Ridley Scott's Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Masterpiece is Waiting to Be Rediscovered on Streaming

The ‘70s and ‘80s was a major turning point for science fiction . Star Wars revitalized the genre in 1977 and turned it into one of Hollywood’s main box office draws, inspiring a wave of films that reshaped the entire industry. Two years later, Ridley Scott threw down the gauntlet with Alien , taking a big step away from the optimism that had once permeated sci-fi pulp storytelling and instead infusing it with corporate anxiety and untrustworthy artificial intelligence. It was a signal for things to come.