1979 film Alien is four decades after its premiere generally regarded as the undisputed classic of science fiction and horror genres. Story about crew of space cargo ship that reluctantly answers the distress signal at the distant planet only to become victims of monstrous parasitic alien successfully used one of the most primal fears of humanity – fear of the unknown, cleverly displayed by legendary production design of H. R. Giger that depicts sinister interiors of extraterrestiral ships and the strange creature itself. Dan O’ Bannon’s script adds another dimension by portraying this dark space adventure from the perspective of blue-collar characters who see their life as part of monotonous routine, while the future human civilisation is in some sinister ways very similar to our own. Ridley Scott as director uses his talents perfectly and allocates time to build its fictional, but credible world first, then create tension only to end it with masterful action-packed finale. Alien also benefits from the perfect cast, including Sigourney Weaver who would, thanks to the role of Ripley in this film and other sequels, become one of the greatest film stars of past few decades.
RATING: 10/10
