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Alien

  • 1979
  • R
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
963K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
118
9
Alien (1979)
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Play trailer2:05
9 Videos
99+ Photos
CyberpunkMonster HorrorSpace Sci-FiSupernatural HorrorHorrorSci-Fi

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.

  • Director
    • Ridley Scott
  • Writers
    • Dan O'Bannon
    • Ronald Shusett
  • Stars
    • Sigourney Weaver
    • Tom Skerritt
    • John Hurt
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.5/10
    963K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    118
    9
    • Director
      • Ridley Scott
    • Writers
      • Dan O'Bannon
      • Ronald Shusett
    • Stars
      • Sigourney Weaver
      • Tom Skerritt
      • John Hurt
    • 1.8KUser reviews
    • 298Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #53
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 19 wins & 22 nominations total

    Videos9

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:05
    Watch Theatrical Version
    Alien
    Trailer 1:06
    Watch Alien
    Why We Can't Wait for Alien: Romulus
    Clip 2:43
    Watch Why We Can't Wait for Alien: Romulus
    5 Award-Winning Sci-Fi Films to Stream
    Clip 1:00
    Watch 5 Award-Winning Sci-Fi Films to Stream
    A Guide to the Films of Ridley Scott
    Clip 1:40
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Ridley Scott
    'The Platform' & Future Films From the IMDb Top 250
    Clip 4:04
    Watch 'The Platform' & Future Films From the IMDb Top 250
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Clip 3:47
    Watch How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Alien | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:17
    Watch Alien | Anniversary Mashup
    How 'Alien' Inspired Ridley Scott on "Raised by Wolves"
    Interview 3:19
    Watch How 'Alien' Inspired Ridley Scott on "Raised by Wolves"

    Photos330

    Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver, Bolaji Badejo, and Percy Edwards in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
    Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt and Ridley Scott in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, and Harry Dean Stanton in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt and Percy Edwards in Alien (1979)
    Harry Dean Stanton, Bolaji Badejo, and Percy Edwards in Alien (1979)
    Veronica Cartwright, Bolaji Badejo, and Percy Edwards in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt in Alien (1979)

    Top cast10

    Edit
    Sigourney Weaver
    Sigourney Weaver
    • Ripley
    Tom Skerritt
    Tom Skerritt
    • Dallas
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • Kane
    Veronica Cartwright
    Veronica Cartwright
    • Lambert
    Harry Dean Stanton
    Harry Dean Stanton
    • Brett
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Ash
    Yaphet Kotto
    Yaphet Kotto
    • Parker
    Bolaji Badejo
    Bolaji Badejo
    • Alien
    Helen Horton
    Helen Horton
    • Mother
    • (voice)
    Eddie Powell
    Eddie Powell
    • Alien
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ridley Scott
    • Writers
      • Dan O'Bannon
      • Ronald Shusett
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The blue laser lights that were used in the alien ship's egg chamber were borrowed from The Who. The band was testing out the lasers for their stage show in the soundstage next door.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 35 mins) A crewman with a black panel of some kind is visible through the smoke as Ripley runs through the corridors at the end of the film.
    • Quotes

      Ripley: Ash, can you hear me?

      [slams her hands down on the table]

      Ripley: Ash?

      Ash: [awakens and starts speaking in an electronic and distorted voice] Yes, I can hear you.

      Ripley: What was your special order?

      Ash: You read it. I thought it was clear.

      Ripley: What was it?

      Ash: Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

      Parker: The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?

      Ash: I repeat, all other priorities are rescinded.

      Ripley: How do we kill it, Ash? There's gotta be a way of killing it. How? How do we do it?

      Ash: You can't.

      Parker: That's bullshit.

      Ash: You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.

      Lambert: You admire it.

      Ash: I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.

      Parker: Look, I am... I've heard enough of this, and I'm asking you to pull the plug.

      [Ripley goes to disconnect Ash, who interrupts]

      Ash: Last word.

      Ripley: What?

      Ash: I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies.

    • 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 slash in A and the backslash 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.
    • Alternate versions
      The 2003 DVD release plasters the 1979 version of the 20th Century Fox logo with the 1980's version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Star Trek: The Next Generation: Datalore (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Incidental music from 'Symphony No. 2 ('Romantic')'
      by Howard Hanson

      [Played over end credits]

    User reviews1.8K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A horror classic that has stood the test of time! Still by far the best movie in the series.
    'Alien' while technically science fiction is also one of the greatest horror/suspense movies ever made. Ridley Scott is now one of the most well known and successful directors in Hollywood, but I don't think anything he's made in the last ten years is a patch on this perfect film, which is a near masterpiece in my opinion. In fact, on reflection there are only three Scott movies I genuinely like, those being his first three. The last of these 'Blade Runner' was released twenty years ago now, so to me Scott is long past his use by date. Whatever, 'Alien' itself is a brilliant piece of work, and is almost flawless. Scott's direction is superb and everything else about it is outstanding - a strong script from Dan O'Bannon et al, an evocative score from Jerry Goldsmith, brilliant design and special effects, including the amazing contributions from H.R.Giger, all add up to an amazing movie experience. I also really liked how the cast were character actors and not "stars" so there was plenty of suspense generated as to who will live and who will die. This is something very few subsequent movies have done, 'Pitch Black' being one of the exceptions. Sigourney Weaver may be an icon as Ripley now, but when the movie was first released she was virtually unknown, having had a small cameo in Woody Allen's 'Annie Hall' and not much else. The rest of the cast are equally as good. I especially enjoyed Yaphet Kotto ('Blue Collar') and the legendary Harry Dean Stanton ('Wise Blood') as the wise cracking "below deck" crew. Many people seem to prefer James Cameron's sequel 'Aliens' over this, but as I much prefer horror and suspense movies to action ones I think this is definitely the better movie, and still the strongest and most effective in the series. 'Alien' is a horror classic and an absolutely unforgettable movie that I can't recommend highly enough. If you haven't seen it before watch it immediately!
    helpful•225
    84
    • Infofreak
    • Dec 11, 2002

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    FAQ38

    • How long is Alien?Powered by Alexa
    • Where is the planetoid the Nostromo visits, and does it have a name?
    • How does the spaceship create gravity? The spaceship does not seem to be rotating, although rotation is necessary to create gravity in the space.
    • Why can the alien be alive in the atmosphere in the spaceship, which contains much more oxygen, which should be toxic to the alien, than in the planet the alien resides?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 22, 1979 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Disney+ Hotstar (id)
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alien: Le huitième passager
    • Filming locations
      • Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Brandywine Productions
      • Scott Free Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $11,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $84,206,106
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,527,881
      • May 28, 1979
    • Gross worldwide
      • $108,591,169
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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