Aliens..

[JAG.]

fucking R U L E S ! man i loved watchin this movie growing up.. and its been a few years since ive watched it. but man its so freaking awesome, every time i watch it again i still get just as excited and drawn into it as the first time. it never disappoints.. wish more movies could be like this again

anyway, kinda outta no where but i had to share my excitement.. anyone with me? - JAG

[Moai]

I'm totally with you, dude. "Alien" and "Aliens" just have something that nothing else has been able to match.
The line of toys that went with the movie was pretty kick-ass too.

[Flake]

Absolutely with you, best Sci Fi action movie ever.

Even the trailer is the best trailer ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsX5cTrwHw
Really though, how did Cameron go from this and the Terminator films to that boat thing? Wha?

Edit: I just realised that considering how old this movie is, quite a few CA'ers probably haven't seen it.
Run, do not walk, RUN to the video shop. It's all kinds of stylish, violent , scary and awesome.

[DavePalumbo]

it's good, but Alien blows my mind

I just realised that considering how old this movie is, quite a few CA'ers probably haven't seen it

I hope that's not true. it would make me sad. I also get sad when people haven't seen Blade Runner and prefer T2 to the original Terminator.

[Hookswords]

That series really went down hill after Aliens. Such a departure from greatness. Alien is an old school romp through when horror meant something and Sci fi was still cutting its chops. It works well on so many levels. Aliens is held close to my heart. A wickedly talented cast, so quotable, and loads of great scenes. Just about anything Michael Biehn touches turns to gold.

DavePalumbo, I feel the same way. I think I reference Blade Runner almost daily. I sat my girlfriend down to watch it after referencing it add nauseum, and she looked at me like I was crazy. It was then that I knew I could not marry this girl. Funny story. I'm on a search committee at my university for hiring a new Provost. We started phone interviews and we were talking about how odd the phone interview can be. I made a comment about how we should make a Voight-Kampf machine for when we get applicants on campus. The committee looked at me like I was speaking a different language. I stood up and said " Listen, if you are telling me that not a one of you has ever seen Blade Runner, I am walking from this committee!"

[Ulrik [fC]]

Funny .. I just bought the DVD a few days ago .. loved it since I first watched it somewhen in the 90ties, watch it at least once every half year and what is most interesting, that the special/ visual-fx work better than in most current sci-fi flicks .. very impressive and the whole movie still kicks ass. awesome characters, score, storytelling, atmosphere, weapons etc !


and I agree there are some films you just have to know .. Blade Runner, Aliens, Terminator, Escape from NY are some of those

[JAG.]

yeah lets just forget any of the other sequels ever happened. in my happy little world, it stopped at Aliens.

i dont think ive seen a sci-fi movie SINCE that could even stand up to comparison with Aliens. it has it all.. and the music is so intense and perfect for the action. Ripley is easily one of the most bad-ass characters in the history of cinema..

Aliens.. - JAG

[jfwalls]

Aliens was good, but the original Alien was the best. Although the director's cut of Aliens was much better than the theatrical version. The added scenes really complemented the movie. Especially where you see Ripley find out that her daughter had died while she was in hypersleep. For me that made the movie much more believable because I had never liked the way Ripley became instantly attached to that little girl in the theatrical version.

I know everyone will jump on me for this one, but I really liked Alien 3 too. I thought it had much more of a feel that was closer to the original. It was dark, gritty, and had a bleak ending that was fitting for the series. They should've stopped there with it, and never made that lame Resurrection movie.

[Brendan N]

Loved the first two, didn't much care for the last two. Aliens is my fave of the two, but Alien was brilliant as well.
Kings of their genre in the classic sense, haven't seen anything to contest their rule since they came out.

[corky13]

classic horror movies ? Shining comes to mind , although it is not a sci-fi movie ^^

Loved Blade Runner and the first Alien. Never really got into 2 and 3...4 was boring...

[Moai]

A wickedly talented cast, so quotable, and loads of great scenes.

"I guess she don't like the cornbread neither."
"Have you ever been mistaken for a man?" "No. Have you?"

Jfwalls, I liked "Alien 3" as well. Except for the part that everyone from the prior movie was dead except for Ripley. That kinda sucked.
"Alien Resurrection" was just lousy. The earlier movies were much quieter and more subtle, and because the special affects weren't so good back then they relied more on quick glimpses and atmosphere, which was much more effective. Also, the spaceships from the earlier films that were made with real, physical models were much more believable than the computerized ones of "Resurrection." Same thing goes for the aliens, actually.

