Alien poster

Alien

1979117 minutesR
6
Arcplot Score
📊 Solid
Unverified
⭐ 8.5IMDb
🍅 93%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 89/100Metacritic
🎬 8.2TMDb
📊 16.0Popularity
🏆Won 1 Oscar. 19 wins & 22 nominations total
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Directed by: Ridley Scott
In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crew members leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship's computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.

Box Office

Budget:$11.0M
Revenue:$104.9M
Profit:$93.9M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision5/10
Emotional Arc Impact8/10
Thematic Consistency5/10
Overall Score6/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Alien Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
5 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
25 min
5
Debate
35 min
6
Break Into Two
45 min
7
B Story
55 min
8
Fun and Games
65 min
9
Midpoint
80 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
95 min
11
All Is Lost
105 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
110 min
13
Break Into Three
112 min
14
Finale
115 min
15
Final Image
117 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

The Nostromo spaceship drifts in deep space. Quiet, ominous atmosphere. Isolation established.

#2

Theme Stated

5 min

Crew discussions reveal theme: survival, fear, and human vulnerability in space.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Crew awakened by ship AI. Receive distress signal from unknown planet. Characters introduced, routine established.

#4

Catalyst

25 min

Crew lands on planet and discovers alien eggs. Kane is attacked, facehugger attaches. Stakes escalate.

#5

Debate

35 min

Crew debates what to do with Kane. Risk vs. protocol conflict. Fear and tension build.

#6

Break Into Two

45 min

Kane brought aboard. Alien hatches, begins lethal attacks. Crew fully immersed in danger.

#7

B Story

55 min

Ripley emerges as central figure. Tension and leadership challenges deepen emotional stakes.

#8

Fun and Games

65 min

Alien hunts crew. Suspense, cat-and-mouse sequences. Horror and fear dominate.

#9

Midpoint

80 min

Alien fully grown and deadly. First crew members killed. Stakes peak, suspense maximized.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

95 min

Crew members hunted, killed one by one. Isolation and helplessness intensify.

#11

All Is Lost

105 min

Almost entire crew dead. Ripley faces alien alone. Despair and fear dominate.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

110 min

Ripley reflects on survival, prepares final confrontation. Emotional and psychological tension high.

#13

Break Into Three

112 min

Ripley formulates plan to defeat alien and escape Nostromo. Heroic action initiated.

#14

Finale

115 min

Ripley confronts and ejects alien into space. Climactic tension resolved.

#15

Final Image

117 min

Ripley drifts alone in escape shuttle, alive but traumatized. Survival and isolation emphasized.