Alien
Movie, 1979, Ripley, Set in 2122
Alien is #1 of 10 in release order and #4 of 10 in chronological order in the Alien.
The story
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
Alien recap
In 2122, the commercial towing ship Nostromo is heading back to Earth when its computer wakes the seven crew to answer a signal from a nearby moon. Captain Dallas, Kane and Lambert find a derelict alien ship, a dead pilot with a burst chest, and a chamber of eggs. A creature leaps from one onto Kane's face. Ripley, the warrant officer, refuses to let them back in under quarantine rules, but the science officer Ash opens the airlock. The creature dies and Kane seems fine, until at dinner a creature bursts out of his chest and escapes into the ship. It grows quickly and kills Brett and then Dallas in the air vents. Ripley takes command and learns from the computer that the company ordered the crew to bring the creature back, the crew expendable.
Alien ending explained
Ash, revealed as an android, attacks Ripley and is destroyed; his head praises the creature as a perfect organism. The alien kills Parker and Lambert. Ripley sets the Nostromo to self-destruct and escapes in the shuttle with the cat Jones, only to find the alien aboard. She suits up, opens the hatch to blow it into space, and fires the engines to finish it off. She records a final log and goes into hypersleep.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Alien
Alien is streaming on Netflix and fuboTV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Aliens.
- Chronological order: after Alien: Earth, before Alien: Romulus.
What to watch before Alien
Nothing. Alien is the first of the Alien essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Tom Skerritt as Dallas
- Sigourney Weaver as Ripley
- Veronica Cartwright as Lambert
- Harry Dean Stanton as Brett
- John Hurt as Kane
- Ian Holm as Ash
- Yaphet Kotto as Parker
- Bolaji Badejo as Alien
- Helen Horton as Mother (voice)
Directed by Ridley Scott.