Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Alien

Play trailer 0:33 Poster for Alien R 1979 1h 56m Sci-Fi Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 210 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Alien

Alien

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A modern classic, Alien blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Marc Lee Daily Telegraph (UK) Jul 16, 2026
There is still much to enjoy and admire in Ridley Scott's film. Go to Full Review
Jack Kroll Newsweek Nov 16, 2023
Alien will scare the peanuts right out of your M&M's. It was about time someone made a science-fiction thriller that thrills... and just boils everything down to the pure, ravishingly vulgar essence of fright. Go to Full Review
Elston Brooks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Nov 16, 2023
You can have Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001. I'll take Alien. Go to Full Review
Mike Pearson Denver Rocky Mountain News Apr 8, 2026
At its best, "Alien" remains an exercise in claustrophobic terror. Go to Full Review
Richard Freedman Newark Star-Ledger Jan 6, 2026
Alien is no ordinary movie. While its gruesome effects require a strong stomach, its overall impact requires an even strong mind and imagination. Go to Full Review
David Day Horror Movie Talk Sep 18, 2025
10/10
Alien is one of the most impressive pieces of cinema in history. It set the bar so high for horror and sci-fi that I think it’s still the apex of both. Every single aspect of this movie is carefully thought-out and crafted to the highest of standards. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
VictorHFerr Apr 8, 2025 AWESOME SCIFI/HORROR FILM BY DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT!!! See more
Jeremiah Sep 28, 2024 My all time favorite film. it needs no justification. watch and see the genius of true horror. See more
Aaron Bacchus May 24, 2024 A Horror Classic. The beat in the series. A must watch for all !!! See more
ERIC W @AlphaSentoryFilmCritic 1 day ago One of the Best SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR Genre Films ever in the existence of Celluloid. The Original, and Arguably the Best ALIEN Film of the nigh on 50 year series. They broke the Silicone Mold with this one. 5/5. See more
Guilherme M @GuilhermeRT 6 days ago A movie way ahead of its time. The scenarios and designs are breath taking and the characters are actually memorable, thing that's not normal for movies like this. Though I found the start to dragged, it's still an amazing movie. See more
Ryan F @RT17342722 Nov 1, 2026 I just watched it and thought it was absolutely incredible. A real masterpiece of sci-fi horror. THOUGH WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AGES 12 OR UNDER. Especially because of the terrifying chest-burster scene. The story was great and the characters were very well written. 9.5 out of 10, AMAZING movie. See more
Read all reviews
Alien

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Ridley Scott

Director

Tom Skerritt

Captain A.J. Dallas

Sigourney Weaver

Warrant Officer Lt. Ellen L. Ripley

John Hurt

Engineer G.W. Kane

Veronica Cartwright

Navigator J.M. Lambert

Harry Dean Stanton

Engineering Technician S.E. Brett

More Like This

View All
Alien 3 43% 46% Alien 3 Watchlist TRAILER for Alien 3 Alien Resurrection 55% 39% Alien Resurrection Watchlist Aliens 93% 94% Aliens Watchlist TRAILER for Aliens Lifeforce 58% 46% Lifeforce Watchlist Shivers 88% 58% Shivers Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
View All

Alien

Film Critics Break Down the Horror Films that Haunt Them Film Critics Break Down the Horror Films that Haunt Them 25:56 Now Playing Alien: 45th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer 1 Alien: 45th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer 1 0:33 Now Playing Alien: Trailer 1 Alien: Trailer 1 1:10 Now Playing View more videos
View All

Alien

A scene from the film "Alien." A scene from the film "Alien." A scene from the film "Alien." A scene from the film "Alien." A scene from the film "Alien." A scene from the film "Alien." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
Director
Ridley Scott
Producer
David Giler, Gordon Carroll, Walter Hill
Screenwriter
Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox, Brandywine Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 25, 1979, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$82.6M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1), 70mm
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings