Alien(1979)
"In space no one can hear you scream."
Overview
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
Ridley Scott
Director
Dan O'Bannon
Story
Ronald Shusett
Story
Dan O'Bannon
Screenplay
Top Billed Cast
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2024 Modern Trailer
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#TBT Trailer
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Ridley Scott & Yaphet Kotto on ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (2003) | TIFF REWIND
Featurette
Back In Theaters April 26
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Back In Theaters April 26
Teaser
"Dallas Dies" Full Scene
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Tom Skerritt on the Ripley character in ALIEN
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40th Anniversary Spot
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Landing
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Ripley Remembers Episode #5 | ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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Ripley Remembers Episode #4 I ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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Ripley Remembers Episode #3 I ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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Ripley Remembers Episode #2 | ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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Ripley Remembers Episode #1 I ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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5 Things You Might Have Missed in Alien (1979) | Alien Anthology
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ALIEN (1979) | From Storyboard to Screen | ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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The First Chestburster | Alien Day Returns | ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
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Parker and Lambert's Demise
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Iconic Chestburster Scene
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How Ridley Scott's ALIEN empowered Ellen Ripley and Parker as told by Yaphet Kotto
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RIDLEY SCOTT on ALIEN | Little Beast | TIFF
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YAPHET KOTTO on ALIEN | Opening Doors | TIFF
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Ridley Scott on directing Alien | Film4 Interview Special
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Ridley Scott on Designing the Alien | Film4 Interview Special
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"Alien" winning the Oscar® for Visual Effects
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Sigourney Weaver On Ridley Scott's Vision For ALIEN
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Sigourney Weaver On Ellen Ripley From The ALIEN Films
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Sigourney Weaver Gives An Overview Of ALIEN
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Ridley Scott On Sigourney Weaver's Portrayal of Ripley In ALIEN
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Ridley Scott On The Three Stages Of The ALIEN Creature
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Ridley Scott On The Elements Of ALIEN
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Ridley Scott On Creating A Convincing Universe
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Written on September 21, 2016
The "Nostromo," like "Star Wars" spacecraft, looks worn and in use, compared to the "just out of the box" look of "Star Trek" spacecraft. (And I'm a fan of the "Star Trek" universe!) The claustrophobic feel of the "Nostromo" is due to "filming inside of a tube" location shooting next seen in "Das Boot."
A band of "space truckers" are awakened from hibernation, and are shocked to find that they are only half way home. The Company orders them to investigate an Alien transmission, which sets up a descent into Hell as the crew finds themselves being stalked by an opportunistic "Exomorph." As the crew is picked off one by one, the true nature of the beast and the odd attitude of the Science officer, Ash, raise the anxiety level over 100%.
What sets this tale apart from other "space monster" films is the character of Third officer Ripley, who raises uncomfortable questions to Capt. Dallas about company policy in general and Science officer Ash in particular. After Capt. Dallas disappears, take-charge-female-Ripley discovers Ash's true intentions and leads her diminished crew to action.
The level of violence has been described as "near pornographic," which is helped along by H.R. Giger's "worst nightmare" mature Alien. This is the first of a memorable franchise, featuring a strong female leader that continues into the "Prometheus" prequel.(?)