[jfwalls]

I miss the good old days of special effects. The queen from Aliens was absolutely incredible, and no amount of computing power can even touch that scene at the end. It's like the difference between a real oil painting and one done in Painter. The digital one would look cool, but it could never completely simulate the subtle nuances of a real painting.

Back to movies though. I think out of more recent movies Pitch Black was pretty good. Of course it still borrowed some cues from Alien, but over all it was a quality pic.

Another thought about the Alien franchise though; I don't think it would be nearly as popular if not for Giger's designs. Those sets, and of course the Alien were absolutely mind blowing the first time I saw them. I really wish they would use his designs for more movies.

[Chingwa]

The first one scared me so bad I still have brain twitches just thing about it.

The second one was so goddamned awesome that's all I could think about for about a year after seeing it.

Were there others after that? If I saw them, then I totally forgot about it.

[Carnifex]

have the quadrology,love watching it as often as possible...aliens is just the best outta the bunch,and while the first one scared me shitless upon watching it the first time,the second one is just more memorable and re-watchable. as said,music is good and it's quotable to death,but what makes it most for me is just the storytelling and actors. everything,and i mean everything feels natural and real. you identify with the characters and really feel with them. even the quotable sentences just happen naturally, not set-up to be it like in most of todays movies. and really,the story...gawd so perfect. if anything is action and suspense today it just seems to consist of random eyecandy scenes thrown together.
i have to say i like the sequels too. yes,the "killing off" at the beginning of alien3 sucks,but watch the extended version and tell me it's not good...
i did like alien4 aswell,although it's not half the calibre of the other movies. the end always seems to get me,and even if you argue that the hybrid is stupid, i did feel for it at some point. and if you watch the extras,you can appreciate some of the weirdness jeunet put into it. it isn't worse than any action movie today (unfortunately),and the underwater scene is pretty suspenseful.
but anyways,aliens still rules! it just rules!
i haven't seen any movie that good yet. just perfect.

[jfwalls]

i haven't seen any movie that good yet. just perfect.

John Carpenter's The Thing IMO is the only other horror/sci-fi movie that equals Alien. Here's my quick list of the greatest sci-fi and horror movies to date.

Alien
The Terminator
Star Wars
Blade Runner
The Thing
The Exorcist
The Shining
Night of the Living Dead
Halloween

All were genre defining classics that can only be imitated today.

[Brendan N]

John Carpenter's The Thing IMO is the only other horror/sci-fi movie that equals Alien. Here's my quick list of the greatest sci-fi and horror movies to date.

Alien
The Terminator
Star Wars
Blade Runner
The Thing
The Exorcist
The Shining
Night of the Living Dead
Halloween

All were genre defining classics that can only be imitated today.

I think there a few film today that do have the potential to become classics, though perhaps not quite as classic as those you have listed.

Chronicles of Riddick was a worthy sequel to Pitch Black for me, I thought it was up to par with some great sci fi movies from the 70s and 80s. If it had been timed earlier it would have been a classic IMHO.
The Kill Bill series, though not a favourite of mine can also achieve cult status so speak, though it's not really sci fi or horror.
We'll have to wait for the next Sin City film but I definitely think these too have the potential to become classics, though it's not really a sci-fi or horror film either.

I think there are a few underrated horror films around today, such as The Others, Skeleton Key and Below, which get into the same class as The Shining for their intelligent story telling.

anyway, just my 2c.
great list you have, I'll be sure to check those I haven't seen.

[Nismo]

John Carpenter's The Thing IMO is the only other horror/sci-fi movie that equals Alien. Here's my quick list of the greatest sci-fi and horror movies to date.

Alien
The Terminator
Star Wars
Blade Runner
The Thing
The Exorcist
The Shining
Night of the Living Dead
Halloween

All were genre defining classics that can only be imitated today.

I always considered star wars as fantasy rather than sci fi, although i guess the boundaries are pretty blurry...

And I agree with others that Alien3 is a really underrated film. It might pale slightly compared to Alien, but I think it is a great film in its own right.

