OK Just got finished with the ALieN Trilogy (again)

aaharvel

First, i'd like to say the 4th one is an abomination, and shouldn't be included.

ALieN is a perfect movie. Gothic horror, chest burst, ****' A!

ALieNs just as good. The pace of the script is what keeps this in the 1st one's league.

ALieN 3- IMO very underrated- but the pace is quite slow; and a young David Fincher showing his stuff before the Se7en and FIghtClub experiences. Still good.



These are all great movies (well the 3rd one as a merly 'good' movie). Was going to buy the Quad Set but just like the Superman Quadrilogy on DVD didn't want to sell my soul to the devil by purchasing the IVth installment in any way, shape or form.

amazing how way these movies age with time.
movie reviews. yes i'm officially bored.

gregure

Good comments. While I like the first one very much, and I'm a big fan of Ridley Scott, I truly think ALIENS is the best film. I actually watch it several times a year. It's one of my favorite films PERIOD. Great sound, and lots of fun characters-one of the things Cameron does best, I think.

I'm not a fan of the third film, mainly because I can't get over the fact that it shouldn't even exist. Anyone who paid attention to the ending of the second one could see that the Queen was not on board the Sulaco long enough to have laid two eggs. Obviously the Fox studio execs are not included in that group.

I agree, the fourth is crap. Swimming aliens was cool, everything else was a gory mess.

BIZILL

alien was okay. aliens was the best. part 3 i didn't care for. part four, never heard of it and don't desire to see it.

Toxis

Sorry, but Aliens is not a quadrilogy to me. #4 was nothing short of a complete insult to the epic. #3 was pretty weak to me but I still consider it part of the group. Now #1 and 2... OMG YES!!! I gotta give it to Aliens over Alien only because I like all the action and multiple aliens but that damn little kid needed to die early on.

Micah Cohen

I gotta give it to Aliens over Alien only because I like all the action...

This seems to be the general consensus, but I think it's just goofy. I mean, are you really all conned by the fast moving bright blinky lights? Willing to put up with lame story populated by GIJoe-depth characters? Do you have no appreciation for the slow, patient terrible buildup of classic film horror, or even the groundbreaking genre-mixing visual style of the original film? Does it have to be a fast-moving, keep-your-brain-occupied roller coaster?

ALIEN, the original, proves that one guy in a rubber suit, skillfully directed, is infinitely more frightening than a bunch of guys in rubber suits sloppily directed.

I don't know... The ALIEN franchise is interesting because it gave young directors who idolized Ridley Scott the opportunity to mimic (honor?) him by trying their hand at his inimitable style. There is no question that both Cameron and Fincher are hugely influenced by Ridley Scott. Both directors blatantly steal from ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER and literally quote from them in all of their films, from TITANIC to FIGHT CLUB. I'm sure that they saw making ALIEN sequels as their opportunity to make "an actual Ridley Scott film." That alone makes the sequels interesting.

But nothing succeeds like the original for its sheer new nightmare terror vision. Everything after is merely a cheap ripoff and not really worth "serious study."

MC

audiobliss

:rolleyes:

*sigh*

aaharvel

good points all. I love Aliens, to me it's the more exciting movie and the more fun movie- but I still think Alien is the more serious and better movie- however only slightly.

Now back to the 3rd alien film and the 2-egg theory, when i was watching Alien3 last night I was wondering that myself. There was an egg that became a facehugger that went into Ripley yeah? That was the alien that came out of her at the very end. So.... where did the alien that was the focus of that film come from???

I still like the ending of the 3rd one. It gives closure to the films. Sorry, but Ripley had to die. She's a character of greek tragedy throughout all the movies.

landry_p2000

gregure wrote:

Good comments. While I like the first one very much, and I'm a big fan of Ridley Scott, I truly think ALIENS is the best film. I actually watch it several times a year. It's one of my favorite films PERIOD. Great sound, and lots of fun characters-one of the things Cameron does best, I think.

I'm not a fan of the third film, mainly because I can't get over the fact that it shouldn't even exist. Anyone who paid attention to the ending of the second one could see that the Queen was not on board the Sulaco long enough to have laid two eggs. Obviously the Fox studio execs are not included in that group.

I agree, the fourth is crap. Swimming aliens was cool, everything else was a gory mess.

Ditto. Aliens is the only one of these movies that I own. I picked up the boxed set, and don't remeber anything worth owning but the second film and ended up putting it back and getting "Aliens" only. I may pick up "Alien" later on, but the others will not make it to my house. I think the Space Marines and the loading robot gave that movie a nice touch. Not to mention the role Sigourney Weaver played.

Ron-P

There is no touching the first. Alien is one of the best sci-fi horror movies ever. Aliens was a good sequel, fun with lots of action but no where near the same caliber of the first, it's a completely different style. Not much horror, laughs, no real intense moments. The 3rd in my book is the joke of the four, horrid film making at it's best. The 4th was a step up but not by much mainly becuase Ryder looks hot in that film and so it gets a node over 3.

