Alien

When you hunt a tiger in the daytime with a gun in your hand, you have at least some hope of success. But if you take away the light, end up dumped in the middle of the jungle in the dark of night, surrounded by the unknown, and all your primal fears will return. The tiger has the advantage here. It has become a family legend how my mom almost gave birth to me prematurely due to attending a screening of Alien in the Alpha Cinema (the whole story is made much richer and different with every retelling, so I will not elaborate on it here). You must admit that you’ve just got to love this movie, especially since after all these years, it is still the most impressive example of its genre. (2007-02-10)

When a movie manages to frighten you to death even thirty years after its release, you must admit it’s good. And all you need to do is to show nothing, keep everything hidden and flash lights in the viewers’ faces and they will be terrified. If it weren’t for James Cameron, Ridley Scott would be the uncrowned king of the Alien saga. (2007-11-25)

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% (2009-09-30)

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. (2005-04-21)

A classic that nowadays affects me more with its perfect visual design by R.H. Geiger, rather than a haunting impression, as during the first watch. Yet it is impossible to admire R. Scott's skill in inducing an atmosphere of danger and working with the "established" horror techniques that have become the quintessence of modern science fiction horror filmmaking under his guidance. (2004-01-27)