[JAG.]

man i dunno.. what i hate about Alien 3 is that it destroys EVERYTHING you knew before. it literally kills Ripley.. why would you do that??

Alien introduced us to her, and even though she was the survivor.. it didnt solely focus in her. it was more about this dangerous alien and the terror it caused.

Aliens definitely centered around Ripley going back for some kick ass revenge [or closure if you prefer].. but it was about the characters and how they dealt with the aliens. watch the film, count how many sceens you ACTUALLY see the aliens.. not many compared toe the scope of the whole film. it was definitely about the chracters..

so where do we go next after getting all hyped up about these new characters??? no where! they're all dead! and heres a bunch of guys you couldnt care less about cuz they all look the same and cant act anyhow. but to make it worse, all the aliens were gone TOO! now it was back to Alien, one on one.. except this time it did focus a bit more on Ripley.. tried to show her sensitive side and her longing to have a normal life and some sort of loving relationship... i can understand the why.. but it was a bad idea nonetheless. it destroyed her character. then they killed her. i guess they hoped the saga would end there.. but oh no..

Resurrection came out and im not even gonna get into that cuz ill have to cut-a-bitch

well.. a littel ray of hope: back in '03 there was a rumor that Scott AND Cameron would team up for a final Alien 5. they were both disappointed with the way the series has turned out and wanted to close the story once and for all.. they both expressed 'an interest in doing this' and left it at that.

havent heard about it since.. lets hope this doesnt go away. - JAG

[jfwalls]

It's interesting how people either like or dislike Alien 3. There's no middle ground at all on it. I thought it was a great ending to the series. The original Alien was subtle and smart in the way it approached the story, and 3 tried to take a similar approach. The second one was awesome, but the action and technology was cranked up to 10, and it was so far from what the original was.

For 3, all that was taken away, and once again Ripley had everything from her life stripped away by the aliens. In a way, she had become just like the prisoners on the planet; alone, desperate, and nothing to lose.

I also liked all the religous undertones to 3. If you look at like that, you begin to see Ripley as a christlike figure. That is especially evident in the end when she falls into the furnace.

I think people were let down by 3 because they wanted another action packed sci-fi thriller like Aliens, but I'll always admire Fincher for trying to direct the film while having so many problems with it.

[Brendan N]

I always considered star wars as fantasy rather than sci fi, although i guess the boundaries are pretty blurry...

Wuh? Star Wars defined so much the sci fi genre as we know it today. How do you interpret it as fantasy? Not sarcastic, honestly interested .

JAG I agree with pretty much everything you said. Alien3, apart from killing the mood and flow of the previous two, kept reminding me I'm watching a movie. So I never felt for ANYthing of the characters - not even Ripley. Furthermore, it was never memorable to me. Really the only thing I remember about the movie was orange sewers and some lava or molten lead or something. I understand you need to innovate but you don't need to lose consistency and become iconoclastic in a sense. IMHO it should have ended with Aliens, then we wouldn't need Alien 5 to clear things up.

That said I don't think it would have been a bad standalone movie.

Thanks for the thread JAG, it's great to have yet another discussion about this universe .

[Moai]

Wuh? Star Wars defined so much the sci fi genre as we know it today. How do you interpret it as fantasy? Not sarcastic, honestly interested .

Star Wars is actually considered science fantasy, because it mixes elements of both science fiction and fantasy. It's pretty much lightsabers and the force instead of swords and sorcery.
Of course, the definitions of science fiction and fantasy are pretty fuzzy and vague, and under more strict definitions anything not written by Poul Anderson or Arthur C. Clarke would be considered just fantasy in space.
I dunno. Here's some links: hard science fiction, science fantasy, Star Wars

Back on topic, I already said that I don't like how the characters of Aliens were killed off in Alien 3, but the scene where their bodies were dropped into the furnace was very emotionally powerful, in my opinion.

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Spoiler: Ending of Alien 1, the best part of the movie, imo.


Anyways, Alien and Aliens were the best. I can't see the appeal of Alien 3, it was non sequitur. 4 was.. kind of nice stylewise, but it had story elements and technobabble which just ruined it.

I hope they never ruin the enigma of the aliens or the derelict ship with explainations.

