Alien

Rating:
Summary: A Very Scary, Creepy Movie
Review: I saw this movie in the theaters when it first came out, when I was 19. It was one of the scariest movies I had seen up to then, and few, if any, have passed it up since then.

A large but scantily-manned cargo vessel, which reminds me of the space version of a somewhat beat-up and definitely well-used ocean freighter, is on a return trip to Earth after making a delivery, when they intercept some kind of SOS. By law, the crew, unofficially led by Sigourney Weaver, has to investigate. On a planet with an extremely hostile climate, they find a bizarre and very alien (and very huge) ship that either crashed, ran out of fuel, or suffered some other misfortune. They investigate and see evidence that suggests that the long-dead crew of that ship lost a battle with some form of disease or infestation that caused severe damage to the bodies of the crew. The crew of the freighter returns to the freighter, unaware that one of its members has been infested (in one of the most startling scenes in movie history, in my opinion).

Life seems to get back to normal as the freighter resumes its trip home. We see the crew having fun together, engaging in petty squabbles, gossiping about one another, etc. Then, one of the crew suddenly has a small but extremely vicious creature explode out of his abdomenal wall. That begins a frantic search for the truth about what the creature is, how it can be defeated, and how the crew can survive. The creature grows RAPIDLY and is an extremely clever, as well as vicious, hunter. The ship, with its dank, gloomy, labyrinthine corridors and cargo holds makes a perfect setting for a high-tech hunt against a very crafty and adaptive predator (who is hunting the hunters).

Sigourney Weaver gives a great performance as a gutsy, no-nonsense woman who takes charge when everyone else hesitates. In my opinion, none of the sequels equals the original, but I know others disagree. Want to get scared in your living room? Watch this movie.

Rating:
Summary: In space, no one can hear you scream...
Review: I must say, over my years being a passionate student of film I've yet to come across a publicity line that imprints more fear onto the viewer than that one. It just embodies the terror and isolation at the heart of this movie. I'm going to keep my review fairly short, because as you can see by the amount of people who have already posted one, there's probably little more praise I could give this film that hasn't already been bestowed on it by the other reviewers. Ridley Scott's breakthrough movie may not have been the first blockbuster thriller that had its audience in a cold sweat and leaping out of their seat, but it is probably one of the finest and is, undoubtedly, one of the scariest. How critics and filmgoers of today such as the review from Leonard Maltin and the completely misguided review ..., can look back on this gem and call it overrated and boring is beyond me. Even if you don't find this film as scary as some do, you must look at it in retrospect, because audiences back in the late '70s had never seen anything like it on this level. But this is not by any means just a shock-fest. It brings together all the elements of fine filmmaking: decent acting, crisp cinematography, a well-drawn out script, a thrilling musical score that compliments the tension and above all, an outstanding director. In all honesty, the surge of big budget crowd-pleasing blockbuster films that came during the late '70s, in spite of the seeming mediocrity that today's arrogant, conceited film critics accuse them of, are a hundred times better in quality than some of the awful movies that are making big box-office numbers nowadays. Overall, I'd have to say that this film belongs in any true film fan's collection, and that none of the hype that surrounds it is in any way falsified. After all these years, it still possesses an undying ability to terrify its audience.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic SF/Horror Story
Review: The commercial vessel Nostromo, which obtains oil from the depths of space for "the company" receives a beacon and according to standard procedures the crew is awakened to investigate. Captain Dallas sends out a search team and one member First Officer Kane is attacked by an unknown creature which attaches itself to his face. Warrant Officer Ripley doesn't want them to come in. Regulations state a 24-hour quarantine period is required and despite Dallas' orders to the contrary she refuses to let them in. However, the Science Officer Ash disobeys HER orders and does let them in. While Kane is being taken care of in the medical facilties, Ripley looks at the beacon and it seems to "Mother", the computer which runs the ship that the beacon was not an SOS but a warning. Thus begins of the frightening movies ever made. It doesn't matter if a monster running amok has been done before, this story follows none of the cliques and has you on the edge of your seat for the entire movie. Everyone in the cast is good, especially Sigourney Weaver, who plays Ripley in this and the three sequels. IMHO, this should have been a stand alone movie. It should stand alone as a testiment to great filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: The Horror Number One!
Review: A crew of spaceship Nostromo is suddenly woken up from a cryogenic sleep because of mysterious signals coming from an unknown planet and received by a ship computer. The astronauts land on the planet surface and go to investigate an alien spaceship where one of them is attacked by an alien which fasten itself on his face. When the crew returns to their ship and abandon the planet, nobody forefeels that the real horror will begin very soon ...

