Alien fingerprintRelentless energy, stunning style, emotionally cool.
Nerve-racking and terrifying
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Cathartic and wondrous
Some dark humor
Not a comedy at heart.
The future, the mind, and technology
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Standout direction, performances, and storytelling
Standout cinematography, score, and sound design
A distinctive visual signature.
Nerve-racking and terrifying
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Alien is nerve-racking, terrifying, and thrilling. The story builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Cathartic and wondrous
Emotionally, it's cathartic and wondrous.
Some dark humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Expect some dark humor.
The future, the mind, and technology
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Its world is built around the future, the mind, and technology. The setting feels lived-in and easy to get lost in. It holds up on a rewatch.
Standout direction, performances, and storytelling
The direction, performances, and storytelling stand out.
Standout cinematography, score, and sound design
A distinctive visual signature.
Look and sound: the cinematography, score, and sound design stand out.
Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.
In space no one can hear you scream.
Overall: Similar vibe.
Quick answers from GoodWatch data.
Alien is included with a subscription to Netflix in the United States. You can also rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.
Yes. It's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 92/100 (IMDb 8.4, Rotten Tomatoes 93%, and Metacritic 100). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.
It's rated R in the United States. Content advisories: violence and disturbing imagery.
1 h 57 min
Alien runs 1 h 57 min.
Not quite. Critics rate Alien higher (97) than audiences (89). It may be more rewarding than it is crowd-pleasing.
Yes, a big one. It cost about $11 million to make and earned $105 million worldwide, 9.5 times its budget.
It was made in English, with some Spanish. Produced in United States, United Kingdom.
+89GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for Alien in 103 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.
TV Tropes lists 220 storytelling tropes for Alien, including Post-Peak Oil, The Needs of the Many, Hysterical Woman.
8.4