[Brendan N]

Star Wars is actually considered science fantasy, because it mixes elements of both science fiction and fantasy. It's pretty much lightsabers and the force instead of swords and sorcery.
Of course, the definitions of science fiction and fantasy are pretty fuzzy and vague, and under more strict definitions anything not written by Poul Anderson or Arthur C. Clarke would be considered just fantasy in space.

Ah, I see where you guys are coming from. I've always made the distinction by looking at setting and time period, and everything in between would be a bit of both. Agreed, very blurry boundaries, but then there's no real need for them.

[Moai]

After watching that clip, I am filled with an overwhelming urge to see these movies again.

[Brendan N]

Spoiler: Ending of Alien 1, the best part of the movie, imo.


Anyways, Alien and Aliens were the best. I can't see the appeal of Alien 3, it was non sequitur. 4 was.. kind of nice stylewise, but it had story elements and technobabble which just ruined it.

I hope they never ruin the enigma of the aliens or the derelict ship with explainations.

tiny superlow white cotton panties!

[Nismo]

Sorry if i'm going a little of topic..

When I think of Science Fiction I think there has to be an element of science (physical laws must be obeyed, or have explainable technology that is based upon extrapolation of what we already know) and I think that its important that it's set in this universe (I know, I know, Star War has the 'galaxy far, far away..' thing but its effectively a different universe).

I know that the new Star wars trilogy attempted a half assed 'scientific' explanation for the force, but IMHO this detracted from the 'magical' 'fantastic' side of the force, and made it seem more mundane....

When I think of great sci-fi movies I think of Alien, Aliens (back on topic a bit here...), Blade Runner, Pi (subtley), Ghost in the Shell etc....

I think some people think that Fantasy = Swords n Sorcery (i.e. historical) and Science Fiction = Guns n Lasers (ie futuristic). Whereas I see Sci Fi as essentially an extrapolation into a possible future (or past), and fantasy is a leap of faith into a purely imaginary place. Both require bucket loads of imagination and creativity from the creator!

Just my opinions! Like Moai's Wikipedia link suggests, the genres are very poorly defined! Maybe I like to think of hard sci fi as the real sci fi


Wrenching this back to topic....

I sorta agree about the killing off of Hicks and Neut(?) at the start of Alien3. Maybe it was a bad move. Although maybe you could argue that its a great way of preparing us for the bleakness of the rest of the film. And I think that Ripley dying at the end of the movie was necessary. She had given/lost everything to the Xenomorph over the course of the trilogy, and she had nothing left to live for.

I also like the film because its got the element of humanity sticking together, at the arse-end of the galaxy, even if its a bunch of murderers and rapists. blah.

Plus the Megadrive (Genesis) game had a cool soundtrack.....

[JAG.]

heres that article about Alien 5.. its old though so things may not stand any more. theres some links to follow in there as well..

http://scifi.about.com/library/weekly/aa070903.htm


and heres some more gossip.. apparently theres back & forth on it. i dunno.. i'll only watch Alien 5 if Cameron writes it..

http://www.countingdown.com/movies/546775


EDIT** heres the most updated reports [apparently]..

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/alienfilms....on=moviealien5

last entry quotes sigourney weaver as saying:

"Talking with Entertainment Weekly, actress Sigourney Weaver says that despite teaming up with James Cameron again for his "Avatar" project, don't expect anymore "Alien" films. "I love the character, but I think the monster, once they did the other film (Alien vs. Predator), which I never saw, but that really maxes our monster out"..

- JAG

[Hookswords]

Yeah... I remember hearing about that. Wasnt one of the original ideas to have the aliens get to earth or the space station in earth's orbit? I think of the things that screwed the pooch too was that Weaver wanted to get away from the Aliens way of doing things. I think she became a gun control nut or something like that.

[jfwalls]

If they make another one, it shouldn't have Ripley in it. I'm tired of seeing her in the movies, and honestly, she's getting kind of old. I'd rather see some kind of prequel, or bring Giger back before he dies and have him help design an Alien homeworld or something.

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Yeah, How about Natalie Portman in tiny superlow white cotton panties this time around? Or Michelle Rodriquez!

I think Cameron mentioned on the commentaries on Alien SE that he wanted to go back and explain the derelict ship, but I'd hate to see that. I'm not sure much more could be done with the alien universe. I honestly can't see the aliens take earth, as they are close combat units in open terrain. The aliens work best in chaotic situations in cramped areas, and that has been done 4-5 times.