After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.
In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crew members leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship's computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.Written by
blazesnakes9
Sigourney Weaver was given the part of Ripley when she impressed Ridley Scott and the studio with her screentest. See more »
Goofs
(at around 52 mins) During the conversation about Brett being a parrot, the length of his cigarette constantly changes. See 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?
See more »
Crazy Credits
The title of the movie is slowly created one line at a time at the top of the screen during the opening credits, starting out with the I, then the forward slash in A and the slash in N, and then the vertical lines in L and E (so it looks like / I I I \). After that, the ensuing lines of each letter are added slowly one at a time until the title is fully visible. See more »
Alternate Versions
In April of 2019 Ridley Scott re-released Alien in 4K HDR for both the Theatrical version and the Director's Cut. The biggest changes to the film made were to the Director's Cut. The Cocoon scene with Dallas was omitted, along with various cuts and additional scenes added in for pacing purposes. For example, the new Directors cut includes the Dallas with Mother scene in which Dallas is informed of his fate which was not in the original 2003 Director's Cut.. Since the re-release of Alien in 4K it has been unclear why Scott continued to market this cut as the "2003" version when in fact it should be labeled on the cover as the "2019" Directors Cut considering the gross amount of previous scenes omitted from the '03 version and the changes made in the new cut. See more »
'Alien' is one of those special films that have aged very, very well. Even now, after nearly 40 years, everything about it just feels fresh. The restrained, natural performances by the fantastic cast; the outstanding production design; the beautiful, ominous score by Jerry Goldsmith; the realistic, "lived-in" look of space-freighter Nostromo's interior: it actually feels less dated than many science fiction films that were made much later, which is quite an astonishing feat. Even the (what now must be considered) "retro" technology inside the ship doesn't necessarily have to be viewed as anachronistic in the face of our obvious recent advancements, because it's the most simple technological equipment that is usually robust enough to survive the longest under harsh conditions (like the extreme temperatures in space).
I feel it's especially hard for science fiction films to stand the test of time - which is kind of inherent to the genre I suppose - and 'Alien' simply remains an outstanding achievement in that regard. It's a testament to the talent of everyone involved, but especially to the vision of director Ridley Scott. The film was crafted with so much love for every little detail, and the designs by Moebius, Chris Foss - and in particular the Lovecraftian horrors unleashed by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger - are among the best and most iconic in any science fiction film. This isn't just an outstanding, timeless piece of entertainment: it's a work of art. 10 Stars out of 10.
'Alien' is one of those special films that have aged very, very well. Even now, after nearly 40 years, everything about it just feels fresh. The restrained, natural performances by the fantastic cast; the outstanding production design; the beautiful, ominous score by Jerry Goldsmith; the realistic, "lived-in" look of space-freighter Nostromo's interior: it actually feels less dated than many science fiction films that were made much later, which is quite an astonishing feat. Even the (what now must be considered) "retro" technology inside the ship doesn't necessarily have to be viewed as anachronistic in the face of our obvious recent advancements, because it's the most simple technological equipment that is usually robust enough to survive the longest under harsh conditions (like the extreme temperatures in space).
I feel it's especially hard for science fiction films to stand the test of time - which is kind of inherent to the genre I suppose - and 'Alien' simply remains an outstanding achievement in that regard. It's a testament to the talent of everyone involved, but especially to the vision of director Ridley Scott. The film was crafted with so much love for every little detail, and the designs by Moebius, Chris Foss - and in particular the Lovecraftian horrors unleashed by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger - are among the best and most iconic in any science fiction film. This isn't just an outstanding, timeless piece of entertainment: it's a work of art. 10 Stars out of 10.
Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/
Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/