Pablo

My 2 cents: ALIENS is probably my favorite film of all time (maybe in a tie with starship troopers [I love sci-fi action]). But I do have to say you really can't compare the 1st and 2nd. The only thing they have in common is the alien and ripley.

The first could be the scariest films of all times. It changed the way we look at horror. One creature, 6(?) crew members and you are on the edge of your seat the entire time. But you kind of lose that feeling after the first 10 viewings. (but I can't wait until my 13 yr old daughter has the guts to watch it).

The 2nd one is just action packed. I love the story and the characters. (I quote bill paxton saying "what the **** are we going to do now man?!?" at least once a week). This is one I watch every time it's on cable (in HD) and pop it in the DVD at least twice a year. I just can't say that for the first.

The 3rd bit the big one. I barley stayed awake the first time I saw it, and fell asleep the next 2 times. (I still have to try to sit through this one again).

I actually liked the 4th. Good action, descent story (I liked that she came back 200 yrs later). The motherly thing was a little to much.

And everyone left out AVP. Not a true Alien movie, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Hey, it had Aliens AND Predators! I would rank it some where between ALIENS and Predator.

Just my 2 cents (4 cents).

Micah Cohen

Oh christ, Ron's agreeing with me. Something must be wrong.

Pablo, if ALIENS and STARSHIP TROOPERS are your favorite movies, you need to see more movies, my friend.

The fourth "Alien" sequel was made by the french guys who (earlier) made a couple of really interesting films, including THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN. Other than that piece of trivia, the fourth sequel is lamentable.

MC

aaharvel

Regarding III, The funeral pyre w/benediction & Ripley's suicide/'Bishop' were good scenes. Other than that- nothing spectacular, but the movie was stylistic and provided good closure.

I stand by my comments regarding Resurrection. It sucked; with Wynonna Hadder being the bow on top. Ripley is incinerated in the 3rd one, and her little 'dog' too. There's no leftover DNA unless you want to go swimming for it in a furnace- Ergo.... it's over.



"THIS TIME, IT'S PERSONAL" :rolleyes:

BIZILL

i liked aliens better than alien. but i watched aliens years before i ever saw the first installment. wonder if that has any bearing.

Pablo

Micah, for watchability (over and over) ALIENS and Starship Troopers are my favorites. But I guess in the "film" aspect of things, The African Queen and Flight of the Pheonix (original) are truley my favorites (but they start to lose a little if you watch them to much).

(But I don't think African Queen is out on DVD, so I really look forward to watching that again).

Micah Cohen

Jeeze, I can watch ALIEN a hundred times in a row. And I will still be skeeved out when the facehugger falls from the ceiling, or when the xenomorph scares the cat in the ship's leg bay, etc etc. I get skeeved out just by Ridley's slow, silent camera movements. It's a perfect film, shot for shot. It's like JAWS. So effective that even tho I KNOW it's a rubber shark (or a guy in a rubber suit, albeit a 7 foot tall African tribal warrior), it still makes me grip the couch arms till my knuckles are white and bloodless.

ALIENS is merely a roller coaster ride. Ya pays your ticket, gets on board, gets whizzed around for a while, and then you gets off.

MC

aaharvel

Micah Cohen wrote:

Jeeze, I can watch ALIEN a hundred times in a row. And I will still be skeeved out when the facehugger falls from the ceiling, or when the xenomorph scares the cat in the ship's leg bay, etc etc. I get skeeved out just by Ridley's slow, silent camera movements. It's a perfect film, shot for shot. It's like JAWS. So effective that even tho I KNOW it's a rubber shark (or a guy in a rubber suit, albeit a 7 foot tall African tribal warrior), it still makes me grip the couch arms till my knuckles are white and bloodless.

ALIENS is merely a roller coaster ride. Ya pays your ticket, gets on board, gets whizzed around for a while, and then you gets off.

MC

yup. that's about it.

gregure

While I think ALIEN is a great film, truly a milestone in the scope of sci-fi horror, I still like ALIENS better as a viewer. The characters are more interesting, I cared more if they lived or died (thus making it more scary when I first watched it). Even though its a sequel, it's a completely different type of film than the first, not a true horror film, but not just an action film either. I saw both films when I was very young, and ALIENS was the one that gave me nightmares, not the first one. The first film is too slow for me to watch over and over like I can with Aliens, although the big revelation at the end that Ash is in on the conspiracy is probably one of the best twists in all of film, let alone the whole series. From an artistic standpoint, the first film takes the cake. As for a satisfying viewing experience, and hell of a lot more exciting film, the second one is great.

And while I agree that many younger filmmakers owe something to Scott, and pay him homage in their films, ALIENS still has a lot of stylistic characteristics that show up in all of Cameron's films. I don't think it was a hackneyed knock off as some overzealous fans have insinuated.

landry_p2000

gregure wrote:

While I think ALIEN is a great film, truly a milestone in the scope of sci-fi horror, I still like ALIENS better as a viewer. The characters are more interesting, I cared more if they lived or died (thus making it more scary when I first watched it). Even though its a sequel, it's a completely different type of film than the first, not a true horror film, but not just an action film either. I saw both films when I was very young, and ALIENS was the one that gave me nightmares, not the first one. The first film is too slow for me to watch over and over like I can with Aliens, although the big revelation at the end that Ash is in on the conspiracy is probably one of the best twists in all of film, let alone the whole series. From an artistic standpoint, the first film takes the cake. As for a satisfying viewing experience, and hell of a lot more exciting film, the second one is great.

