How long has it been since the first Alien movie with director Ridley Scott at the helm? It depends on when you are in time, but it’s really been a while as of this writing.

The first Alien movie was and still is an experience unlike any other, even at a time when there were no computer graphic effects. Ridley’s treatment of Alien was like Edgar Allan Poe’s writing—you actually feel the environment in the scenes which enhanced the believability of the film. It was serious entertainment without any pretensions.

The appeal of Aliens is all about the adrenaline-releasing horrific experience of being at the mercy of an environment where monsters are out to get you. It’s about surviving against all the odds. The movie Prometheus, originally envisioned to be a prequel to the Alien series, had evolved into something else entirely but still within the universe of the Alien franchise. It retains the look and feel of the original Alien movie with designs from Alien artist, H.R. Giger, who is famous for his dark and visceral art we now associate with all Alien movies.

Prometheus recalls the events in the first Alien movie. But it’s more about the race of the dead alien encountered in the first movie which is linked to secrets that concern the origins of the human race. As the movie trailer says, “They went looking for our beginning; what they found could be our end.” It’s a terrifying thought, but Prometheus is not exactly the kind of horror film like Alien. This is more science fiction than anything else which is designed to appeal to the old fans of the original movie. It even has a female character similar to Ripley in the first one, who starts out as a bit naïve but ends up as a fighting woman.

Those in their teens when Alien came out will surely enjoy Prometheus, especially with Ridley Scott directing again. After many ideas on the production of the prequel movie to Alien came out and didn’t make it—there was even one where James Cameron was supposed to participate in—it’s inevitable that Ridley Scott come back for a new science fiction film from that universe. It’s likely that in time, this one will also end up as one of the great classics to be enjoyed for generations and perhaps even when real aliens have been discovered.