IMDb > Alien (1979)
Alien
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Alien (1979) -- A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Alien (1979) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Alien (1979) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Alien (1979) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Alien (1979) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Ridley Scott
Writers (WGA):
Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Alien on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 May 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
In space no one can hear you scream. more
Plot:
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 18 nominations more
User Comments:
The mother of all movies more (823 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Alien: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Star Beast (USA) (working title)
Alien - El octavo pasajero (Argentina) (International: Spanish title) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
вСФНИ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Alien (Sweden) [sv]
Alien - Das unheimliche Wesen aus einer fremden Welt (West Germany) [de]
Alien - Den 8. passager (Denmark) [da]
Alien - Director's Cut (Germany) (director's cut) [de]
Alien - Le huitième passager (France) [fr]
Alien - O 8.º Passageiro (Portugal) [pt]
Alien - kahdeksas matkustaja (Finland) [fi]
Alien den åttonde passageraren (Sweden) [sv]
Alien, el octavo pasajero (Uruguay) [es]
Alien, el octavo pasajero: El montaje del director (Spain) (director's cut) [es]
Alien, o Oitavo Passageiro (Brazil) [pt]
Alien, o epivatis tou diastimatos (Greece) [el]
Alien: Den åttende passasjer (Norway) [no]
El octavo pasajero (Spain) [es]
Ha-Nose'a HaShmini (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
L'étranger: le huitième passager (Canada: French title) [fr]
Nyolcadik utas a halál (Hungary) [hu]
Obcy - ósmy pasazer Nostromo (Poland) [pl]
Osmi putnik (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]
Vetrelec (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Votrelec (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Yaratik (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language. (director's cut)
Runtime:
117 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | New Zealand:M (re-release) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Italy:T | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating) (2003) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Israel:16 | India:A | Czech Republic:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 (director's cut) (2003) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (director's cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #25541)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ridley Scott is reportedly quoted as saying that originally he wanted a much darker ending. He planned on having the alien bite off Ripley's head in the escape shuttle, sit in her chair, and then start speaking with her voice in a message to Earth. Apparently, 20th Century Fox wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: While searching for the Alien with Brett and Parker Ripley checks a side room. When she turns back she faces her shipmates while holding the motion detector. As Ash explains previously, the detector functions by monitoring changes in air density. Despite this the detector fails to read a signal for Brett and Parker (which it surely would as air density is linked to temperature and humidity). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Brett: This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.
Parker: What you say? You got any biscuits over there?
Ripley: Here's some cornbread.
Parker: Cornbread. Yeah.
Lambert: I am cold.
Parker: Still with us, Brett?
Brett: Right.
Kane: Oh, I feel dead.
Parker: Anybody ever tell you you look dead, man?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (2007) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Excerpts from 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' more

FAQ

Why does the alien turn people into eggs (as per Director's cut)?
I heard rumours of a deleted sex scene between Dallas and Ripley. Is it true?
What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?
more
220 out of 274 people found the following comment useful.
The mother of all movies, 31 January 2005
10/10
Author: Patuquitos from Spain

Back in early 20th century, Lumière brothers didn't have a clue of what they were playing with. I'm freaking sure that if somebody could have magically told them that thanks to their work, a movie like 'Alien' would have been made in the future, they both would have died of a sudden, shocked by the consequences of their labor, like an honest scientist would if he was shown an evil use of his research. In that sense, but in the best way imaginable, 'Alien' is the atomic bomb.

In my opinion, 'Alien' is the only perfect movie in the history of cinema. Of course, this could be debatable, but of all the films I've watched since I was born, this is the only one in which I haven't been able to find the slightest flaw. It gets a golden ten out of ten. Bright, solid and massive.

I could go on with a panegyric, but I'll try to be short and accurate:

The direction is just perfect. Every shot is marvellous, every movement of the camera is breathtaking. There is absolutely nothing you could add or subtract. Touch it, and you spoil it. Seriously.

The acting is splendid. The performances build a credible world centuries away. I don't know about you, but this take on the future was unveliabably acceptable. Sigourney Weaver is more than a revelation, John Hurt is a master, and the rest are nothing short of marvellous.

The script is a work of art, the story is mesmerizing, well-constructed, well-developed, and free of absurd twists. Its simplicity and efectiveness are yet, 25 years after, to be matched.

The atmosphere is pure genius. Gothic, claustrophobic and sometimes baroque. The use of light and dark is beyond description, the use of sound is as creepy as it gets.

The FX are the best possible for 1979. In the time of the release, some scenes were stomach churning.

The score. Jerry Goldsmith's work matches the images so perfectly it seems to bleed from them. It is and will be the best soundtrack for a sci-fi flick in space ever.

The tagline. "In space, no one can hear you scream". THIS is a tagline.

And, of course... the alien. The only alive creature that can steal Weaver the movie. Its design is the most innovative I've seen. It has spawned dozens of disgraceful imitations. This is the real deal. Not only the look, but the complete design of a life form, including biological features. Acid instead of blood. Jaws inside jaws. What more could you possibly want? This is how a movie is done.

A very good sign of a movie that has gone down in history is the amount of collectively well remembered scenes. Well, 'Alien' has so many that I won't go into it. This movie contains so many iconic scenes that has become an icon itself.

So, what else? I urge all young directors to watch this movie a zillion times, as I've already done, and take notes all along. But not in order to rip off from it, as many others have done, but to learn, learn, learn, learn and learn how a movie should be done. 'Casablanca'? You must be joking.

Oh, I almost forget! There's a lovable cat in it.

RATING: 10

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