“Alien” (1979)

MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, Ian Holm and Veronica Cartwright

The Gist: Space is cold … like the grave. Oooo-weee-oooo!

The Story: The crew of the space tug Nostromo is hibernating through a long return voyage to Earth. Light-years away from civilization, the ship’s computer awakens Capt. Dallas (Skerritt) and the others. The computer has received a transmission which might be an SOS. The crew lands on a desolate planet seeking the signal’s source. The unlucky Officer Kane (Hurt) winds up with a crab-like organism stuck on his face. Oops — it turns out the signal was a warning to stay away. Worse yet, the alien stowaway starts murdering the crew. Officer Ripley (Weaver) takes charge as the scientist Ash (Holm) displays an unhealthy fascination with the creature.

The Review: “Alien” was an original concept which spawned countless imitators. Writers Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusset and director Ridley Scott crafted a unique hybrid of science fiction and gothic horror. Scott had never directed either a science fiction or horror film, so he studied “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Star Wars” to achieve the perfect balance. “Alien” holds up strongly almost 30 years on. It has jolts galore and stomach-churning special effects. H.R. Giger’s Academy Award-winning creature design looks like something out of Freud’s nightmares. “Alien” is rightfully considered a pop culture milestone.

The Classic Quote: Ash: “I have confirmed that he's got an outer layer of protein polysaccharides. He has a funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarized silicon, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Is that enough?” Ripley: “That's plenty. What does it mean?”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)