History Awesome / Alien

** Tom Skerritt tells a story about a theater owner who mentioned to him that ''Alien'' really did a number on their bathrooms, due to afforementioned vomitting. The theater owner's solution? [[DispropotionateRetribution ''Cut the chestburster out of the film,'']] and the bathrooms were fine.

* The Chestburster's first appearance. It was considered bad enough when debuted to cause moviegoers to charge out of the theater looking for someplace to vomit. While it's YMMV if the movie as a whole aged well, the chestburster, with all its MoodWhiplash and BodyHorror and panicky suspense, remains heart-pounding.

* The Chestburster's first appearance. It was considered bad enough when debuted to cause moviegoers to charge out of the theater looking for someplace to vomit. While its YMMV if the movie as a whole aged well, the chestburster, with all its MoodWhiplash and BodyHorror and panicky suspense, remains heart-pounding.

* The Chestburster's first appearance.

* The Xenomorph itself is a pretty awesome looking thing

* The alien itself is a pretty awesome looking thing

!!Aliens
* [[MamaBear "Get away from her,]] [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch You BITCH!"]]
** This troper considers the entire fight scene between the Alien Queen and Ripley to be the origin of his love of mecha.
*** You thought the MECH was impressive? Just ''the Alien Queen!'' This was in the time before CGI everything and that is the biggest fully-functioning monster puppet ever made. And the result? Quite possibly the single most awesome monster ''ever'' seen on the screen! CGI just ''can't'' replicate that level of terrifying realism!
*** You know its awesome when Bishop says after the entire fight scene, "Not bad for a human."
** "I remember seeing the film, midnight screening on Hollywood Boulevard, and that line ''brought the house down.'' People stood up and cheered. It's probably the most gratifying moment of my producing career, was the reaction to that shot." -- Gale Anne Hurd
* Another moment just before that one: [[spoiler:When the alien queen comes out by surprise and splits Bishop in half]]. After almost 20 years, this troper has yet to find a monster entrance that is more impressive.
** And then Bishop follows with one of his own: despite being torn in half, he manages to save both himself AND Newt when the airlock is sucking them out of the ship.
* As the tank is escaping with the marines, an alien begins to force the door open. Hicks shoves his holdout shotgun down it's throat. "Eat this!"
* ''Lets Roooooock!!!''
* Bishop's BigDamnGunships moment.
* When she's retreating from the Queen's nest with Newt in her arms, and an egg ominously opens up next to her, Ripley cocks her head to one side, as if to say, "Well, that's it. Now you're toast." and ''torches the entire room with her flamethrower before blowing the holy shit out of the Queen's egg sack with pump-action grenade after pump-action grenade.''
* ''"You always were an asshole, Gorman."''
* Hudson screaming "Fuck you!!" even as he's being dragged to his death by the aliens.
* A meta-example, Creator/SigourneyWeaver getting nominated for Best Actress in a sci-fi/action/horror film which both then and now is almost completely unheard of.
* Although this troper had seen the film in chunks previously, when it came time to watch the whole thing through, one scene in particular really got him. After being trapped with the facehugger, Ripley signals for help from the marines, and they make their way down to sickbay, where they're momentarily horrified. What does Hicks do to save Ripley and Newt? He jumps through a glass window and starts wrestling with the facehugger to keep it away from Ripley. And what about Newt? She gets saved by HUDSON, who single-handedly shoots her creature to bits. The fact that the latter was proclaiming "Game Over" just a short time ago only elevated the scene's level of badass.
** A moment of respect for Newt, a terrified little girl who manages to fight and stave off a creature that's killed grown-ass men armed with flamethrowers.
!!Alien³
* [[spoiler:Dillon's]] DyingMomentOfAwesome, taunting the Alien all the while that ''it isn't fighting him hard enough''.
** "Fuck You!!!"
* Ripley [[spoiler:committing suicide so that Weyland-Yutani can't get their hands on the Alien]], essentially giving them the finger in doing so.
* Dillon's speech to the other convicts about how they're all going to die sometime, but they can either go out on their knees whimpering, or on their feet, ''fighting.''
** Also Dillon's BigDamnHeroes moment when he rescues Ripley from attempted gang rape--and beats the everloving hell out of the cons responsible.

!!Alien: Resurrection
* Disposing of the Humalien via a hole in the spacecraft window and vacuum pressure effects.
* Purvis [[spoiler:killing Wren with his own chestburster.]]
* More of a behind-the-scenes version of this, but when Ripley 8 threw the basketball over her shoulder and scored a perfect hoop? No tricks, Creator/SigourneyWeaver actually pulled that off!
** Sigourney Weaver says she regards making that basket as her own personal Crowning Moment of Awesome... well, after her wedding and the births of her children, anyway.

* A meta-example, SigourneyWeaver getting nominated for Best Actress in a sci-fi/action/horror film which both then and now is almost completely unheard of.

* More of a behind-the-scenes version of this, but when Ripley 8 threw the basketball over her shoulder and scored a perfect hoop? No tricks, SigourneyWeaver actually pulled that off!

* [[MamaBear "Get away from her you BITCH!"]]

** "I remember seeing the film... midnight screening on Hollywood Boulevard, and that line ''brought the house down.'' People stood up and cheered. It's probably the most gratifying moment of my producing career, was the reaction to that shot." -- Gale Anne Hurd

** And then Bishop follows with one of his own: despite being torn in half, he manages to save both himself AND newt when the airlock is sucking them out of the ship.

* Bishop's BigDamnGunships moment

** "I remember seeing the film... midnight screening on Hollywood Boulevard, and that line ''brought the house down.'' People stood up and cheered. It's probably the most gratifying moment of my producing career, was the reaction to that shot." -- Gale Ann Hurd

* More of a behind-the-scenes version of this, but when Ripley 8 threw the basketball over her shoulder and scored a perfect hoop? No tricks, SigourneyWeaver actually pulled that off!

* Ripley [[spoiler:committing suicide so that Weyland-Yutani can't get their hands on the Alien]], essentially giving them the finger in the so doing.

* Purvis [[spoiler:killing Wren with his own chestburster.]]

* Ripley [[spoiler:suiciding so that Weyland-Yutani can't get their hands on the Alien]], essentially giving them the finger in the so doing.

* Disposing of the Humalien via a hole in the spacecraft window and vacuum pressure effects.

** As the tank is escaping with the marines, an alien begins to force the door open. Higs shoves his holdout shotgun down it's throat. "Eat this!"

* When she's retreating from the Queen's nest with Newt in her arms, and an egg ominously opens up next to her, Ripley cocks her head to one side, as if to say, "well, that's it. Now you're toast." and ''torches the entire room with her flamethrower before blowing the holy shit out of the Queen's egg sack with pump-action grenade after pump-action grenade.''
* ''You always were an asshole, Gorman.''

* [[MamaBear "Get away from her you bitch!"]]