Rating: 
Summary: A true movie heroine is put to the test
Review: I know, I know, Alien has been written and talked about a lot over the last 22 years, so what's left to say? What will my review add to the discussion that hasn't been said before? Probably, not much at all, but I will let others judge the value of my review. Alien has not lost any of its edge. It still is very effective and works very well even today. The film is about the crew of the spaceship Nostromo, that while returning to Earth,they must fight for surrvival, when an alien life form is brought on board. Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) leads the crew of seven Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is a tough talker who tries to keep it together as things spiral out of control. The rest of cast is great and has good chemistry with one another. Director Ridley Scott made a sci-fi/horror materpiece that set a standard that proved you can do "smart" horror. One of the most amazing things is how well everything is put forth to really scare you. If you have never seen this film before the script has some real surprises and the alien is truly the stuff of nightmares. Weaver came into her own as Ripley. Since then the character has been imitated but rarely duplicated.The 20th anniversary DVD is loaded with awsome extras. The commentary by Scott is informative and engaging. There are a lot of deleted scenes, some good, some not. Each deleted scene can be seen with commentary or not. The photo gallery is quite large and has some facinating F/X shots included that are cool. There is also a completely altternate musical underscore by composer Jerry Goldsmith that didn't make the final cut. Rounding the disc out are the usual trailers/t.v. spots and a screensaver. A really great disc for everyone to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: In space, they can't hear you scream
Review: The space driller Nostromo and its crew of 6 are finishing their mission and returning to the earth. But their return is cut short when an incomprehensible message is received from a nearby planet. Upon landing there, a dormant alien craft is discovered. Inside they discover a nest of eggs and pick up an unwanted stowaway. They get all this unwanted strife for going against their mission... or did they? ALIEN is a phenomenal film with a creepy storyline, great performances and an unearthly production design. The film kicks in after the alien has infested the ship, turning what looks like a science fiction film into a space bound haunted house. That is one of the films greatest strengths as one by one, the crew is eliminated. The hodge-podge crew was hired for ore drilling operations, not alien extermination. The strongest chance for survival sits with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver in her signature role) as she has the brains, brawn and willpower to win the day even as the ship is dying. Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator), does an amazing job of capturing the 'life' of the ship adding an organic quality to everything. The Nostromo has a communication center (brain) and a central hub, or heart, where all of the passages extend. All of these passages lined with vein piping and the sound of liquid surges, the blood of the ship. This organic quality also allows for an alien organism to hide, and it does. It remains hidden for most of the film. As Spielberg did with JAWS, the creature's presence is made in more ways than physical sightings. The creature design, and many of the films other set pieces were designed by H.R.Geiger, whose high-contrast bio-machine look adapts well to the screen. It is masterfully recreated on screen. This ALIEN (followed by 3 sequels) is a cornerstone in Science Fiction and Horror and is well transferred onto this special edition DVD that is a must own for fans of the films.
Rating:
Summary: A great sci-fi classic
Review: The bonus features and picture quality on this DVD are great, although the sound quality is questionable in some areas of the movie. All in all, it's a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: Has not dated one bit.
Review: I can only reiterate the many favorable comments about Alien seen herein. Alien is not only the best outer space movie ever made (yes that includes even 2001), but one of the best movies ever. What is truly remarkable is how it has not dated at all. The set design, special effects could almost have been today, except today it would have been more over the top and less effective, probably. Look at other sci-movies of the period, and notice how remarkable Alien is. How amazing it must have been to audiences in 1979. Aliens, the sequel is a great nail biter action film, but the original is the true classic of cinema. I want to make special note of the wonderful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. It is subtle and low key enough you might miss it if the volume is low, but it is absolutely right on, and contributes enormous tension and effectiveness to key scenes, as well as a dreamy deceptively tranquil setting to others. Why Leonard Maltin, whom I usually agree with, would not like this film, I find quite inexplicable. Unforutnatley I have never seen Alien in a theater, and I am really looking forward to the day when I can.
Rating: 
Summary: Who hasn't seen Alien?
Review: I'm sure everyone who is looking at this film has either already seen it or one of its many sequels, so I will skip the plot description and get straight to the DVD. The DVD is terrific; it has a lot of extra features that true fans of the movie will really enjoy, but couldn't it have been remastered a bit better? I understand that it was released in 1979, but the picture quality on my copy of The Stepford Wives (1975) is better. The sound quality is also very poor...I had to turn it up very loud to understand what the actors were saying. However, true fans of the film will buy the DVD whether it's good or bad. Purists, take note....this is a shoddy remastering job.
Rating:
Summary: one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made
Review: Alien was was released right... in the middle of the first and second Star Wars movies, and ultimately supplied an alternative to George Lucas's epic space opera classic with an extremely dark, clausterphobic type of setting.
The storyline does not sound like anything new at all,spaceship lands on alien planet, member of crew carries alien back to ship, ship takes off, alien grows and begins mutilating crew members. But it is the design of HR Gigers monster, and mood which makes this film so, well, alien.
The acting and screenplay is also abslotuley top notch, with thrilling performances by Sigourney Weaver and Ian Holm as the dangerous android on board, which gives the film another fantastic sub-plot and twist.
People may indeed complain about the pace of the film however, which takes a while to get onto the planet, go into alien ship, and then get off the planet. But this feeling of 'slowness' is soon cured when the astounding 'chest-burting' scene appears. Then we get to see the full grown alien... ...
Ultimately a science fiction masterpiece in witch no DVD collection is complete without.
Rating:
Summary: "Heya, Gotcha!"
Review: I agree with those who consider "Alien" the most atmospheric and original in the whole series. Ridley Scott must have studied plenty of European filmmakers in order to bring out the technique of working with sound and minimal conventional score. However, you can have some extra laughs in one scene of the film. Simply dub the line "Heya! Gotcha" for the alien. I am sure you all know what I am talking about.
Rating:
Summary: Tell me something, Mother
Review: Alien begins a long, terrific, and sometime's unfortunate journey for Ripley. One thing I noticed, is Ripley is only the survivor in a crew just like her. This first film doesn't exactly make Ripley a hero, that isn't until the next film. Rather, in this film, as one of the founders of the category, creates Ripley as just someone that lucks up on survival. There are truly memorable moment's, that had been done before but, not with a woman front and center. This movie was created during a time of the women's rights revolution in the 70's. Norma Rae, is another example of this period. Alien is one of the many great outcome's from that time. Ridley Scott manipulates the camera in all ways necessary to generate fear, jumpiness, and genuine anxiety as the creature (if you'll notice only seen briefly) wreaks destruction in sly maneuvers. A favorite scene of mine, is when Ripley is running through the corrodor's and the filming lends to this spastic tension. Truly great. The only minor problem, is the movie may seem a little slow to some. I was more than willing to give every ounce of my attention, while some younger, more "fast and the furious" loving friends of mine had to be told that it WOULD get better. Despite that, it's not a problem and is great at night, and, like Ripley, alone.
Rating:
Summary: A "haunted house" thriller more than sci-fi space adventure
Review: Those words accurately describe the plot of this first film in a very popular series of aliens against humanity. The production is indeed richly detailed and features wonderfully shadowy sets that make you wonder what is lurking around the ship's corridors. This is an ideal addition to your DVD collection, as it includes a wealth of extras, not to mention remastered picture and sound. After all these years, "Alien" is still frightening good food for the senses.
Rating:
Summary: the best
Review: this is the first in the best movie saga ever made alien is a great thrilling movie the alien when he opens his mouth is breathtaking great acting the best chestbuster scene in the hole saga.
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