Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Scary Movie, and NOT Overrated
Review: To call this movie overrated, as the editorial staff at Amazon has done, is to ignore, or simply miss a quite revolutionary element in this scary monster/haunted house genre tale: The introduction of a female last-one-standing hero. As my literary professor pointed out some 15 years ago, Alien is the first known instance in Western culture -- in stories, tales, song,etc -- wherein a female is the surviving hero. Not to say this fact in itself is enough to recommend the movie. But it is an interesting, revolutionary step, and one that helps in the argument that Ridley Scott is a 'feminist' movie director, as evidenced in Thelma and Louise and GI Jane. The instance of a female surviving hero is now a common element in literature and film, but at the time of it's release in the late 70s, one would have to turn to cartoonish Wonderwoman and Sheena to find a relative comparison.
Rating: 
Summary: I recommend this movie!!!
Review: This was one of the best horror movies I've seen. In this movie the alien evolves into at least four different forms. The last few weren't realistic. They got worse starting from the first one. The suspence was held for much longer than other movies. You know that something's going to surprise you, but when it comes, it gives you an appalling shock. I recommend not to see this movie alone!!
Rating:
Summary: Very good blockbuster first-in-series
Review: This is the starting movie of the Alien story and a rather good one at that. It is proabaly the freakiest an most scary of all of them. The biggest problem that I can see about it is that it is a little slow in the begining and a little predictable at the end, but other wise a good film. Like many other first-in-series films made around that time it can seem a bit overshadowed by its sequels (think Star Wars: A New Hope, Die Hard, and Predator.) But even then it still is a great flick. If you are planning to see any of the Alien movies, see this one first. It sets a wonderful groundbase for the epic tale.
Rating:
Summary: Classic - the best!
Review: "Overrated?" "Drawn out?" "Never as good as it was cracked up to be?" Who wrote that review? Obviously, not a horror fan! Alien was the first movie of it's kind since the original "Thing". Top notch special effects, great casting, dialog and story. Both Predator and Species tried to capitalize on the Alien genre but couldnt come close.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Terror
Review: I first saw this movie when I was 12 and it terrified me...I saw it again when I was 12...I knew what to expect and yet I was still terrified. What made it so scary? Now that I'm "a little" older I have realized, watching it again and again...the terror the characters in Alien are feeling is real. The acting is superb...Ripley's fear sinks into your bones. She talks to herself trying to fight the fear, the conversation between the crewmates is jumbled, exactly as it would be if you were a fly on the wall of the spaceship. You can feel how alone they are trapped in deep space with something unimaginable lurking.....anywhere.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly fabulous.
Review: I was not too sure if I was going to like Alien as much as I would've liked to during the first half hour of the movie. It seemed too sci-fi for me somehow. But, about 31 minutes into the movie, I started to get intrigued with the originality of the story. I realised the first 25 or so minutes really needed to be there to give the story some depth, so if I was to watch the movie again, I would not be bored watching those scenes. I couldn't believe the standards of the special effects for a 1979 movie, they are totally stunning and don't look fake at all. The acting is very good, the stress and the strain during the making of the movie truly pays off her with Sigourney's Weaver's stunning go-getter performance as Ripley. But, it's the most hats off that go to Ridley Scott, who directs the film with a positive side, bringing the potentially uninteresting to the horrifyingly memorable. Yes, Alien is horrifying. Most of the suspense comes from the cat Jones. Whenever he's on screen and the characters are trying to capture him, we know the alien is gonna come up and get someone gore-good. Even though you know that person on-screen is alien-baby bait, you still get a hell of a fright watching them get torn to pieces. In short: classic sci-fi horror.
Rating:
Summary: Actually 3.9 Stars.
Review: The 1979 Sci-Fi horror film, ALIEN is the beginning of the ALIEN LEGACY- which was known as the new standard for sci-fi/horror. Ellen Ripley's(Sigourney Weaver, ALIEN LEGACY, HEARTBREAKERS) starship crew is stalked by a manhunting alien from another world, after one of the crew members is attacked by a disgusting facehugger (alien embryo layer).MY REVIEW: "I can see where this film was a BIG hit in 1979, but after just seeing it yesterday- I wasn't so fascinated. The film was "fine", but not excitingly great! The sequel from James Cameron (Terminator 2, Titanic) is far better! I wanted to see the alien more than it was in the movie! The alien creature itself was SO fake! Unlike the sequel, you could tell the alien was a man in a suit, and the tounge especially was a slow moving metal bar- unlike "ALIENS". And it seems like the ending is always the same in the "Alien Legacy" movies- except (Alien 3) when they blow it out of the ship and into space... But hey that's just me. But check this one out on rental if you already haven't seen this classic. ALIEN, though is FAR better than ALIEN 3! ALIEN 3 is the worst of them all! For a better RIDLEY SCOTT film- check out GLADIATOR!"
Rating:
Summary: Editorial Review Is More Foreign Than The Alien!
Review: The Amazon.com editorial review and Leonard Maltin's review are difficult to understand and impossible to agree with. This is a science fiction film with discipline--a film that chooses to spend it's time and resources building suspense and a frighteningly believability that these characters are exactly who they are in a time we will never live to see. Excellent overall production and an all too rare science fiction achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Alien is a stylish and sleek film.
Review: Through Alien's magnificent sets, story, and characters, the film has influenced many science fiction films that have followed it; though few have ever equaled it. The screenplay isn't very original but the manner in which it is presented, with extreme attention to detail, makes it seem original. A few subplots do get in the way of the film's pacing, however. The cast is fairly good, no performances to write home about. Tom Skerritt does a nice job at underplaying his character of Captain Dallas. Sigourney Weaver, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ian Holm also give commendable performances. Ridley Scott's masterful direction is fantastic. He takes full advantage of his sets, music, and lighting to make the film as eerie and atmospheric as possible. Jerry Goldsmith's subtle musical score is superb; it gives the film a real sense of uncertainty. The sets in Alien are first-rate. They provide a very claustrophobic feel that makes the film all the more suspenseful. The special effects for the alien creature are very convincing. The full-grown alien is not shown in whole-body shots. This is a wise decision on the filmmakers' part; had the alien been shown in full body shots it would have given the impression of someone in a suit and so it wouldn't have been as believable. Many people have complained about the film's pacing which granted isn't the best but all the slow moments serve two purposes: they build the suspense and provide you with information about the characters and their surroundings. The picture quality on this DVD is excellent. The film looks like it could have finished production yesterday. Ridley Scott's commentary is very informative. The production photographs are also interesting. Alien is a worthy addition to anyone's film library.
Rating:
Summary: I watch this at least once a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: When there is NOTHING ON TV and I want to entertain myself with some great suspense, action and mystery I watch "Alien". It is my favorite of all "Alien" series. Of course I already know the whole story but the more I watch it the more I like it. I CAN`T STOP! I also love the music especially when they approach the space ship. If you watch this for the first time it is impressive.
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