Plot & Details
"In space, no one can hear you scream." A close encounter of the third kind becomes a Jaws-style nightmare when an alien invades a spacecraft in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic. On the way home from a mission for the Company, the Nostromo's crew is woken up from hibernation by the ship's Mother computer to answer a distress signal from a nearby planet. Capt. Dallas's (Tom Skerritt) rescue team discovers a bizarre pod field, but things get even stranger when a face-hugging creature bursts out of a pod and attaches itself to Kane (John Hurt). Over the objections of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), science officer Ash (Ian Holm) lets Kane back on the ship. The acid-blooded incubus detaches itself from an apparently recovered Kane, but an alien erupts from Kane's stomach and escapes. The alien starts stalking the humans, pitting Dallas and his crew (and cat) against a malevolent killing machine that also has a protector in the nefarious Company.
- MPAA Rating: R
- Genre(s): Crime and Mystery,Horror,Science Fiction
- Run Time: 117min.
- Theatrical Release Date: 05/25/1979
- DVD Release Date: 01/06/2004
- Status: In Theaters
- Distributor(s): Fox
- Director(s): Ridley Scott
- Starring: Tom Skerritt , Sigourney Weaver , Veronica Cartwright , Yaphet Kotto , Harry Dean Stanton
- Themes: Robots and Androids,Space Travel,Evil Aliens
- Tone: Chilly,Gruesome,Claustrophobic,Menacing,Ominous,Paranoid,Visceral
- Keywords: alien [not human],creature,escape,intergalactic,man-vs-aliens,monster,parasite,spacecraft,trapped
- Country of Origin: USA - Rerelease (10-29-2003),USA (05-25-1979),USA - Rerelease (0
- Language: English
Awards
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Art Direction | Michael Seymour | Nominated |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Visual Effects | Carlo Rambaldi | Won |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Visual Effects | Nick Allder | Won |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Visual Effects | Brian Johnson | Won |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Art Direction | Ian Whittaker | Nominated |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Visual Effects | H.R. Giger | Won |
| 1979 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Art Direction | Roger Christian | Nominated |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Art Direction | Michael Seymour | Won |
Netflix - Try for Free
Instantly watch TV episodes and movies via the Internet on your computer or TV. 1 month FREE!




