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Alien Flim rankings

C

CaviarMeths

Member
Epcott said:
Alien > Aliens >>> Prometheus >> Alien 3 >>>>>>>>> AVP 2 >>> Alien R >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> AVP


I put Alien 3 so low only because it undermines progress of Aliens. Resurrection was just a joke. AVP2 at least became unpredictable when it killed off the love interest.
Click to expand...

What lol. Killing off love interests in a horror movie is the oldest trope in the book. Bonus points for AvP:R arguably an adaptation of a comic book, where the term "fridging" originates.

Like, can you even name a horror movie where a love interest doesn't die?
 
QuantumZebra

QuantumZebra

Member
How About No said:
Alien >= Aliens > what the fuck ever else

I do wanna go watch Covenant, more for obligations sake than anything else
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Pretty much this.

But I'd say Aliens >= Alien

And people can crucify me for this but AvP1 is a better film with more likeable characters than Alien 3 or Resurrection.
 
E

EGM1966

Member
CaviarMeths said:
What lol. Killing off love interests in a horror movie is the oldest trope in the book. Bonus points for AvP:R arguably an adaptation of a comic book, where the term "fridging" originates.

Like, can you even name a horror movie where a love interest doesn't die?
Click to expand...

Part of the issue with killing Hicks and Newt though is that Aliens was a thriller not a horror and it cut across the then established character arc for Ripley.

If Alien 3 had been Alien 2 and introduced and killed love interest, etc. it would have been fine.

The issue is with Aliens Cameron did too good a job establishing the virtual family and giving Ripley a non-horror arc.

At the end of Aliens she's got her mojo back: Alient 3 this came across as crass attempt to roll back the plot to go back to horror. I now Fincher to an extent was part of this (even if idea preceded his involvement) as he wanted to go back to tone of Alien but to be honest it was too lf ate.

The correct character arc continuation for Ripley would have been for her to fully go after The Company to fully expose their duplicity (she is also no longer afraid of the alien creature either).

Really the main issue is Aliens didn't lend itself well to continuing with Ripley unless they went further into thriller territory and dialed back horror even further.

That's why fans went nuts over it and it helped killed the franchise. They weren;t approaching Alien 3 as Final Destination 7 but the next installment in a superior narrative with characters and motivation already set which Alien 3 completely jumped the shark on.

If they were determined to kill them it shouldn't have been off-screen but within context of film itself in more dramatic fashion.

That said that issue is the least of the films' issues but it really soured fan response.
 
mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
Zakalwe said:
Come on, mcz, this one proves you don't even remember the film you're discussing.
Click to expand...

Of course it does. It doesn't really matter that I saw all the movies many times, does it?

Obviously I didn't mean that the entire movie starts with a bullet spree that never stops but it is obvious that the focus of the film is on the marines shooting bugs. Alien 1 is about investigating the alien and trying to figure it out, alien 2 is about shooting them and 3 is about Ripley (the 4th is about being goofy I suppose).

The entire plot of Aliens is about eliminating them. They come down to the planet, fight the aliens, explode the whole thing, have a boss fight and that's it. The stuff that is between these sections is inconsequential. It is just there to make the whole thing longer. It doesn't provide any interesting exposition or character development, except for the first few minutes where we learn more about The Company and Ripley's daughter in the EC.
 
B

BuckRobotron

Member
Alien is one of the best films of all time, never mind specifically as sci-fi or horror. And Aliens still holds up as one of the best (and most influential) sci-fi action movies.

Most of the others are in that simple realm of entertainment that I enjoy. Plus, I like the individual feel to each one. The insanity of Resurrection, the fascinatingly flawed Prometheus, even the basic AvP (I liked Sanaa Latham in that, plus some good ol' Hendrickson).

On the far end of the spectrum, that second AvP seemed almost impossibly bad.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
mcz117chief said:
The entire plot of Aliens is about eliminating them. They come down to the planet, fight the aliens, explode the whole thing, have a boss fight and that's it. The stuff that is between these sections is inconsequential. It is just there to make the whole thing longer. It doesn't provide any interesting exposition or character development, except for the first few minutes where we learn more about The Company and Ripley's daughter in the EC.
Click to expand...

The stuff between the action is basically a film-long examination of Ripley overcoming PTSD and taking the opportunity to be the mother she wasn't to her own daughter.

Like, how can you think the scene in the Special Edition where she learns of her daughter is interesting, and then everything else in the movie that speaks to and expands on that scene in way more compelling ways is "inconsequential stuff?"

That doesn't make sense. If anything, the scene you think is interesting is rendered not necessary by how much better those themes are executed in the film itself. Which is why it ultimately got cut out of the movie.
 
