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[Lightning Count]

Been revisiting these recently on Blu Ray, some thoughts.

Alien - this film gets better every time I watch it. Currently on a bit of a triple bill with this, reading the novelisation and recently I have been playing Alien Isolation. Watched the standard version and director's cut back to back, in this case the director's cut is weaker as Ridley Scott actually shortened the running time. The set design is just perfect, it all looks and feels functional, this is not a sci fi where I am looking at something unable to make heads or tails of it. It feels rough, this isn't squeaky clean, this is a working environment and the film is that much better for it.

Aliens - in this case the director's cut strengthens the film a lot, with great pieces giving extra insight interested o Ripley's motivations and the background of the circumstances on LV426, including a glimpse of the colony before the attack. The sentry scene ratchets up the tension adding urgency to the already dire situation. The characters and overall action elevate this above the original for me, but both are masterpieces in their own right.

Alien 3 - in this case, the assembly cut is the only way to go, it adds nearly half an hour extra. While not the best entry in the series I thought it did well in bringing us back the one Alien picking off a group dynamic.

I don't want to talk about Alien Resurrection it's a piece of shit. It had a great cast, but feels like a music video, a poor imitation at best.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Alien is masterful (Ridley Scott's best film), Aliens is great (Cameron's best), and Alien 3 is heavily flawed but has enough going for it that I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Everything else in the series has been garbage. Although not a movie, Alien: Isolation is a great recent addition.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I still haven't seen 3 and 4 lol.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I still haven't seen a single film from the Alien franchise. I'm awful aren't I?

 

[Sapiens]

I still haven't seen a single film from the Alien franchise. I'm awful aren't I?

If the internets hasn't spoiled Alien (the prequel to Aliens by James Cameron, director of The Abyss), they you are in for a treat.

 

[params7]

I loved Alien Resurrection. I find it as good as Aliens.

 

[Toxa]

I still haven't seen 3 and 4 lol.

be blessed your soul is pure

skip them and wait Alien 5 the true sequel that we deserve

 

[Watevaman]

I loved Alien Resurrection. I find it as good as Aliens.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I'd agree that the theatrical cut of Alien is ultimately the better cut, but the "Director's Cut" has that final moment with Dallas and what's left of Brett that I think is the creepiest thing in the Alien franchise. To slowly, and painfully, be transformed into an egg, that's fucked up. How does the Alien even do that to a person? That bothers me infinitely more than something bursting through my chest.

Definitely with you on the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 being the only way to go. A bit long, but it's a decent movie in the end. Doesn't match up to the first two, but a mostly worthy entry.

Resurrection is pretty terrible overall.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

skip them and wait Alien 5 the true sequel that we deserve

Neil Bombkamp surely will do it justice. Probably have it set in South Africa. And have what's his face as the thick accent alien.

 

[Lightning Count]

I loved Alien Resurrection. I find it as good as Aliens.

Behold the wrong opinion.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

I've been playing Colonial Marines and despite a sketchy AI and some bad plotting its not that bad.

Its fun playing in the same areas as the Aliens film which I watched again yesterday.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of Alien or Aliens, and I think a lot of it can boil down to the fact that might have been pioneering in its day but it established a lot of stupid elements that became ad nauseum tropes in later movies. At least Aliens sort of has a wink-and-nudge element to the dudebro Marines who get sent off to their doom. I just can’t take a movie seriously where everyone’s paralyzed by fear, there are random rattling wet chains in a spaceship, and the hero goes back for the cat.

I do agree that the set design has aged fairly well in most respects, with the exception of the computer (but how much sci-fi from that time period aside from Star Trek actually holds up in that regard?) Despite being over 30 years old it doesn't have that sense of age around it.

 

[Sir Walter Taffy]

Everything about Alien is great to me, probably why it is my favorite film. To me Alien 3 gets shit on way to often. Not a great film, but it does have a lot of great ideas within it.

