this is about as worse as it got back in the 70s- the movie is downright awesome, and it realy isn't that scary because the effects are very fake looking and you can tell that the dead bodies are plastic manakins covered. But its a classic but honestly its nothing a teen cant handle (way over the top for young ones obviously), I honestly think the language makes it R theres way more cursing than violence, and the only really scary part is when the man is impregnated by that creature (That was a little violent but again it was very fake looking it's nearly impossible to wince). The only thing I heated was the racism- a black man is seen as a low class maintenance guy and the crew have little respect for him (but again, think when this movie was made it was considered politically corret back then). But now i feel prejudice because i ended up diliking an african american character because of the way they potray him :( OOOO well its highly recommened and remember its mostly language that makes it R violence level is PG-13 level.
Alien
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Dated, but still scary. Not for younger kids.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14–18
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Alien was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Parents need to know that, while the demonic space monsters at the center of this 1979 classic shocker have since been overexposed via inferior sequels, video games, parodies, and comic books (even Superman battled them!), some of the best minds in cinema tried to ensure this movie would be a nightmare-inducer. Keep that in mind. Indeed, small kids are better off with E.T. Teens can take it for the thrill-ride that it is, and perhaps even discuss why they think it works so well (or doesn't) in evoking elemental terror.
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More on Alien
What’s the Story?
The Nostromo, a cavernous and ill-lit interstellar mining ship, is manned by a miniscule crew of seven. They are awakened out of hibernation by an order from faraway Earth to investigate a mysterious distress signal on a dark and stormy planet. There the miners find a huge, grounded spaceship from an unknown civilization, with a long-dead alien pilot. A parasite, apparently the same type that took down the other craft, affixes to the face of a Nostromo crewman. After the crewman seems to recover, a hostile newborn alien bursts out of the doomed man's chest in front of the rest of the crew. The crew struggles to kill the fast-moving, fast-growing, unwelcome visitor before it gets them.
Is It Any Good?
Kids like scary movies. And being scary, in new and disturbing ways that hadn't been done before, was the mission of ALIEN. For a generation of moviegoers, Alien was a state-of-the-art shocker, even though it basically has a second-hand monster plot and characters that behave like cliched horror-movie victims, wandering alone in the dark or waiting like sitting ducks to be picked off. Alien did defy stereotypes of its time in the brilliant move of making the ultimate survivor a vulnerable-looking young woman, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who in the intense finale is literally paralyzed with terror, yet manages to fight back against the alien marauder.
The 25th-annivesary DVD of Alien includes a few minutes of restored footage of what the alien does with captured prey -- stuff that was once considered too grim for 1979, but no surprise for anyone who saw the sequel Aliens, or any of the later follow-ups. Most of the violence here, in fact, is suggested in quick edits rather than directly shown, just like the skittering, skeletal/serpentine alien parasite itself. While this once-shadowy monster species has since been exposed via inferior sequels, video games and comic books (even Superman battled them!) some of the best minds in cinema tried to ensure this movie would be a nightmare-inducer, and parents should keep that in mind. Small kids are better off with E.T. Adolescents Teens can take it for the thrill-ride that it is.
Movie Details
Studio: Fox Searchlight, Director: Ridley Scott
Run time: 124 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/24/1979, DVD release: 1/1/2002
MPAA Rating: R for violence, horror and profanity
Run time: 124 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/24/1979, DVD release: 1/1/2002
MPAA Rating: R for violence, horror and profanity
Our Members Say
See all 44 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Think about it... this movie is real old it cant be that bad
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
good for tweens and adults
A great movie! hasnt got too bad stuff as long as your matchure about it!
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
AWESOME!!! 13+
AMAZING!!! Sigourney Weaver is AWESOME! you should deffinitely see it!! can be a little scary at times, but a thrill!!
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
Fantastic horror movie, OK for teens.
I saw Alien when I was about 13. It did terrify me, but I was fine watching it at that age - there's some bloody violence and cursing, but nothing that most young teenagers can't handle. Since then, it has become one of my favorite movies. Alien is slow-paced, but never boring - one of the best horror movies ever made.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
older kid movie... teen movie
AWESOME BUT SCARY MOVIE!! A really jump out at you kind movie... but kind of stupid... i mean if you were on some strage planet in space and you found these big eggs, would you really go and touch it? i mean really! good for older kids and teens. LOTS of language... f and s words a lot..
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Excellent!
This movie is so amazing. The dark scenes were really well filmed. I first watched it when I was about six or seven. My parents watched it with me, but they're not all bad, they made me look away when the alien came out of Kane's stomach. I still love this movie but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone youner than thirteen.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
10+ ok 10- no
AWESOME MOVIE!!!! i love this movie!! some scary parts but other than that, fine. movie for older kids (9 or 10+) or teens... the f word a few times, other swears too but overall ok.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
AWESOME
A scare-fest of an extra-terrestrial hidden in the shadows of a space craft, eating the crewmates one, by one. Great Halloween movie for older kids.
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Fantastic movie, really suspensful. In one of the rooms, there was pictures of naked woman plastered on the walls (obviously masturbation tools for the lonely crew), and the f word is blurted out quite a few times, but Ridley Scott is a genius!
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
great science fiction horror
I thought this movie was AWESOME! There was some strong language though. They said the f-word 4 times. It was super violent. There were chests ripping open, there were 2nd jaws ripping stuff, there was a lot of suspence. There was this one part where there were pictures of topless woman for about 8 seconds. But it wasn't that bad. I thought it was overall pretty good movie for 10+.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
really good Sci-Fi/ horror movie
I thought this movie was very good. There is so much violence though. but overall it's fine for 10 and up
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
great movie
great movie cant wait to see aliens althoe it was great there was a decent amout of blood, vilence. jump out at you tipe of movie not for yonger kids or tweens
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Great Science Fiction Horror
A great film. The creature effects are great, and there are a lot of good scares.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I really liked this movie. It sure is a classic. I also dident find it that R-ish. Anyone thirteen and up you should be abla to watch this no sweat. Great movie worth checking out.
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I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A Classic
Great. Very Thrilling.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Graphic but spectacular sci-fi classic is very scary for kids.
Parents should know that this film has graphic violence including the infamous scene in which a baby alien bursts forth from a screaming man's gut. Other bloody attacks are implied and shown and there are jump scenes, There is some strong language in the movie and there are no strong messages.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I like it
WOW!
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Lives in OhioI rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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Lives in FloridaI rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
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Ratings at a Glance
| 75% | of parents say it's too violent |
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