i think people have a misconception that it's a horror film, but it really isn't. i suppose thirty years ago they could have called it that, but i think if alien was released today then people wouldn't say it was very scary. it's definitely a better film than any of the alien sequels, i think. a lot of the bad reviews seem to be coming from people who want it to be another alien, which it isn't. go into it expecting a sci-fi, because that's what it is.