This novel is one of the first books I purchased on Amazon.com and one of the best sci-fi horrors I ever read. The strongest feature is not only the storyline but also the detailed and sophisticated characters of the heroes. It does not matter if you watched the movie first and then read the book or if you read the book first. Both treatments are made precisely and Mr. Foster deserves the highest rank.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest horror films ever made
Review: Please ignore the so-called "official" and yet ultimately misguided reviews from both Amazon.com and Leonard Maltin. AFI just named "Alien" as one of the 100 greatest thrillers of all time (only behind such other classics as "Psycho" and "Rosemary's Baby") and ranked this brilliant slice of unrelenting terror at #6.

Seven interstellar space travellers (including Tom Skeritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, and Harry Dean Stanton) are sent to investigate a mysterious alien signal emanating from a barren alien world. Three of the crew members are sent out to traverse the planet's dark wasteland, eventually discovering a derelict spacecraft which -- for all purposes -- is a haunted house .... and what they discover within the darkest corners of that horrifying ship plunges them into a nightmarish battle against a constantly changing, vicious H.P. Lovecraftian being from beyond the stars ....

Remember what it felt like to be a small child in a dark room, trying to go to sleep at night? Hearing every sound? Sensing every shadow and hint of movement? Hearing something that seemed to drag itself across the floor to the foot of your bed?

If you want to relive the experience, watch this movie.

This is quite simply one of the greatest horror films ever made, and was revolutionary in terms of production design, tone, and its hideous monster (designed by H.R. Giger). When it was released in 1979, there had never been ANYTHING quite like it. Scott's direction -- this was his second assignment following "The Duelists" in 1977 -- is flaweless and creates a sense of rising tension from the first frame. ... the first forty five minutes give the viewer a sense of terrible dread. The audience knows something awful is going to happen from the start, but is never exactly sure what awaits around each darkened corner ... or what hides behind every closed door. Watch the opening scenes in the Nostromo while the travellers are still in hypersleep ... it's like a ghost ship -- a haunted house just waiting for its boogeyman to come aboard. And when the monster does arrive, the film never looks back.

The performances are first rate, and launched the career of Sigourney Weaver as a lead actress. The script expands beyond the source conventions of science fiction B-horror movies to deliver a wide array of surprises, twists, and shocks. The photography is outstanding, the visuals are breathtaking (as well as unnerving), and special effects by Brian Johnson still hold up to today's CGI standards. Jerry Goldsmith ("The Omen," "Chinatown," "Star Trek - The Motion Picture") contributes one of his best scores, featuring music which is sometimes beautiful and romantic, and yet can also draw the most skin-crawling sounds from the National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Oh yes, and it features one of the best reveals for a monster in the history of films (right up there with the shark in "Jaws") -- and I'm not talking about the infamous chest-burster scene.

The DVD is loaded with extras, including outtakes and deleted scenes, insightful commentary from Ridley Scott, the isoalted film score, and much more. One of the best special editions out there, and far superior to the "Aliens" DVD.

Along with "Psycho," "The Exorcist," and "Rosemary's Baby," this is one of the top five horror films of all time. Ignore the Generation-Z review from Amazon.com which whines about not getting to the chest-burster sooner. Like this reviewer, if you want a bucket of gore packaged as a movie, and this is what you think terror is, watch "Friday the 13th Part 5." If you want to actually see a truly frightening horror film -- turn off the lights and take Ridley Scott's cold hand as he leads you into a singular tale of the macabre in outer space. Sweet dreams.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone Will Hear You Scream...
Review: "Alien" is Ridley Scott’s masterful “haunted house in outer space” movie, the one where tall and incredibly gorgeous Sigourney Weaver meets the relentless space monsters for the first time....

