Auto-Destruct Sequence Failure

The auto-destruct sequence fails to turn off and Ripley is forced to evacuate with the alien life form blocking the escape route.
Sigourney Weaver, Alien (1979)

[badjesus]

Sigourney's Acting ... OUTSTANDING! we feel her abject terror as she attempts to undo sequence and pushing units downward. Amazing!

[dengamleidiot]

The sound design with the alarms, gas/steam and countdown is flawless

[khornethebloodgod]

This movie gives me an actual sense of panic sometimes like I'm actually on the ship with Ripley.

[Maya_Ruinz]

That moment when her eyes rise above the floor and you can see that stress on her face and sweat on her hands just wow, you can feel that panic. What a masterpiece of a movie

[dylanmorgan]

Probably the worst situation a human could ever experience, the pressure of knowing all your crew is now dead..and this creature is lurking somewhere inside your ship..stalking you..and ever worse your against the clock before the ship explodes !! And you think you've been through shit lol

[austinjohnson]

this entire sequence is so perfect. the steam blowing out of the walls, the sense of dread and urgency, the alarms blaring in the background. gets my heart pumping and gives me chills every time.

[LUCKO]

Damn rights, That Alien got showed who's boss by Jones. If Jones wasn't locked in that cage, he would have kicked that Alien's ass and made it his litter box.

[abloogywoogywoo]

When you try to overclock your CPU, but you haven't a clue what you're doing.

[ZZZGGGLLLAAAHHH]

I absolutely LOVE how pure anger and rage ("Goddamnit!!") has edged out Ripley's fear of the Alien as she's running back to the shuttle after the failed attempt to abort the self-destruct sequence. Great little sequence.

[atarirob]

The part from 0:19 - 0:50 is one of the best visuals I've ever seen in a film. Absolute masterpiece of a film.

[leonardoleony]

The abort didn’t work in the end because Ripley forgot to reengage the safety interlocks (those two big levers) prior to starting the abort procedure. She didn’t read the abort instructions written on the panel cover correctly, which clearly states under “scuttle procedure” to “re-engage safety interlocks prior to abort code input”. The movie deserves recognition for that level of detail.

[Anamnesis]

I learned even at a very young age just how much of a badass Ripley was when she went back to save the cat. A true hero puts their life on the line to protect the least among us even when they know they don't have to.

[Tsarbomb]

0:59 is one of the best sound designs in film ever. The alarms blaring and echoing through the ship are practically screaming at Ripley "HURRY THE FUCK UP!" It's frustrated, overwhelming. The fucking camerawork too, brilliant.

[wilsonguzman]

What not to do with Aliens on board:

1. Going into tunnels alone.
2. Going into large maintenance rooms alone.
3. Freezing in terror when Parker tells you to get out of the way.
4. Trust science officers.
5. Enabling to the ships auto destruct system without having a clear escape route in place.

[scottbennici]

Best scene of the movie for me. The cinematography is some of the best I’ve ever seen, the music, sound effects, and the set design… the design of this spaceship and the hallways and how they’re darkly lit with flashing lights is so cool. The entire movie slowly built up to this scene for me.

[Ilteof]

As a child this scene gave me nightmares: brilliant directing.

[suzylux]

chills. forever. bc Sigourney Weaver's awesomeness. And Ridley Scott's direction. This movie will always be unrateable, the way all iconic classic films are.

[rhondahoward]

"Mother? I've turned the cooling units back on! _Mother!_ *YOU BITCH!"*


This is such a metaphor. The ship isn't just named Mother, it obviously supposed to serve as a "mother" figure to the crew, but is the opposite of nurturing.


Ripley begs for "mother" to save her, but she is indifferent to her children's suffering.

[dannyabe]

This scene ALONE absolutely decimates the entire body of sci fi and horror cinema of the past 25 years. And lets face it----most recent films of ANY genre.

[janakakumara]

The cat was saved. That was all that mattered.