Alien

Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Memorable Line(s): "You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility."

Over the years, I've seen scores of horror films, but, in my opinion, this is the most suspenseful and frightening of them all. What could have been another warmed over monster from space movies turns out to be a terrifying tale in the hands of superior director, Scott. Scott seems to wring the suspense out of nearly every shot in this picture.

The film starts as the mining ship, the Nostromo, has it's trip home interrupted and is assigned a mission to answer a distress call on a deserted planet. On the surface, they discover more than they bargained for as something on the planet comes back on to the ship when they return ship-side. That something turns out to be one of the most terrifying creatures ever brought to the screen and that bears out that it has returned to screen numerous times since this initial appearance.

Weaver stands out as the last crew member giving a power performance that balances between heroism and basic survival. Ian Holm gives a cool portrayal as the science office. The rest of the actors are exceptionally convincing as crew members.

As with many of Scott films, it's the attention to detail in the sets and design that bring a believable reality to this movie. The Nostromo seems like an extension of what could be rather than some implausible and fantastic envisionment of space travel in the future. You get a sense that these are real space crew members. Visually, the movie is a treat and Jerry Goldsmith score is a perfect compliment to the imagery.

Truly, if you want to hold your breath in suspense, this is the film for you.