| | | The First Chapter in the Powerful and Terrifying Alien Science Fiction Saga!
Features: DVD
The first chapter in the terrifying Alien sci-fi saga! Contains the classic 1979 theatrical version and the all-new 20th Anniversary Edition, digitally restored and recut by Ridley Scott!When the crew of the space-tug Nostromo answers a distress signal from a desolate planet, they discover a deadly life form that breeds within a human host. And so the horror begins - a horror which will end the lives of six crewmembers and alter the life of the seventh forever. Sigourney Weaver stars as Ellen Ripley in one of the most suspenseful and powerful science fiction films of all time.
"...it's bloody brilliant." Gregory Weinkauf, Dallas Observer
"...a five star film because it is one of the most perfect science fiction thrillers of all time." Kevin Carr, Film Threat
"...a very suspenseful film...grisly, but inventive, special effects sequences..." The Motion Picture Guide
Editor's Note
Director Ridley Scott's breakthough film, an immensely successful blend of horror and science fiction, is a classic in both genres and spawned a host of sequels and imitators. Starring Sigourney Weaver as warrant officer Ellen Ripley, ALIEN focuses on the crew of the space cargo ship Nostromo, which lands on a moribund planet in response to a faint SOS. Inside a crashed ship, the crew members come upon strange pods, one of which spews forth a repellently fleshy insectile creature that locks on to the face of the unlucky Kane (John Hurt). Despite Ripley's advice, science officer Ash (Ian Holm) allows Kane to return to the ship, where the creature finally releases its grip. Soon, however, in one of the film's most infamous scenes, one of its offspring explodes horribly from Kane's stomach and scurries away. Dallas (Tom Skerritt), the vessel's captain, leads the others in a search for the rapidly growing, acid-dripping alien before it can cut them down--one by one. A triumph of art direction, set design, and special effects, ALIEN gains much of its impact from the contrast between the bleak, antiseptic beauty of the space vessel's interior and the primordial horror of the alien, a brilliantly original fusion of insect, man, and machine designed by Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger. The top-notch cast also includes Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, and Harry Dean Stanton.
Plot Summary
While investigating a deserted alien spacecraft on a dead planet, the crew of a space freighter picks up an uninvited--and very unfriendly--passenger. Ridley Scott's chilling masterpiece of sci-fi horror features amazing visuals, including the title creature designed by artist H.R. Giger.
| Features | Alternate Music Track | | Artwork & Photo Galleries | | Audio Commentary By Ridley Scott | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Stereo | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo | | Deleted Scenes | | Dubbed: French | | DVD-ROM Features: Screensaver & Web Links | | Interactive Menus | | Isolated Original Score | | Original Storyboards | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Theatrical Trailers | | THX Certified |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 1/30/2007 |
| Running Time: 117 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1979 | | Catalog ID: 2239758 | | UPC: 00024543397588 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1980) | | | British Academy Awards, Michael Seymour, Best Production Design | | | British Academy Awards, Derrick Leather, et. al., Best Sound Track | |
Nominee (1980) | | | British Academy Awards, John Hurt, Best Supporting Actor | | | British Academy Awards, Sigourney Weaver, Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role | | | British Academy Awards, Jerry Goldsmith, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music | | | Golden Globe, Jerry Goldsmith, Best Original Score - Motion Picture | |
Winner (1980) | | | Oscar, H.R. Giger, et. al., Best Effects, Visual Effects | |
Nominee (1980) | | | Oscar, Michael Seymour, et. al., Best Art Direction-Set Decoration |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...ALIEN outshines all competition in the luminous splendour of its photography..." 09/01/1979 p.258-9Variety
"...An old-fashioned scary movie set in a highly realistic sci-fi future, made all the more believable by the expert technical craftsmanship....[Weaver] carries it off well..." 05/23/1979 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...Ridley Scott was a force to be reckoned with..." 11/01/2003 p.117 Total Film
"...With its cliché-confounding cast and plotting, roughneck sensibility and star-making turn from Weaver, ALIEN rewards repeat viewing..." 11/01/2003 p.106 Los Angeles Times
"...Scott's film still shreds nerves....At once graphically elegant and viscerally effective, the future conjured up by Scott was dystopian to the core..." 10/29/2003 p.C3 Entertainment Weekly
"...In ALIEN, you can hear lessons for the sci-fi future in a great milestone from the recent past..." 11/07/2003 p.52 Chicago Sun-Times
"Ridley Scott's 1979 movie is a great original." 10/26/2003 p.5 Premiere
"Weaver's Ripley revolutionized women's roles by introducing the female action hero..." 04/01/2004 p.71 VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 9 of 10
Terse direction, stunning sets and special effects, and a well-seasoned cast save this from being another "Slimy monster from outer space" story. Instead it's a grisly roller-coaster of suspense and fear (and a huge box office hit). Intergalactic freighter's crew is invaded by an unstoppable carnivorous alien intent on picking off the crew one by one. While the cast mostly...banters while awaiting the horror of their imminent departure, Weaver is exceptional as Ripley, a self-reliant survivor who goes toe to toe with the Big Ugly. Futuristic, in the belly of the beast visual design creates a vivid sense of claustrophobic doom enhanced further by the ominous score.
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
At its most fundamental level, "Alien" is a movie about things that can jump out of the dark and kill you. It shares a kinship with the shark in "Jaws," Michael Myers in "Halloween," and assorted spiders, snakes, tarantulas and stalkers. Its most obvious influence is Howard Hawks' "The Thing" (1951), which was also about a team in an isolated outpost who discover a long-dormant alien, bring it inside, and are picked off one by one as it haunts the corridors. Look at that movie, and you see "Alien" in embryo...The result is a film that absorbs us in a mission before it involves us in an adventure, and that consistently engages the alien with curiosity and logic, instead of simply firing at it...Much of the credit for "Alien" must go to director Ridley Scott, who had made only one major film before this, the cerebral, elegant "The Duelists" (1977). His next film would be another intelligent, visionary sci-fi epic, "Blade Runner" (1982). - Roger Ebert
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