Alien
Violence & offensive language Rated on: 27 May 2024
What’s it about?
The crew of the spaceship Nostromo are confronted with a horrifying sequence of events on their way back to Earth.
The facts
- Directed by Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner, Gladiator)
- English language
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Starring Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt and Harry Dean Stanton
- Originally classified R16 in New Zealand on its release in 1979, and reclassified M in 2024.
Why did it get this rating?
This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu—Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.
Horror
Much of the film is tense and spooky, with many scenes taking place in dimly lit areas on a spaceship. Crew members are stalked by an unknown and powerful enemy, while using the resources they have to try to fight it.
The most horrific scene shows an infected crew member being killed when the creature inside him escapes. This is bloody and gruesome, showing the crew member in significant pain and distress as he dies, while colleagues try helplessly to save him.
A smaller alien skitters around and launches itself at people, in an attempt to find a human host.
Loud jump scares break the tension.
Violence
Aside from the scene described above, shots showing blood or injury are brief. Most of the violence involves the crew using guns and fire to try to ward off the creature chasing them.
One crew member is beaten with a fire extinguisher and his body later burned.
The fate of some crew members is suggested rather than shown.
Offensive language
Words like “f**k”, “sh*t” and “b**ch” are sometimes used, usually as reactions to the stressful situations the crew are faced with.
Strobing
There is some rapid strobe lighting towards the end of the film as the remaining crew members make their escape.
Further information
Recent featured decisions
Graphic violence
Set in Yosemite National Park, Special Agent Kyle Turner and rookie Ranger Naya Vasquez investigate the suspicious death of a woman who was discovered after she fell from the summit of El Capitan and became tangled in the safety ropes of two climbers below. As the case unfolds, buried secrets and personal trauma come to the surface.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
Violence, horror, sexual material and offensive language
Set in a coastal town, I Know What You Did Last Summer follows a group of high school friends who cover up a fatal accident, only to be stalked a year later by a mysterious figure who knows their secret. With updated twists and darker themes, it reimagines the original for a new generation. A modern reimagining of the 1997 slasher classic.