Spoiler

I thought Prometheus was pretty good too

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Alien 3 does not and will not exist.

Alien:Isolation should be included. So good.

 

[Lightning Count]

Alien 3 does not and will not exist.

Alien:Isolation should be included. So good.

Denial, I like it, that is the first part of the grieving process.

 

[Bishop89]

I loved Alien Resurrection. I find it as good as Aliens.

Ontopic, aliens is the best one.

Alien isn't even tense or anything, what it does offer, aliens does a better job at.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Denial, I like it, that is the first part of the grieving process.

I thought it was just a river.

 

[Lightning Count]

Ontopic, aliens is the best one.

Alien isn't even tense or anything, what it does offer, aliens does a better job at.

Alien isn't tense?

Please tell me this is an attempt at humour.

 

[Chuckie]

Alien isn't even tense or anything, what it does offer, aliens does a better job at.

 

[Sojgat]

I loved Alien Resurrection. I find it as good as Aliens.

 

[Lights and Waves]

The ride at Disney that has the Alien scarred me as a child.

 

[Bishop89]

Alien isn't tense?

Please tell me this is an attempt at humour.

no.

It really isn't tense, and this is coming from someone who can only play horror games in short bursts.

As i said, aliens does everything better.

 

[Henchmen21]

Been revisiting these recently on Blu Ray, some thoughts.

Alien - this film gets better every time I watch it. Currently on a bit of a triple bill with this, reading the novelisation and recently I have been playing Alien Isolation. Watched the standard version and director's cut back to back, in this case the director's cut is weaker as Ridley Scott actually shortened the running time. The set design is just perfect, it all looks and feels functional, thus is a sci fi where I am looking at something unable to make heads or tails of it. It feels rough, this isn't squeaky clean, this is a working environment and the film is that much better for it.

Aliens - in this case the director's cut strengthens the film a lot, with great pieces giving extra insight interested o Ripley's motivations and the background of the circumstances on LV426, including a glimpse of the colony before the attack. The sentry scene ratchets up the tension adding urgency to the already dire situation. The characters and overall action elevate this above the original for me, but both are masterpieces in their own right.

Alien 3 - in this case, the assembly cut is the only way to go, it which adds nearly half an hour extra is the only way to go. While not the best entry in the series I thought it did well in bringing us back the one Alien picking off a group dynamic.

I don't want to talk about Alien Resurrection it's a piece of shit. It had a great cast, but feels like a music video, a poor imitation at best.

Wrong. The DC of Aliens ruins the pace of the movie. Majority of the deleted scenes add nothing to the movie.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

I prefer the original Alien because of the element that was never copied by later films: the deeply unsettling overtones of sexual violence in this corporate, asexual environment. The director has always been explicit about this but it's not a subject the film directly addresses, it's just there. The phallic alien, the violent impregnating of Kane, and the unsettling anxiety the creature induces in you. None of these people have any sexual chemistry, they are all rambling about corporate shares and stupid company policies. And then this violent penis monster gets set loose on the ship with them.

Aliens 2 did away with this for a grim action narrative and Aliens 3 went for a Space Jesus thing, all of which have aged or were copied to death. But man, even today if you fire up Alien, it will start to get to you on that weird unconscious level.

 

[bob_arctor]

Alien isn't even tense or anything, what it does offer, aliens does a better job at.

 

[Lightning Count]

Wrong. The DC of Aliens ruins the pace of the movie. Majority of the deleted scenes add nothing to the movie.

Insight into Ripley's bond with Newt because Ripley's own daughter had died.

We find out how the colonists came into contact with the Alien and just how personal the situation is for Newt due to be involved from word one.

The sentry scene ups the ante because we see just how frail the survivors defenses are and just how many Aliens they are up aginst.

 

[Toxa]

Neil Bombkamp surely will do it justice. Probably have it set in South Africa. And have what's his face as the thick accent alien.

he can't do worse than alien 3&4

 

[bob_arctor]

Insight into Ripley's bond with Newt because Ripley's own daughter had died.

