Alien (1979)
0.2476Canon Score · ranked #69 all time
Aggregated from 11 of 31 authoritative lists, weighted by authority and adjusted for each list's scope and age. How scoring works →
About the film
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.
Why it ranks #69
Every list on which Alien appears, with its position as published.
| List | Authority | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Empire 100 Best (2025) | Editorial list | #17 / 100 |
| Time Out 100 Best (2026 ed.) | Critics' canon | #33 / 99 |
| Empire 500 Greatest (2008) | Editorial list | #33 / 500 |
| THR Hollywood's 100 Favorite (2014) | Critics' canon | #42 / 100 |
| DGA 80 Greatest Directorial (2016) | Critics' canon | #64 / 78 |
| Variety 100 Greatest (2022) | Critics' canon | #97 / 100 |
| Sight & Sound Critics' 250 (2022) | Major international poll | #146 / 264 |
| Halliwell's Top 1000 (2005) | Critics' canon | #198 / 1041 |
| Letterboxd Top 500 (2026-07 snapshot) | Editorial list | #236 / 500 |
| Ebert Great Movies (I–IV) | Critics' canon | Selected |
| 1001 Movies (2003-2024 union) | Critics' canon | Selected |