Alien

Ridley Scott's horror classic, "Alien," launched an empire. Since 1979, when the film was first released to unwitting audiences, the film has inspired sequels, spin-offs, toys, video games, comic books and much more. However, when the original "Alien" hit theaters, it was a new universe for people to immerse themselves in the midst of the "Star Wars" phenomenon. However, as a movie on its own, "Alien" is a terrifying, atmospheric science fiction horror film.

The movie crawls along at a slow pace. The alien doesn't even make an appearance until almost an hour into the film. This, however, is what separates "Alien" from so many science fiction action movies that put the viewer in the heat of the action as soon as the title leaves the screen. The film gives you time to get a sense of the characters and take in the lonely, industrial space station setting.

Once the action begins, however, the movie picks up perfectly as it becomes a constant fight for survival against a seemingly indestructible super being. Oh yeah, and the alien is still scary today, 30 years later. Though it is a puppet, clever camera work and cinematography make the beast come to life as it hunts down the defenseless crew. The result is one of the most memorable and infamous movie monsters ever.

"Alien" presents the viewer with such a sense of loneliness and desperation that it's hard to believe the film was such a commercial success when it came out. "Alien" remains one of the best science fiction films of all time.