Alien

Alien is one of the greatest science fiction films of the twentieth century. Starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt and Ian Holm the film was directed by the then relatively unknown Ridley Scott and undeniably helped launch his career. The franchise now has three sequels and also several tie-ins with the predator franchise.

The film was an instant success and audiences loved the special effects coupled with the suspense and gore of a horror flick; it is not what you see but the effect of what you think you saw that gives the thrill. Overall the film is popular because of its wide appeal; it is a gore fest horror thriller with hard core science fiction settings and a woman lead who is not the usual helpless victim.

Part of its appeal is also due to the fact that the roles were played by older actors who gave the film a more convincing tone. Plus the tension between the players was at times palpable and this helped the overall suspense. Many scenes and concepts in the film have now become iconic and are firmly in the public domain, particularly the face hugger alien, the chest burster alien and even the style of the alien itself.

A commercial space ship responds to a distress signal and the crew is awakened to investigate. They find an alien skeleton which is unusually twisted and also a roomful of eggs. One of the crew is attacked by an egg creature and this is the start of the fight against a seemingly unstoppable and insatiable alien species.

Cinema release 1979

Certificate 18

Available on DVD and Blue Ray