"Alien" is an excellent, smart and scary film. The dark and cold atmosphere created by director Ridley Scott sets up a sense of isolation and danger. One of the best scenes occurs when three of the crew members board a strange ship and find the fossilized remains of the craft's pilot, a giant, who is still frozen in time in his seat after being a host for the alien spawn. This scene alone demonstrates the wonders of great science fiction film making that is almost always forgotten or ignored in today's Sci-Fi.

After watching this for the first time in years, I realized that there is surprisingly little screen time for the alien itself. But it really doesn't matter because the director does a great job of building suspense and trusting that the viewer will use his imagination. This is really the coolest looking alien of any in the series other than the "Queen" alien of James Cameron's "Aliens" feature. The effects used to create the android Ash are amazing for the time, also. Especially in a scene where he is beaten by Parker. The way that Ash's head is dangling from his shoulders is truly demented fun.

This is a total "must see" for any science fiction or horror buff.