Ahead of its time in absolutely every way possible. Alien is a time capsule onto itself, as it doesn't look a film coming out of the 70's nor a film entering the 80's, and its obviously too good to be something more modern than that.

In an age where films, especially science fiction films, struggle to stay barely relevant or taken seriously, Alien stands the test of time with little to no effort.

I'm typically not a monster-film fan but this movie is so much more than that. A kick-ass heroine, in space, in 1979?! Yeah, Ridley is crazy good to pull that off. I love the feel of space in this film, the suspense, and by far, the most excellent cinematography (in my naive, inexperienced movie education).

I saw this film for the first time less than four years ago and it is now one of my favorite go-to space films.

Saw on the big screen in 35mm. I spent most of my life with ALIENS as my favorite of the series. I think the original has finally overtaken it for me. Love it more each time I see it.

So simple, so haunting, a classic that will scare me till the day I die.

alien

Such an eerie space/alien flick with an incredibly doomed atmosphere. Really got into this one.

Simple, effective, one of my favorite horror films. I'll always prefer it's successor, but Alien will remain in my heart as the pinnacle of darkness within the Alien universe, in the best way possible.

YES, I finally got to sit down and watch this in its entirety. I had the cleaned up version too, making the cinematography and technology extra beautiful (although the messages from Mother were obviously edited). The atmosphere and sets are gorgeous, the pacing slow yet suspenseful, and some of the tricks they use for effects are downright clever. Researching this movie was just as fun; at one point I had 20 wikipedia tabs open trying to parallel this and Prometheus. If you're into sci-fi you need to watch this.

Also *holds hands up* ALIENS.

Suspenseful, well-acted science fiction film has a potent atmosphere of dread that even permeates its sense of humour, due in large part to how real and emotional the characters are (Veronica Cartwright in particular serves as a very effective audience surrogate). Detailed imagery. Director Ridley Scott excels at manipulating sound to create tension.

Short and sweet: quite possibly as close to the perfect horror film - or science-fiction film - as you can get.