ALIEN: The best Sci-Fi movie ever made? (1 Viewer)

[Micheal]

I think so!
I watched Alien last night and I can't describe how much I truly love this film. I would not change a thing in this movie and I have seen it about 15 times since my first viewing about 20 years ago. This is Ridley Scott at his best and it shows!
The acting comes off as some of the most natural I've ever seen in a science fiction movie. I also love the longer length of some of the scenes in which nothing is said but still captures our attention and interest while setting the mood for the film. Speaking of the mood, this movie is what HT is all about. Watching this movie in total darkness on a large screen in digital sound really adds to the atmosphere of the film. The cinematography is also really exceptional and just beautiful to behold for such a film.
If only more movies today were made like this.
One more thing, if you haven't seen it in a while then pop it in the DVD player and give it another spin, you won't regret it. It's the best film of the series IMHO.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

Alien is a great, great movie, but it is not the best sci-fi movie ever made. I can think of two right off the top of my head that are better "sci-fi" movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Alien is definitely in my top 20 movies of all time though, but is behind Aliens in the list. I wouldn't even compare the two except one is a sequel; they are very different movies. The first is pure suspense/horror, while the second is combination action/horror, with emphasis on the action.

 

[Bill J]

This is Ridley Scott at his best and it shows!

I really disliked Alien and it is far from being the best sci-fi film ever made. Did anyone else find it boring and almost fall asleep during it?
Micheal, you must not have seen 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I have never been a big fan of Ridley Scott and the only film he directed that I actually like is Black Hawk Down.
Well, I guess everyone has the right to their own opinion.

 

[Terrell]

Alien is fantastic. But if I had to choose between the Alien films. I'd say Aliens is the best, Alien is a very, very close second. Alien III and Alien IV are so far behind, they don't even bear mentioning.

 

[Micheal]

I have seen 2001 but I guess I should have labeled Alien as Sci-Fi Horror. 2001 is a different and amazing movie entirely, impossible to compare in my opinion.

Well, I guess everyone has the right to their own opinion

That would include yourself as well.

 

[Micheal]

Terrell, I love Aliens but to me it's just an action film. A great action film, but it never had me on the edge of my seat like some of the scenes in Alien. Aliens is second on my list but I agree with you about the other sequels.

 

[TheoGB]

Well I would certainly put Alien above 2001 (and also Aliens!!) and probably above Blade Runner. To me it is a better movie for a number of reasons, not least because it *is* a rational movie.
I think for some Sci-Fi at its best is slightly obscure and bizarre but I feel a movie is at its best when it runs as finely-tuned as this one.
Whether it's the best sci-fi (given Star Wars and its ilk doesn't count), I just don't know. I'll say yes now and change my mind later.

 

[Artur Meinild]

Did anyone else find it boring and almost fall asleep during it?

No, but I felt that way about 2001. Sorry, it never appealed to me.
2001 is a good movie yes, but not one I would rewatch multiple times.
Now Alien and Aliens on the other hand... They Kick ass!

 

[Terrell]

Star Wars doesn't count in my opinion. It is not pure sci-fi. But then I guess if you could make that argument about Alien if pushed. But I consider Star Wars a cross between sci-fi and fantasy. If you include Star Wars, then I say it is easily better than Aliens to me, and every other sci-fi film. But in a pure sci-fi sense, Star Wars doesn't fit.

 

[Paul Richardson]

I wouldn't consider Alien to be sci-fi. Really, more of a slasher film set in outer space.

 

[TheoGB]

Star Wars is space opera. It's never been Sci-Fi.
If Alien isn't Sci-Fi what the hell makes something Sci-Fi???

 

[Jeremiah]

I really liked Alien when I saw it recently on DVD and the movie is a lot better than I thought it was from seeing it years ago. I always liked Aliens better but after my recent viewing of Alien they are now very close(just depends on my mood).

I have to say that Alien could very well be the best Sci-Fi movie ever and will be one of the next DVD's I buy.

 

[Terrell]

Yes, it's a space opera, but there is no genre called the space opera genre. There's sci-fi and fantasy. It has to fit somewhere. And Star Wars fits in both. It has some elements of both. A lot of it fantasy, but also quite a bit of it science fiction.

Aliens is sci-fi. But maybe just a smidgen of fantasy. But I consider it in the sci-fi genre.

 

[Paul Richardson]

Without getting too deep into the "what is sci-fi" debate, I will briefly state that in my mind that for a story to be true "science fiction," the plot and themes of the story are dependent on science. The true test is: if you remove the scientific elements, does the storyline remain intact? Alien fails this test, because the same story could easy be told in any isolated area: a summercamp, a mountain cabin, or a fishing boat for instance.

 

[Ron-P]

Alien is a top pick for me as well, but Predator edges it out for the #1 slot.
Peace Out~

 

[Terrell]

If that's the case, then a lot of sci-fi films wouldn't be classified as such, because so few sci-fi films don't follow scientific guidelines. Oh well, I won't drag us into that heavy debate.

No, Alien is not the best sci-fi ever made. But it's definitely one of the best.

 

[Rich Malloy]

If Alien isn't Sci-Fi what the hell makes something Sci-Fi???]

IMO, the primary impetus of the narrative must be scientifically-oriented. "Alien" is set in a sci-fi milieu, but it has more in common with the classic horror "monster movies" than with the sci-fi legacy. But there are still plenty of sci-fi elements. The whole android vs. human thing is a classic sci-fi theme, for one. And, arguably, so is the dramatization of the discovery of a new biological entity, the studying of it, the being killed by it, etc.
But whatever you call it, it's still a very good movie, by far the best of the Alien series, and one of the finest horror movies of its time.

 

[Paul Richardson]

But there are still plenty of sci-fi elements.

You're right about this. The Ian Holm sub-plot is pure science fiction. But as a whole, the film has more in common with Halloween and The Thing from Another Planet than it does with Blade Runner or 2001.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I consider Alien as a Haunted House movie with very effective sci-fi roots. As sci-fi, it is one of the best, and I have to agree on how remarkably effective it remains to this day. Still a great-looking film. As for comparing it to the other films, Aliens is an action movie with SOME sci-fi and horrors elements, and I like it just as much. But even as sci-fi, Alien certainly is up there.
Speaking of straight sci-fi, may I present the criminally underrated (still, even with the props from this board) Contact?
Alien is a masterpiece, no doubt!
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Robert Crawford]

But whatever you call it, it's still a very good movie, by far the best of the Alien series, and one of the finest horror movies of its time.

Individual opinion of course, we can argue to the cows come home on whether "Alien" is a better film than "Aliens", however, my preference is for the latter or at least to me it's a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Crawdaddy