We find out how the colonists came into contact with the Alien and just how personal the situation is for Newt due to be involved from word one.

The sentry scene ups the ante because we see just how frail the survivors defenses are and just how many Aliens they are up aginst.

Yes, ruining the pace.

 

[Fancy Clown]

it can't do worse than alien 3&4

It can do way worse than 3 (ie 4). Hell, Blomkamp has already made a movie worse than Alien 3.

 

[Finaika]

That's a penis.

 

[Bishop89]

he can't do worse than alien 3&4

it could very well get worse for our lovable xenomorph friends

 

[pants]

Alien isn't even tense or anything, what it does offer, aliens does a better job at.

lol

 

[Jarnet87]

The ride at Disney that has the Alien scarred me as a child.

I like the great movie ride.

 

[Marvel]

As i said, aliens does everything better.

lol...

 

[thenexus6]

The first two are so good. I like the first better, similar to how I prefer Terminator 1 over 2. I prefer the horror dark side more than the action.

I should really rewatch the first one again soon. Its gorgeous.

It's a shame the franchise got screwed over with Alien 3, 4 and AVP movies.

 

[Bishop89]

lol...

Cameron's just the better director bro

 

[EGM1966]

Been revisiting these recently on Blu Ray, some thoughts.

Alien - this film gets better every time I watch it. Currently on a bit of a triple bill with this, reading the novelisation and recently I have been playing Alien Isolation. Watched the standard version and director's cut back to back, in this case the director's cut is weaker as Ridley Scott actually shortened the running time. The set design is just perfect, it all looks and feels functional, thus is a sci fi where I am looking at something unable to make heads or tails of it. It feels rough, this isn't squeaky clean, this is a working environment and the film is that much better for it.

Aliens - in this case the director's cut strengthens the film a lot, with great pieces giving extra insight interested o Ripley's motivations and the background of the circumstances on LV426, including a glimpse of the colony before the attack. The sentry scene ratchets up the tension adding urgency to the already dire situation. The characters and overall action elevate this above the original for me, but both are masterpieces in their own right.

Alien 3 - in this case, the assembly cut is the only way to go, it which adds nearly half an hour extra is the only way to go. While not the best entry in the series I thought it did well in bringing us back the one Alien picking off a group dynamic.

I don't want to talk about Alien Resurrection it's a piece of shit. It had a great cast, but feels like a music video, a poor imitation at best.

Note Scott himself declares Theatrical cut superior. He just agreed to Director's Cut as a marketing device (basically he admitted he didn't mind them using that angle to generate sales which I find oddly refreshing in his honesty).

He trimmed the Director's Cut down to make more room for the addition of the added elements rather just bloating the film out.

Aliens though the Director's cut is definately superior than the original with the exception of the silly break of tension shot when they find the hamsters (or whatever it was) during the search of the facilities. That shot should never have been added back in. Much as I love Paxton his extended bravado scene goes on too long and should have remained trimmed too) but otherwise all the additions help the film feel more complete and thematically cohesive.

Three is the black sheep. Some great ideas, some terrible ones and alternating between looking beautiful and cheap shot by shot as Fincher struggled to save the production from the mutating script overrunning budget and studio interference.

Four is just a curio. An oddity that's interesting as a skewed take on the concepts but pretty weak overall particularly next to the purity of Alien.

Alien remains the best with Aliens a close second as the thunder and roar of its action and the great performances paper over the fairly by the numbers "shoot aliens that don't feel that alien" thriller approach Cameron opted for (probably wisely as after the first the Alien was out the bag and I think it would have been impossible to capture the chilly tone of fear and the unknown Scott did in the original. By the time Cameron came to it Gieger's style was way too well know too).

The first two are both classics cut from a different cloth. Pretty sure Cameron once noted Alien is the better film and Aliens is the better movie and I hope he did say that as it perfectly sums up both of them for me.

