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with very forward-thinking motivations.

The film has had a lasting effect on both audience and the industry. When it was first released it was widely praised even by critics who were not at the time fond of science-fiction. Its immediate impact was to revitalise the genre, inspiring many good and some not-so-good imitations such as the 1979 film The Alien Dead, 1980's Contamination, an unauthorised Italian sequel aptly named Alien 2, and knock-offs Inseminoid and Xtro in the early 1980s.

Of course, it's most notable impact on cinema was the franchise it produced. James Cameron and David Fincher made two fantastic sequels to Alien, while a fourth film was less successful. All starred Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, her character evolving across the films. Most recently, the brilliant alien character from another franchise - Predator - was brought into a new set of films entitled Alien Versus Predator. These films do not include the character of Ripley, taking place before the events of the first Alien film. The Alien Versus Predator films work in effect as a back story to the original Alien series.

The film is still as loved today as it was on first release. New audiences are continuing to find delights in Ridley Scott's film, while old audiences never tire of repeat viewing. In retrospect, the film has been analysed and celebrated by all facets of the film industry and media, ranking highly in top movie lists including reaching seventh in the American Film Instituter's top science-fiction movies.

Alien is a brilliantly captivating, post-modern science-fiction film that is at the same time a devastatingly frightening horror. It is the fire-starter to one of Hollywood's most iconic movie franchises and the introduction to one of its most terrifying monsters. Scott calls it a "marathon of tension". I like to think of it not only as one of the best movies of its type, but one of the best movies full-stop.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Stephens.
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