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IMDb > Alien (1979)
Alien
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Alien (1979) -- A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Alien (1979) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 25% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Alien on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 May 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
In space no one can hear you scream. more
Plot:
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 18 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(576 articles)
Avatar | Film review
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 19 December 2009, 4:07 PM, PST)

Hollywood sheds its prejudice
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 19 December 2009, 4:07 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Structural perfection matched only by its hostility more (827 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

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)
Runtime:
117 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby
Certification:
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 | Czech Republic:18 | 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:
Among some of the ingredients of the alien costume are Plasticine and Rolls Royce motor parts. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: While searching for the Alien with Brett and Parker Ripley checks a side room. When she turns back she faces her shipmates while holding the motion detector. As Ash explains previously, the detector functions by monitoring changes in air density. Despite this the detector fails to read a signal for Brett and Parker (which it surely would as air density is linked to temperature and humidity). more
Quotes:
[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
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Disaster! (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Excerpts from 'Symphony no. 2 (Romantic)' more

FAQ

I heard rumours of a deleted sex scene between Dallas and Ripley. Is it true?
How does the movie end?
Is the derelict the Predator ship from Alien Vs. Predator?
more
179 out of 236 people found the following comment useful.
Structural perfection matched only by its hostility, 20 July 1999
Author: Cybrtypr from Gainesville, Fla.

Director Ridley Scott's well-honed talents of pacing and editing create a tense atmosphere that superbly conveys dread and fear of an unknown, unseen evil entity. In 1979, the technology didn't exist to generate a computer image of a Being from another world, and thank God, because this film would have sucked just like all these post-Alien creature features do. Everyone who loves this movie knows what I'm talking about. Ridley Scott had to be extremely careful not to show a full shot of the Alien, except in very brief scenes, and not to reveal exactly how it moves, because then we would see that it is just some tall, skinny guy in a rubber suit. Nowadays, some computer guy would whip up a really scary-looking, but nevertheless FAKE-looking (yes, computer guys, we can tell) Alien, and the director would not have to even think about trying to breathe life into H.R. Giger's hallucinations to make a successful picture.

The dark, cold beauty of this film will never be equaled.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Sexual References realkillerthing
Dan O'Bannon, Alien writer dead at 63... hulk-18
Alien or Aliens which film you like more ? PeaceLuvr1
Lifecycle maddriver6
The redesigns in Alien Warrior terminatorguide
Ok with the news of the prequel and all this talk of Space Jockey and belliaandrew
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