10 Things You Learn Rewatching Alien

1. The Theatrical Cut Is Definitely The Best Version

Alien's so-called Director's Cut was more a marketing gimmick than reflective of Scott's true artistic vision, even according to the man himself, and revisiting Alien in its "ultimate" form serves as a potent reminder just how note-perfect its pacing and ambiguity are.

The Director's Cut, assembled for the Alien Quadrilogy DVD box set, restores sequences and dialogues cut from the original film - most memorably the reveal that Dallas and Brett were cocooned by the Xenomorph - while trimming down shots to make the overall run-time more manageable.

This alternate version of the film is certainly a fun curiosity for fans, but the pacing and editing lack the patient exactitude of the original, while the cocoon scene contradicts a scene in Aliens where Ripley claims she's never seen the alien hive before.

Scott himself hasn't made much effort to veil his feeling that the theatrical cut is his preferred version, and rewatching the film in all of its slow-burn, remastered glory is a perfect reminder of why.

Did you revisit Alien for its 40th anniversary? Pick up on anything new? Shout it out in the comments!