M

Mokujin

Member
Epcott said:
Alien > Aliens >>> Prometheus >> Alien 3 >>>>>>>>> AVP 2 >>> Alien R >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> AVP


I put Alien 3 so low only because it undermines progress of Aliens. Resurrection was just a joke. AVP2 at least became unpredictable when it killed off the love interest.
Click to expand...

I like this but I would put Alien 3 even lower, but overall I like the list.
 
B

Blackpuppy

Member
If any of you haven't seen the assembly cut of Alien3, you should really give it a watch. Growing up with the theatrical cut, it felt like a rehash of the first film with one-dimensional characters and cheap scares.

Fast forward to a couple years ago and I watched this new cut in complete awe. I finally saw what Fincher was perhaps attempting to create: an artsy contemplation on faith, loyalty and sacrifice. The action scenes at the end made sense because I realized it wasn't about making people scared; it was just a McGuffin to test the faith of the people who've sworn to this way of life.

I put it below Alien and Aliens (although I will admit the latter is looking more and more dated as time goes by), but it's an incredibly great film on its own.
 
J

J_Viper

Member
Figure I should ask this here,

If I'm rolling through the series for the first time, do I go with the TC or DC for Aliens?

Saw the TC for Alien. Incredible film, but I couldn't help but feel like some character development was missing or something. Is that restored in the DC?

And for Alien Cubed and A:R, I'm guessing I stick to the DCs for those?
 
Raptomex

Raptomex

Member
Morgoth said:
Now that a new alien film is almost upon us, lets discuss the amazingly diverse alien film series.
1. ALIEN(1979) - theatrical cut.
My all time favorite film. The set design, the acting, the atmosphere. everything is top notch.
This is the film that made me love the art of film.
2. ALIENS(1986)- 1991 special edition
Where the first film was a haunted house. This one is a roller coaster. It is nonstop from beginning to end. The special edition add the fact Ripley had a daughter who is now dead, It shows more of the colony before finding the derelict. Also the sentry gun scene is pretty damn cool.
3.ALIEN 3 (1992)- Assembly Cut
This film is what happens to be the reason I love this series. Each director doing his own take on a alien film. David Fincher took a much darker different approach to the series. The assembly cut adds much needed character development.
4 Prometheus(2012) Breathtakingly beautiful but the script is lacking. Has some interesting concepts that are not fully fleshed out.
5.Alien Resurrection(1997)-theatrical cut.
Basically the director making a french comedy. Everybody hates it. I like it a lot. Joss Whedon wrote it and you can see the Betty crew is a early version of the crew from firefly. Plus the auriga is the best ship is the series.

I don't consider avp part of the series.Just bad monster movie spin-offs.
So what are your guys ranking and thoughts on the series. Also are you looking forward to covenant?
Click to expand...
Switch numbers 3 and 5 or just eliminate Alien 3 altogether. Fuck that movie. Worse than Resurrection in my book.
 
D

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
rgoulart said:
Exactly like mine.

Alien - Theatrical
Aliens - Theatrical
Alien³ - Assembly Cut
Alien Resurrection
Prometheus
Alien Covenant
Click to expand...

Wait, it's possible I could come out of Covenant thinking it's WORSE? How is this possible.

I thought I'd adjusted expectations enough, do I have to do some extra dialling down? Is that the only way to be sure?
 
F

Fancy Clown

Member
Raptor said:
Not fair, Hobbit have a different name hence part a different trilogy technically, point still stands.
Click to expand...

Prometheus doesn't have Alien in the title, but it's part of the series. The Hobbit movies even share many of the same actors, have the same director, and more explicitly tie the hobbit into the The Lord of the Rings. That's why they got Elijah Wood back in Hobbit feet for a 2 minute scene.


Bobby Roberts said:
Theatrical cut for everything but Alien 3.
Click to expand...

*controversy alert* I think Aliens special edition might actually be the stronger cut over the theatrical overall, even if the pre-infestation stuff on Hadley's Hope is kinda whack and plays too much like a National Lampoon's LV-223 Vacation. Getting to see Ripley react to her daughter's death is a nice bit of performance and helps kick start the themes sooner than 1/3 of the way into the movie, and the sentry gun stuff, and trading names with Hicks scenes are awesome.
 
P

PSqueak

Banned
Apathy said:
The thread title reminded me of this

206789.jpg


Not sure I could do an actual ranking but alien would always be at the top
Click to expand...

Entered thread just to verify this had been posted.

Thank you.
 
P

purpleblastoise

Banned
Alien is only half a good movie so I'd have to rank Aliens as being better just because it's more cohesive at what it wants to be.

