Movie review - "Alien" (1979) ****

Brilliantly made sci fi horror which perhaps doesn't have the impact it once did because it has been copied so often. While the idea of a monster on board running amok was a great one even then, it is a great monster (totally soulless, a perfect killing machine), beautifully designed. The film also was one of the first to introduce a more believable "messy" vision of sci fi future, with the heroes not being explorers but tough union workers worried about contracts and pay rates. Memorable scenes - the chest opening, the revelation of the droid, "Mother" - and some expert actors doing their thing. Sigourney Weaver is a spectacular find. Some of the killings are a bit ho-hum eg Yaphet Kotto's. Stunning design.