 

[SpaceHorror]

Alien is masterful (Ridley Scott's best film), Aliens is great (Cameron's best), and Alien 3 is heavily flawed but has enough going for it that I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Everything else in the series has been garbage. Although not a movie, Alien: Isolation is a great recent addition.

First post nails it.

 

[Toa TAK]

Alien is masterful (Ridley Scott's best film), Aliens is great (Cameron's best), and Alien 3 is heavily flawed but has enough going for it that I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Everything else in the series has been garbage. Although not a movie, Alien: Isolation is a great recent addition.

Yeeeaaah.

Alien, Aliens, and Alien: Isolation are my holy trinity of the franchise.

Nothing else matters.

 

[The Cowboy]

Yeeeaaah.

Alien, Aliens, and Alien: Isolation are my holy trinity of the franchise.

Nothing else matters.

Agreed, i did it for Isolations release, i watched Alien, then played Isolation and then watched Aliens - its a great trilogy when done like this.

 

[Sephzilla]

It's a franchise that really should have stopped after the 2nd movie

 

[Banjotanooki]

The original one is a masterpiece.

Aliens is am action remake of the first one.

Alien 3 is fucking depressing. Haven't seen the assembly cut but does it really make it a better film?

Alien resurrection is pretty meh to be honest but I'm surprised so many people hate it. It's got Ron Pearlman in it!

 

[bob_arctor]

It's a franchise that really should have stopped after the 2nd movie

As it did for me, same as Terminator. Interestingly, Cameron's T1 is Ridley's Alien, as compared to their sequels. Lean, mean horror sci-fi to bombastic action sci-fi. Both have their merits, both are awesome as hell, but I lean towards the former in both cases.

 

[shaki123]

Alien 3 is a better "Alien" movie than Aliens. Aliens is simply an action movie with some Aliens in it. It is a shame they didn't continue the trend that Mr. Scott set earlier.

 

[Sephzilla]

As it did for me, same as Terminator. Interestingly, Cameron's T1 is Ridley's Alien, as compared to their sequels. Lean, mean horror sci-fi to bombastic action sci-fi. Both have their merits, both are awesome as hell, but I lean towards the former in both cases.

Cameron seems to be fairly smart regarding recognizing diminishing returns. Genre shifting sequels of Alien and Terminator into more action movies was an incredibly smart move to keep those movies feeling fresh. If Alien 2 or Terminator 2 would have simply attempted to be "more of the first movie" I think they wouldn't have been even remotely as memorable as what we got.

On that note I would like to mention that I feel the director's cut of Aliens makes the movie as a whole feel a bit more in line with Alien in terms of atmosphere instead of being more of an action movie.

 

[bob_arctor]

Cameron seems to be fairly smart regarding recognizing diminishing returns. Genre shifting sequels of Alien and Terminator into more action movies was an incredibly smart move to keep those movies feeling fresh. If Alien 2 or Terminator 2 would have simply attempted to be "more of the first movie" I think they wouldn't have been even remotely as memorable as what we got.

Very good point, and one I agree with entirely. They are different beasts and the audience fares all the better for it.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Alien Isolation is an amazing game, maybe my favorite gaming experience in the last 10 years. I've given it as a gift to two different friends, and talked two more friends into getting it themselves to play it.

Alien: Isolation has a boring, poorly implemented story that adds not much more than the most basic incentive to start the next mission. It only packs whatever emotional punch it packs because you're the one playing it, not because any of the characters it renders are interesting/involving on an intellectual or emotional level. People suggesting it's a good replacement for Alien 3 are wrong.

 

[Mossybrew]

Hmm, just watched Aliens with my daughter this weekend, hadn't seen it in years. Amazing how well it holds up 30 years later.

 

[fates]

It is a shame they didn't continue the trend that Mr. Scott set earlier.

While I did like Aliens, I agree with this. The original concepts for the alien species as it appeared in Alien were very fascinating.

Aliens just kind of made them bugs.