Yes, this is a scary movie, but another word for it would be “funky.” From the lived-in look of the Nostromo (the space tug Weaver’s first mate on) to the grubby jumpsuits and tennis shoes the crew wears, this movie has a very grungy ambience. Add H.R. Giger’s insane insect creatures and exploding eggs, and you’ve got the birth of a franchise- and source material for an infinite series of rip-offs set everywhere from outer space to under the sea. When this came out (1979), it looked like nothing else. Now, you’ll notice how it looks like EVERYTHING else, which just goes to show you the genius involved here.

It's far more than just a stylistic exercise, though; this movie’s got quirky characters galore. Weaver’s the tough, no-nonsense lieutenant, Tom Skerrit is the not-so forceful captain, Yaphett Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are the ultra-working class stiffs of a blue collar bunch, and Veronica Cartwright is sort of shrill, but compassionate. Brits John Hurt and Ian Holm round out the crew: Hurt is the poor schlep who gets impregnated by the nastiest crab outside bad seafood buffet and Holm is the creepy, milk-drinking science officer with a secret agenda.

"Alien" has a simple plot, with scares of every kind... mounting tension, the old jump-at-the camera trick, the false-sense-of-security ending and more. The DVD features a wide-screen, crisp print and incredible sound, plus a snazzy animated menu based on the "Mother" computer from the film. It gives the whole experience an immersive quality. See it now!

Rating:
Summary: Spooky and nail-biting
Review: Kudos to Ridley Scott for this film that still holds its own after more than twenty years. The set is incredibly done and still looks futuristic, especially the room where Dallas communicates with the ship's computer, Mother. Creature effects are very well done, although when Ripley blows the alien into space at the end, it looks more like a man than a bloodthirsty animal. It is still suspenseful and scary, as a face-hugging parasite attaches itself to Cain's face as he is surveying an ancient alien ship with thousands of egg pods lain in the bowels of the vessel. Cain is brought back on board and later the facehugger detaches and dies. During dinner, a vicious little creature bursts out of Cain's chest and runs away. In a matter of hours, the alien grows to roughly a human's size and begins to pick off the rest of the crew members one by one. It's now up to a handful of stalwart men and women to destroy what Ash classifies as the perfect organism. To quote him, "I can't lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies." Some complain that the film takes too long to get going, but if it moved at a non-stop pace, the audience would not get a chance to identify with the characters and grow to like them, or dislike them. "Alien" is ideal for a patient person with a good attention span; it is people like that who will appreciate the film the most. By the by, the Nostromo's explosion is still visually stunning and utterly fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie Great DvD
Review: Alien was the first DvD I bought and I was very impressed. The picture quality is great as well as the sound. The extras are a nice treat. Ecspecially the deleted scenes. The cocoon scene that was deleted is very creepy. I can see why some of the scenes were deleted from the movie but them not being in the movie doesn't take away from it. If you're a fan of the Alien series this DvD is definitley a bonus!

Rating:
Summary: Alien, You know you want to see it.......are ya chicken?
Review: At first, I thought this would be stupid, but hold on to your nervous system, because this one is a thriller. A team of space cargo haulers comes upon a seemingly abandonded alien hive. But when one of the newborn aliens stows away on board, the people start dropping one by one. Can you guess who, if anyone, will live? This one is a must have for science fiction buffs, and horror fans alike. Followed by 3 sequels.

Rating:
Summary: Best Space Movie Ever!
Review: This movie is undoubtedly the best movie ever made. It has an amazing story line and Ridley Scott directed it beautifully. Commercial Towing Vehicle Nostromo is interuppted en course to earth by some sort of distress signal. Three of the crew go out to investigate and one comes back with something on his face. He's in a coma for about a day and then the creature's gone and he is seemingly fine, although at dinner, a small creature bursts from his chest, killing him violently and quickly. The Alien escapes and grows within hours. Now the crew has to find it and kill it while it picks them off one by one. Sigourney Weaver is great in her debut roll, so is the rest of the cast. I hope everyone who watches this movie enjoys it as much as I do.