The Nostromo travels through space. It will wake up to a distress beacon, and a planet where strange beings fought for survival. Fought what? We all know that now, but Alien never loses its power, even when you’re well aware of what’s going to pop out of that egg.

Ridley Scott’s direction is all about the economy of movement; the stillness of space that transmutes into the terror of the monster, and the confrontation towards which the crew is heading. The scene in which Dallas (Tom Skerritt) edges down the black tunnel, and every inch is being tracked by the crew, is the heart of Alien. The unexpected, the unthinkable, will happen to the traditional hero. We were dragged there, slowly and precisely, by Scott’s direction.

Alien is that rarest of science fiction movies – loved by fans, applauded by critics, referenced by other directors, and studied by film students. Not bad going for just one Xenomorph.

2. The Black Hole

Have Disney always had their eyes on the Star Wars universe? They may own it nowadays, but back in 1979 they decided to get in on the act with this tale of a space crew who uncover a long-missing craft on the edge of the largest black hole they’ve ever seen. Okay, so you can’t really see a black hole, but you know what I mean.