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Alien (1979)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
25 May 1979 (USA) moreTagline:
In space no one can hear you scream. morePlot:
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 18 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(236 articles)
Is This a Microsoft Renaissance? (From Fast Company. 14 July 2009, 6:30 AM, PDT)
An American Werewolf In London Blu-Ray Announced
(From Fangoria. 14 July 2009, 1:52 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Classic horror moreUS TV Schedule:
| Fri. July 17 | 8:00 PM | WGNAMER | |||
| Sat. July 18 | 12:30 PM | MyNetwork | more |
US Showtimes:
(register to personalize)Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Tom Skerritt | ... | Dallas | |
| Sigourney Weaver | ... | Ripley | |
| Veronica Cartwright | ... | Lambert | |
| Harry Dean Stanton | ... | Brett | |
| John Hurt | ... | Kane | |
| Ian Holm | ... | Ash | |
| Yaphet Kotto | ... | Parker | |
| Bolaji Badejo | ... | Alien | |
| Helen Horton | ... | Mother (voice) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Alien: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)Star Beast (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language. (director's cut)Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
117 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | New Zealand:M (re-release) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Italy:T | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating) (2003) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Israel:16 | India:A | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 (director's cut) (2003) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (director's cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #25541)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
20th Century Fox doubled the budget from $4.2 million to $8.4 million on the strength of seeing Ridley Scott's storyboards. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: After Lambert hits Ash with the electric prod, the camera pans down and we can see wires on the ground leading to the prop Ash torso atop Parker. The torso has no legs, ending at the waist. (Visible in 1979 theatrical wide-screen and full-screen versions, but not in 2003 director's version). moreQuotes:
[first lines]Brett: This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.
Parker: What you say? You got any biscuits over there?
Ripley: Here's some cornbread.
Parker: Cornbread. Yeah.
Lambert: I am cold.
Parker: Still with us, Brett?
Brett: Right.
Kane: Oh, I feel dead.
Parker: Anybody ever tell you you look dead, man?
more
Soundtrack:
Excerpts from 'Symphony no. 2 (Romantic)' moreFAQ
How does it end?Why didn't Lambert or Dallas get attacked by facehuggers?
I heard rumours of a deleted sex scene between Dallas and Ripley. Is it true?
more
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The further we go in special effects, the more movies show us and ignore the unseen, the more people will return to dark horrors like this one.
It's hard to look at this film without considering the sequels and knowing the alien itself, however when made the alien was mostly unseen and a mystery. It's difficult to forget what you've seen, but it's important to approach this film first if possible rather than joining the series late.
It's amazing that this is over 20 years old - apart from the actors looking so young, the film doesn't feel dated at all. The sci-fi visions here are still bleak and futuristic as they were then - this is not the Star Trek vision of the future. The foreboding exists long before John Hurt spills his secret, Scott's direction is excellent throughout. Once the alien is "born" the tension is cranked up and the characters dispatched one by one (a formula we know oh-so well now!)
However here the characters are not merely alien-food but have some dimension to them. Weaver is excellent, while the support cast is full of great support actors (Stanton, Kotto, Hurt, Skerritt, Holm), but of course the real star is the one we see least of.
We barely see the alien in full detail, most of the time it is set in shadows, moving with deadly intent.The alien here is not simply a killing machine as seen in later films but is cruel with it. Witness the alien trap a female crew member and slowly rub up her leg, moving with slow seductive movements before moving with terrifying speed to kill another crew member sneaking up behind it. The slow movements betray the alien's pure cruelty.
The film is a study in terror. It may not be as action packed as the other films in the series but it brings the claustrophobia of being hunted to a new level.