Alien starts off as a pretty great mystery(for lack of a better word) sci-fi that just devolves into a generic slasher after the chestbuster scene. Ridley admitted that he just wanted to make Texas Chainsaw Massacre in space. Alien: Resurrection is dumb fun so I'd put it over Alien 3 any day.
 
F

Fancy Clown

Member
purpleblastoise said:
Alien is only half a good movie so I'd have to rank Aliens as being better just because it's more cohesive at what it wants to be.

Alien starts off as a pretty great mystery(for lack of a better word) sci-fi that just devolves into a generic slasher after the chestbuster scene. Ridley admitted that he just wanted to make Texas Chainsaw Massacre in space. Alien: Resurrection is dumb fun so I'd put it over Alien 3 any day.
Click to expand...

You say this as if Texas Chain Saw Massacre isn't a cinematic classic. Alien is pretty much it's own beast anyway, and that first hour perfectly sets up all hell breaking loose. You can really have a horrifying existential creature flick without the beastie chewing people up.
 
R

Raptor

Member
Fancy Clown said:
Prometheus doesn't have Alien in the title, but it's part of the series. The Hobbit movies even share many of the same actors, have the same director, and more explicitly tie the hobbit into the The Lord of the Rings. That's why they got Elijah Wood back in Hobbit feet for a 2 minute scene.
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
Bobby Roberts said:
Like, how can you think the scene in the Special Edition where she learns of her daughter is interesting, and then everything else in the movie that speaks to and expands on that scene in way more compelling ways is "inconsequential stuff?"
Click to expand...

Because it shows how the events of Alien took everything away from her. Now she is a blank slate with nothing to lose. The loss of Amanda made it possible for her to go back to the planet. I'm 100% sure that she would never go if her daughter would still be alive.

Rebecca didn't have enough time in Aliens to become a distinct character, most of the times she is completely silent and the focus is not on her despite her being the objective in the final parts of the film. The focus is always on Ripley, the aliens and action. Rebecca is just there to give Ripley an excuse to go face off with the queen, twice. The same can be said about Dwayne who is supposed to be another one of Ripley's anchors to a normal world (an attraction to a man) but this relationship is also not given any time to develop properly.

This is probably one of the biggest reasons why people dislike Alien 3, the fact that Dwayne and Rebecca never got to solidify their relationship with Ripley. Even Michael Biehn himself was disappointed with the fact that his character was killed off during an accident.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
mcz117chief said:
Rebecca didn't have enough time in Aliens to become a distinct character, most of the times she is completely silent and the focus is not on her despite her being the objective in the final parts of the film. The focus is always on Ripley, the aliens and action. Rebecca is just there to give Ripley an excuse to go face off with the queen, twice. The same can be said about Dwayne who is supposed to be another one of Ripley's anchors to a normal world (an attraction to a man) but this relationship is also not given any time to develop properly.
Click to expand...

I guess I don't understand how any of that is a negative criticism. Like, you're identifying why the story works, but you're phrasing it as if it's a mistake somehow?

Are you arguing that the film should have been even more of an ensemble, to the point where Ripley really is nothing more than a member of the team, and not the main character?

It sounds like your criticism boils down to the fact the film doesn't stop down to elevate both Hicks & Newt's characters, even though the film doesn't really stop down to elevate/evolve ANYONE's character, it reveals and builds the characterizations through the actions/reactions of the story pressing down on them.

Are you essentially saying you needed this stuff delivered via a dialog heavy exposition scene or two?
 
Tom Nook

Tom Nook

Member
Alien and Aliens two different movies, both are # 1

Alien = Aliens > Alien 3 > Alien R > Pro >>>>>>AVP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> AVP2
 
mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
Bobby Roberts said:
I guess I don't understand how any of that is a negative criticism. Like, you're identifying why the story works, but you're phrasing it as if it's a mistake somehow?

Are you arguing that the film should have been even more of an ensemble, to the point where Ripley really is nothing more than a member of the team, and not the main character?

It sounds like your criticism boils down to the fact the film doesn't stop down to elevate both Hicks & Newt's characters, even though the film doesn't really stop down to elevate/evolve ANYONE's character, it reveals and builds the characterizations through the actions/reactions of the story pressing down on them.

Are you essentially saying you needed this stuff delivered via a dialog heavy exposition scene or two?
Click to expand...

It is indeed not a criticism. I love all the alien movies. I just said that Aliens is action heavy and people tried to downplay it for some reason. I am just trying to say that Aliens doesn't focus as much on horror and other themes like the 1st and the 3rd movie. The movie is great as it is, I wouldn't change anything about it.
 
