"Alien," that most exalted and respected of all science fiction films, celebrates its 45th birthday today and as one of the most mulled over cinematic experiences in history, its legacy of abject terror still resonates today just as fiercely as when it was unleashed in theaters by 20th Century Fox on May 25, 1979.
Can no one really hear you scream in the vacuum of space? Scientists will tell you it's true and reveal elemental facts and theorems to support the claim. However, if you happened to be a hippie-haired, 13-year-old "Star Wars" fanatic standing in a two-block-long line with your parents at San Francisco's Northpoint Theatre to see "Alien," a mysterious new science-fiction movie opening Memorial Day weekend, those loud exaltations shot out towards the Zeta 2 Reticuli star system and beyond.
