Alien (1979)

This is a solid movie. In the year 2122, seven scientists are traveling in space when they discover a transmission from a desolate planet and decide to investigate. Three of the men set out to explore the landscape and they find some insect-like aliens. When one of the explorers is attacked, the other two bring him back to the spaceship to receive medical care. A life form bursts out of his body and starts to terrorize the crew. Now they must try to quarantine the monster and get back to Earth before all of the crew is killed off.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2002 for historical preservation. There have been three sequels and two prequel films made. The name of the spaceship was derived from the title of Joseph Conrad's 1904 novel Nostromo. A 7-foot, 2-inches tall Nigerian student named Bolaji Badejo wore the costume for the alien. Sigourney Weaver was relatively unknown until this film and it was her first major role.