C

Carcetti

Member
Covering everything important in the franchise:

Alien
Aliens
Alien: Isolation
Original Alien comics
.
.
AvP the videogame on pc, part 1 and 2
,
.
Alien 3
.
.
.
Alien: Covenant
Alien 4
Aliens vs Predator'
.
.
Prometheus
.
Aliens vs Predator II
 
H

Human Resources

Member
Alien is the best. Of course. What praise can I lavish upon it that hasn't already been expressed in this thread.

I rank Alien 3 above Aliens (and it's not close). I appreciate Aliens, I think Aliens is a super watchable, fun movie, but the edgy, nihilistic 90's kid in me just loves Alien 3 as a drama about people who are trying to accept/have accepted their mortality and unimportance in a bleak, uncaring universe. Plus it's shot/designed like Warhammer 40K or something.
162835ed0da2d1b9385ef40fd7b9177f.gif


Aliens to me...It's like all I can do is think of it as a movie designed to be edited down to 70 minutes to watch on TBS on a Sunday afternoon while cooking or something. A classic, to be sure, but not one that requires a dark room and constant attention.

I might watch Resurrection if I've been drinking and want to chuckle at corny Whedon one-liners while watching a cavalcade of character actors (Michael Wincott! Ron Perlman!
Brad Dourif! Dan motherfucking Hedaya!) get fragged to the dutch-angle infused stylings of the madman Jeunet. Also 90's Winona Ryder with a pixie cut.

I watched Prometheus once on its release day. I don't think I hate it -- I actually remember walking out of the theater kind of liking it -- but I don't want to watch it again. Maybe this week if I go see Covenant.

AvP/2 -- never saw, never will, don't give a shit
 
J

JB1981

Member
1. Alien
2. Aliens
3. Alien 3 Assembly Cut
4. Prometheus
5. Alien Resurrection

*Haven't seen Alien: Covenant yet.
 
R

rgoulart

Member
DECK'ARD said:
Wait, it's possible I could come out of Covenant thinking it's WORSE? How is this possible.

I thought I'd adjusted expectations enough, do I have to do some extra dialling down? Is that the only way to be sure?
Click to expand...

That depends on what you expect, I guess.

I was expecting a Prometheus sequel (lame, I know but I really liked the Engineers) or an Alien prequel. It turns out it is a bit of both and it isn't good in being one or the other. Huge let down for me as this is one of my favorite movie franchises ever.

The creation of the Xenomorph is disappointing at best and the twist in the end can be seen a mile away. It is just a convoluted mess as Prometheus was and I thought Damon Lindelof was the problem in that movie.

The way it ends I don't see how it fits with the first movie, with LV-226 being filled with facehugger eggs. It needs another whole movie to explain that.
 
V

Voror

Member
I haven't seen all of them, but based on what I have:

Alien
Aliens
Alien Vs. Predator
Alien Resurrection

I'm pretty sure I saw three as I remember specific scenes but it's been so long I don't know. Seeing Covenant next week so we'll see how that goes. I know the general plot of Prometheus but never got around to seeing it.

Is the Alien Anthology the best collection of the current films? Been meaning to pick them up for a long time. I also find the behind the scenes on many of these fascinating, especially what was going on with Alien 3.
 
S

Secret Fawful

Member
Oh, um. I know I probably shouldn't count video games, but I'll count Isolation, and if it's not allowed, just read my list without it. I haven't seen Alien 3 or Covenant.

Alien
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Resurrection
Prometheus
Aliens
AvP
AvP: Requiem

I'm sorry. I just don't like Cameron's direction for the Xenomorph.

Also, now that I've seen Fancy Clown's screenshots, Alien 3 looks incredible to me visually.
 
U

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Alien > Aliens >>>>>>>>>>> Alien 3

The other ones are so bad they aren't even worth listing. 3 is a complete mess but it's worth a watch just for Ripley, especially the Assembly Cut.
 
D

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
Alien>Aliens 3>Aliens

I liked the 'everything is fucked and cynical' of Aliens 3

I really dont care about the rest of the series. Vasquez is still my waifu
 
F

Fj0823

Member
Aliens>Alien>(big quality gap)>Covenant>Prometheus>>>>>>3

The rest aren't worth the effort of writing the titles
 
J

jossueinacoma

Member
Bobby Roberts said:
You know who muddied up and convoluted the story of Prometheus and made it frustrating?

It wasn't Damon Lindelof.
Click to expand...
Didn't the documentary on the Prometheus DVD show Scott in his production office trying to put together a story while he drank countless bottles of wine?
...
The movie is a direct product of that.
 
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