Alien

(Alien)

April 28, 2005

Top-notch SF. One of the few genuinely frightening films in this genre, worthy of its ad blurb, "In space, no one can hear you scream." Some reviewers called it "Jaws in Space." No, because the shark hunters in Jaws knew what they were facing. The real source material for this film is a low-budget item from the 1950s called "It! The Terror From Beyond Space." Like "Alien," that old black-and-white film dealt with a monstrous, murderous alien prowling the ducts and corridors of a nuts-and-bolts spaceship, picking off crewmembers one at a time. Unlike "Alien," "It!" was a kind of schlockey production, not truly godawful but certainly not great. "Alien" is great, with vivid characters struggling for survival, great production values, and unrelenting suspense.

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