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)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 25% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

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

NewsDesk:
(471 articles)

This is what got Ridley Scott interested in the Monopoly movie
 (From Filmonic. 11 November 2009, 5:22 PM, PST)

Badasses of Horror: Part Two
 (From Fangoria. 9 November 2009, 6:30 AM, PST)

User Comments:

Structural perfection matched only by its hostility more (824 total)


Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Alien: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Star Beast (USA) (working title)
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:

For the chestburster sequence, John Hurt stuck his head, shoulders and arms through a hole in the mess table, linking up with a mechanical torso that was packed with compressed air (to create the forceful exit of the alien) and lots of animal guts. The rest of the cast were not told that real guts were being used so as to provoke genuine reactions of shock and disgust. more

Goofs:

Continuity: The milky "sweat" that drips down Ash's forehead before he fights Ripley disappears after he throws her onto the desk. It was not wiped away, because his head is perfectly clean, rather than smeared. 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 Sunshine (2007) more

Soundtrack:

Excerpts from 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' more


FAQ

Was the Queen in this film?
How can the Alien grow so quickly in such little time?
Did the company know there was a derelict ship with aliens in it? How could they have known about it?
more
171 out of 228 people found the following comment useful.
Structural perfection matched only by its hostility, 20 July 1999
Author: Cybrtypr from Gainesville, Fla.

Director Ridley Scott's well-honed talents of pacing and editing create a tense atmosphere that superbly conveys dread and fear of an unknown, unseen evil entity. In 1979, the technology didn't exist to generate a computer image of a Being from another world, and thank God, because this film would have sucked just like all these post-Alien creature features do. Everyone who loves this movie knows what I'm talking about. Ridley Scott had to be extremely careful not to show a full shot of the Alien, except in very brief scenes, and not to reveal exactly how it moves, because then we would see that it is just some tall, skinny guy in a rubber suit. Nowadays, some computer guy would whip up a really scary-looking, but nevertheless FAKE-looking (yes, computer guys, we can tell) Alien, and the director would not have to even think about trying to breathe life into H.R. Giger's hallucinations to make a successful picture.

The dark, cold beauty of this film will never be equaled.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (824 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Alien (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ok with the news of the prequel and all this talk of Space Jockey and belliaandrew
Alien or Aliens which film you like more ? PeaceLuvr1
Sudden Growth Spurt? coogee-577-681676
Special Order 937 and then what really happened sir_mathew
Does this movie have a plot? darkpouncer
What happened to Jones (the cat) in Aliens? zjmadman
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