Alien

Ridley Scott cannot be denied his directorial skill and sense for a unique creepy atmosphere, but after so many years, it doesn't have quite the same level of horror as it did ten or twenty years ago. The original screenplay, the great cast, and the excellent direction, along with the depressive music and fantastic devilish atmosphere, are all positives, But I still give preference to the militant Cameron. (01/11/2003)

Ridley Scott's first major "notch" in world cinema. A film shot in an utterly timeless way with lots of creepy sounds and visual "experiences". Sometimes I wonder how much better the final impression could have been if I could have sat in the cinema (preferably alone) in that year 1979 or 1980 and enjoyed the horror in its full glory on the screen. But back then I was just a twinkle in my mother’s eye...))) One of Mr. Scott's best pieces. 100% (30/09/2009)

Seven years later, I again watched the film that got me interested in film in the first place. I was surprised that it hasn't lost any of its appeal over the years. Perhaps the fact alone that I remember those legendary moments vividly enough to still be frightened or tense. But that's a purely subjective feeling. Scott's thoughtful direction, in which all the essential elements - the cold spaceship design, the play of lights and shadows, Goldsmith's music, the rational crew and, last but not least, the legendary uninvited guest - are perfectly in place and can still captivate me even all these years later. To today’s generation (my contemporaries), for whom cinematic horror is produced in the form of screaming teenagers and remakes of Asian boogeymen, this space opus probably doesn't really do much for them, but over the years it's not what, but how! Without a drop of nostalgia, fully aware of "getting older," it’s still an absolutely riveting blast. (21/02/2009)

Fascinating legend, which has been delivering all films with a suggestive atmosphere of unknown evil for over forty years since its creation. Captivating performance by Sigourney Weaver, the impossibility to guess what awaits the crew in the next few seconds, accompanied by darkness, fear, and terror with the help of minimal tricks. An incomparable peak of Ridley Scott and proof that even a film where almost nothing happens in the first half can be perfectly breathtaking throughout the entire runtime. (21/04/2005)

If someone were to define the qualities a truly significant and excellent film should have, it wouldn’t take them long to get to the concept of timelessness. And since we have been in the XXI century for some time already and timelessness is determined only retrospectively, I would put Alien as the benchmark for timelessness in the movie industry, because, save for certain aspects of the technology of the ship, this film has not aged a day. What is striking, however, is that even after all this time and all the similarly thematic stuff created during it, this film never ceases to seduce the attention of the viewer in an almost exhibitionist manner, holding them under constant tension, even though they already know all the twists. This is undoubtedly the result of the amazing work not only by make-up artists, set designers, the technical staff and Jerry Goldsmith, but especially Ridley Scott, who possibly never again in his career would make something with such confidence, and his timing for editing and sense for building tension outside the frame that make every scene with the famous terrors material for a wholesome horror story. Every aspect of that necessarily cut-off world and environment has been though-out to the tiniest detail and the initial curiosity (who’s sending the signal? Who does the spaceship belong to? What is that creature on Kane’s face doing and why is it keeping him alive?) is gradually overcome by fear and concern for the characters, while always providing an explanation that makes sense. In addition, the claustrophobic setting and the reliance on sound work flawlessly throughout, making Alien a unique and very artistic spin on the space-slasher that paved the way for a host of followers, but with a creative dominance that has made it impossible for them to approach it qualitatively – the only thematically similar contribution that gets close (and which in fact I prefer) is The Thing. James Cameron in the direct sequel understood that he had to take a different, more explicit path, and he did it wonderfully. In any case, the privileged status of this film is unquestionable and… timeless. (05/03/2020)