Alien (1979)

Did you know the movie Alien was thirty years old? Ridley Scott’s space-monster classic has aged surprisingly well. It’s a pleasure to revisit it, and be reminded of how many later films, not only its sequels, have stood on its substantive shoulders.

In space, no one can hear your scream.

A mining ship is on its way back to Earth. The crew is awakened out of stasis after the ship, Mother, intercepts what seems to be a distress call. Tension builds among the characters as they gradually figure out what’s going on. There is an iconic dinner scene, a scary monster designed by H.R. Giger, and some kickass performances, particularly that of a then-little-known Sigourney Weaver. My husband G. Grod and I wanted to revisit this and its sequel, Aliens, after watching Cameron’s Terminator and T2. I’m now v. much looking forward to Aliens, on deck for tonight if I can stay awake for the special edition’s whopping 154 minutes.

2 Responses to “Alien (1979)”

  1. Amy Says:

    Good lord. 30 years?? Wow.

    The nice thing about teenagers is they’re old enough to watch this stuff too… the kids loved Alien. It’s part of our horror movie journey–tonight it’s The Ring.

  2. girldetective Says:

    Wow. You and your kids are brave. I’m too scared to watch the Ring.