And while I agree that many younger filmmakers owe something to Scott, and pay him homage in their films, ALIENS still has a lot of stylistic characteristics that show up in all of Cameron's films. I don't think it was a hackneyed knock off as some overzealous fans have insinuated.

Good way to put it. I purchased the best one IMO. The first one made me nod off a couple of times. It is just about what type of film you like. AlienS kept me on the edge, and scared me a little as well when I first saw it. I may get AlieN one day, but I am in no hurry.

Micah Cohen

ALIENS still has a lot of stylistic characteristics that show up in all of Cameron's films. I don't think it was a hackneyed knock off

I'll say this, and then I'll shut up, as it's a moot point; if you need bright flashing lights and roller coaster thrills to keep your attention, that's fine. I dig that, too.

But, Cameron is a hack. Every film he's made (except two, both of which I will note in a second) steals something -- lifted dialogue, obvious camera moves, thematic elements -- from Ridley's early masterpieces. Not a bad thing; Ridley was a superb, visionary director who has set the post-Kubrick standard for science fiction visualization since the early 80s. (Altho it is **** weird that the characters in TITANIC quote directly from BLADE RUNNER in the love scene in the old car in storage.)

Only two of Cameron's films even approach originality: TERMINATOR and THE ABYSS. TERMINATOR, of course, is definitely a great, original story told in an original way. I can't find much on the surface that's lifted from a Scott film aside from the idea of a "more human than human" human android. And THE ABYSS, my favorite Cameron film, is just a wonderwork of original imagery and thematic issues, extremely well directed and well acted, and I really respect it, as long and rambling as it is. It reaches for originality in every way, and I believe it achieves it on most fronts. It's a very good film.

But you can not deny the Ridley Scott influence on these directors (Cameron, Fincher, etc). They inhaled and internalized BLADE RUNNER and ALIEN, and making their Alien sequels was probably a great way for them to get their crampons into the hollywood ice and pay homage to their favorite director. No problem with that. (Personally, I believe that Fincher has supplanted Scott as a visionary and original director these days; Ridley's recent films just suck.)

So anyway, I will say again: Halloween is coming. Take your ritalin, turn off the lights, shut the phone ringer, grab your gal, pay attention (I know it's difficult to do this for more than a few minutes at a time) and let ALIEN wash over you and scare the crap out of you. The sequels are maybe fun in that roller coaster way, sure, but ALIEN is the bug from your deep psyche.

BOO!

MC

aaharvel

I agree that while Fincher stumbled in his cinema directorial debut with Alien 3, like you said Micah that he is one if not the best visionary directors today.

Watching Fight Club, Se7en, or The Game is enough to prove it.

btw- did ANYONE predict the ending to The Game? (Be honest)

Micah Cohen

I don't think Fincher stumbled with ALIEN 3. He got the look and the pacing correct, pure Ridley. The movie was just a stinker.

The end of THE GAME is easy. It's a Hitchcock riff, man. But Fincher does a good job (the final gunshot makes it a little more complex, no?). And that makes it work despite the fact that you may have guessed at it.

THE GAME includes direct quotes from BLADE RUNNER. When he's taking that PARALLAX-like sensory test, and they flash the images on the screen for him, the calm voice says, "Reaction time is a factor, so answer as quickly as possible..."

Fincher wears his influences on his sleeves, and for the most part they have served him well.

MC

aaharvel

good point. And yeah from a stylistic point of view I think Alien3 is very well made, almost up there with the 1st one and superior to the 2nd one. It's just that, for some reason, everything didn't click. I blame the pacing. While slow and deliberate like Ridleys- it just doesn't have the tension. Oh well..

I'm not quite up to snuff on Hitchcock. While I did enjoy Psycho and ESPECIALLY Vertigo- i found his other stuff as simply so-so.

Micah Cohen

i found his other stuff as simply so-so

Oh man, what am I dealing with here?

Hitchcock is "simply so-so"?

Help!

MC

MacLeod

I think Alien is one of the alltime scariest, coolest and well done movie ever. Perfect from start to finish.

Aliens was also near perfect although its not the same style. The only thing that could keep Aliens from being better than Alien is that stupid kid. There has NEVER been a kid in a movie that made it better.

Alien3 was good I thought. The funeral for Hicks and Newt were very cool and moving as was Ripley dying. It made you feel like it was a family member that was dying. It was not as good as 1 or 2 but is worthy of being included in the trilogy.

The 4th one, while having some good action, was STUPID and does not deserve to carry the Alien name. The ending is the stupidest of all. Stupid plot too. Just a stupid movie.