as the xenomorph, was designed by a Swiss surrealist painter, a certain H. G. Giger (who looks quite scary himself, by the way). This could explain a thing or two. "Alien" probably conjures up our deepest fears about parasites, non-human predators and claustrophobia. The all-powerful company with its callous disregard for human life is a more down-to-earth nightmare. And then there's Ash, who turns out to be a robot! Another archetype? Some people seem to believe that the alien archetypes are sexual in nature. If so, I must have missed them. There is virtually no sex whatsoever in this production.

Today, I'm no longer scared by "Alien", for rather obvious reasons. Still, the movie is worth watching, after all these years. And yes, Sigourney Weaver *is* Ripley.

The sequels aren't bad either, no mean accomplishment, since sequels are usually bunk. From the top of my head, I'd say my favourite is "Alien 3" where Ripley is stranded on a quasi-religious prison colony in outer space, naturally together with a couple of xenomorphs. More weird are the comic books based on the Alien movies, with their alternative and somewhat confusing storylines. As for "Alien vs. Predator", in contrast to many Alien fans, I found it quite entertaining, although (of course!) not a "real" Alien movie.

Be that as it may, the original is still the best, and deserves every one of its five stars.

Most Terrifying Sci-Fi Ever

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This is still the classic terror/sci-fi film. It hasn't weakened with age. None of the sequels match up with the original. Best scenery, best cast, best monster, best single terrifying scene (you have to see it--I won't tell), the best single surprise scene (you have to see it). My all time favorite. The performances are a tiny bit less than I would have hoped for, but you can't have everything.

You have to listen to the dialog closely to fully understand what is really going on. It took me several viewings. But what a strange story!

The best

The Ultimate Sci-Fi /Horror Film of Its Time

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When I first saw this film when I was a kid...it literally scared the bejeezus out of me! That is why i have it in my DVD collection today. Wonderfully put together and excellently written, this is THE Sci-Fi/Horror film to which others after it would pattern themselves after. It was after this film that I became a Sci-Fi fan. Made on a meager budget, as stated in the dvd's bonus commentary section, the pressure for Director Ridley Scott to complete it was extremely great, loosing his cool many times throughout the process. Excellently cast, the movie's two focal points is Sigourney Weaver's strong female character (Lt. Ripley) and the Alien. After recently viewing this phenominal film on DVD, I was reminded of why the move scared me so much- the film's brilliant ability to keep the Alien out of most of the film, keeping you in suspense, frightened and guessing, just like an old Alfred Hitchcock film, like Psycho for example. It was mostly kept out because Scott wanted to make the Alien look more convincing. It's dark, eerie, and keeps the viewer on edge for much of the film, though some of the effects look comical and outdated, compared to the CGI digital effects these days-other effects, like the surreal landscapes created by artist H.R. Geiger in Scott's film studio, and the Alien, still stand the test of time-I wasn't laughing at all, though, when I originally saw it in 1980.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED-OUTSTANDING. A MASTERPIECE. *****stars

Alien(The Director's Cut)

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Alien is a great Sci-Fi film with Suspense thrown in there, I like the cast and the effects despite the gross parts. Looking at the movie now in Hindsight one can appreciate it more.