A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates with horrifying results.
Within the last two days, I've seen 3 of the 4 "Alien" movies, and this first one is, by far, the best one. Ridley Scott is a genius. I reviewed his "Blade Runner" earlier this month, and I can definitely see his fingerprint on "Alien." The lighting is dark, lit only by the pulsing electric bulbs of an ore carrier ship, and all of the characters are drenched in sweat for the majority of the movie. The soundtrack is perfect for the suspense the movie wants to create, and the jerky/wandering camera angles are guaranteed to make you sit at the edge of your sweat gripping a blanket to your chin. This movie is a must-see for anyone interested in sci-fi; it really turned the genre upside down and set the standard for sci-fi horror for decades.
I love Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, she says exactly what everyone would say in the situations she ends up in, and she's so street-smart, it's painful to watch anyone question her opinion on something. I watched the movies just to see what happens to her (though I wish now I would have just stopped after 'Aliens,' the third one was just awful, and I'm sure "Resurrection" is even worse.) The supporting actors are excellent, that's what made this movie really work for me, they spent time on every detail, from special effects to acting to score, it wasn't just some movie you see "for the graphics."
It's scary, not gonna lie. There's swearing and the kinds of disgusting images a lot of people aren't comfortable with. If you saw "Pan's Labyrinth" and were ok, then this will be fine, too. If you had nightmares about Pan, then don't see Alien. It's the kind of movie that sticks in your mind. I had dreams about it, not nightmares, but I was still thinking about Ripley and Jones and a creeping terror that attacks you from the inside....
