Jaden Jordan
- Apr 5, 2019
- 2 min read

Alien (1979)

Updated: Aug 3, 2021

The Breakdown:The crew of a small space craft are terrorized by a predatory alien loose somewhere on their ship.

Watch If: You want a genuinely good Sci-Fi horror installment

Not If: If the hype will detract from the film for you

SECONDARY FACTS

Overall Rating: 4.2

Length: 1:56

Country: UK/USA

Language: English

Related Media: Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) Alien³ (1992) Alien Resurrection (1997) Alien vs. Predator (2004) Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) Prometheus (2012) Alien: Covenant (2017) Alien: Isolation – The Digital Series (2019) Board Games Video Games

REVIEW

THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Alien is an interesting and creative take on Sci-Fi horror that has all but molded the sub-genre. It deserves every ounce of praise it gets.

PREMISE: 4.0

Alien is far and away the mother of the modern horror Sci-Fi. Many of the tropes and ideas that are, nowadays, overused, originated here. Between the simplicity of the general plot and the brilliant execution, Alien is far and away one of the more original and creative works of cinema artistry that I have ever seen.

ACTING: 4.0

It can be difficult to accurately portray the exaggerated emotions that horror films typically require without coming across as ham-fisted or comically over-done, but the cast of Alien managed to do just that, particularly Sigourney Weaver. This artful mastery of acting is one of the only things that really draws the line between cheesy Sci-Fi Channel would-be horror and the cinematic masterpiece that terrified a generation.

VISUALS: 5.0

There are very few artists with as jarringly recognizable a style as H.R. Giger, who is widely credited (and received an Academy Award) for his work on the sets and visual designs of Alien. The visual familiarity of the aesthetic is one of the core features that catapulted the film to the peak of Sci-Fi Horror, and kept that success through the remainder of the film. Having a genuinely scary monster that doesn't lose it's effectiveness when it's shown on camera is a modern marvel of cinematic prowess and flawless design.

ATMOSPHERE: 4.0

Creepy, with an air of desperation that isn't completely destroyed by the 70s schlock that permeates almost all of the horror films that were created in the decade. It's tense and dramatic, with a palpable air of Murphy's Law, (Ripley's Law, Perhaps? SorryNotSorry.) It is a descent into a panicked world of "what else could go wrong... oh yeah, that."

DELIVERY: 4.0

Watch It. I don't care if you don't like "older" movies. I don't care if you didn't like the sequels or crossovers or spinoffs, if you haven't seen the original Alien, you should, if only to further educate yourself on the foundations of a horror sub-genre that created a bulk of the overused tripe that modern horror Sci-Fi. Be Like Nike.