Alien movies..which ones were worthy...
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EvilRocketeer
Master Member
I preferred the original idea that ripley played more of a background character while Hicks would have been the main protagonist. Unfortunately, they killed off hicks... :unsure
ALIEN is one of the most amazing movies.... that I don't really like.
The look is incredible and I love so many shots and so much of the design, but there are so many things in the movie that are just boring to me or that don't make a lot of sense. I love the look and feel but I always find myself a little bored.
Aliens? Start to finish, my kind of entertainment movie. I don't know why but I care more about Hudson and Hicks than I ever did about Dallas and Kane. This is just a fun action movie and while it is definitely a different kind of horror than ALIEN, Aliens defenitely has some really creepy stuff going on. The introduction of the hive and the idea that the aliens don't kill you, like we saw in ALIEN but instead reserve you for a fate worse than death is truly unsettling. For me, the shot where Hicks raises the ceiling tile and all the aliens are crawling up the tubes is more upsetting and unsettling than anything I saw in ALIEN.
Alien 3. I have never liked this one but recently rewatched it and it really is a great dark movie, but it isn't a great Alien movie. The alien seems almost to be a secondary character and afterthe alienfest of Aliens, Alien 3 just fell a little flat. The lighting and cinematography in Alien 3 deserves more accolades than it gets.
Alien: Resurrection. Pure crap. There is not a single moment in this movie that isn't contrived or straight to DVD type material. I can't think of one nice thing to say about it. Utter junk from start to finish.
The look is incredible and I love so many shots and so much of the design, but there are so many things in the movie that are just boring to me or that don't make a lot of sense. I love the look and feel but I always find myself a little bored.
Aliens? Start to finish, my kind of entertainment movie. I don't know why but I care more about Hudson and Hicks than I ever did about Dallas and Kane. This is just a fun action movie and while it is definitely a different kind of horror than ALIEN, Aliens defenitely has some really creepy stuff going on. The introduction of the hive and the idea that the aliens don't kill you, like we saw in ALIEN but instead reserve you for a fate worse than death is truly unsettling. For me, the shot where Hicks raises the ceiling tile and all the aliens are crawling up the tubes is more upsetting and unsettling than anything I saw in ALIEN.
Alien 3. I have never liked this one but recently rewatched it and it really is a great dark movie, but it isn't a great Alien movie. The alien seems almost to be a secondary character and afterthe alienfest of Aliens, Alien 3 just fell a little flat. The lighting and cinematography in Alien 3 deserves more accolades than it gets.
Alien: Resurrection. Pure crap. There is not a single moment in this movie that isn't contrived or straight to DVD type material. I can't think of one nice thing to say about it. Utter junk from start to finish.
That's actually an idea from the original Alien movie that was filmed but cut from the original. Without the queen of course but Dallas and the others are cacooned for later.
Ttaskmaster
Well-Known Member
Alien - Classic and very cool. Not so much a horror IMO, as perhaps more of a thriller/adventure. I like how bleak and dull everything is - the sets, atmosphere, cinematography and even the character personalities.
NOT a fan of Ash suddenly turning out to be an android. It seems like a tacked on story moment. Admittedly, it allowed for the excellent scenes with Bishop in Aliens - Maybe it was a fresh idea back then, but it always seemed a bit of a lame cop-out to me.
Aliens - Again, not so much of a war film, or even an action one. There's really only three short-ish scenes where any firepower is featured and to me it's more about survival with a bit of a thriller thrown in. I can't really comment further as my friends and I have nitpicked it to death many times over and my opinion is no longer objective enough.
Alien Cubed - Half cool concept, half badly thought out. Seemingly no desire to remain in keeping with the general plot directions of the first two and felt like it had too many cooks... and no master-chef.
Alien Res - It stars Ron Perlman, which is cool.
He's really the only thing this film added to the series. Cubed had set up the precedent for p**sing over what went before when they randomly killed off Newt and Dwayne. Now Res just sets up the audience for a whole load of AVP nonsense.
Side note:
AVP - Lance Henriksen is in this, which is cool.
AVP-R - I don't even remember any of the human characters!!
NOT a fan of Ash suddenly turning out to be an android. It seems like a tacked on story moment. Admittedly, it allowed for the excellent scenes with Bishop in Aliens - Maybe it was a fresh idea back then, but it always seemed a bit of a lame cop-out to me.
Aliens - Again, not so much of a war film, or even an action one. There's really only three short-ish scenes where any firepower is featured and to me it's more about survival with a bit of a thriller thrown in. I can't really comment further as my friends and I have nitpicked it to death many times over and my opinion is no longer objective enough.
Alien Cubed - Half cool concept, half badly thought out. Seemingly no desire to remain in keeping with the general plot directions of the first two and felt like it had too many cooks... and no master-chef.
Alien Res - It stars Ron Perlman, which is cool.
He's really the only thing this film added to the series. Cubed had set up the precedent for p**sing over what went before when they randomly killed off Newt and Dwayne. Now Res just sets up the audience for a whole load of AVP nonsense.
Side note:
AVP - Lance Henriksen is in this, which is cool.
AVP-R - I don't even remember any of the human characters!!
Solo4114
Master Member
That sounds loosely like what they ended up doing with Dark Horse Comics' take on the series.
Birdie
Master Member
That script (Gibson's) was terrible though...
Alien is a masterpiece, probably my favourite film of all time.
Aliens I don't think I can sit through again for a few years, even though I haven't watched the blu yet...just seen it too many times. I don't think it's aged all that well, for the reasons Jet mentions, but it will probably always be the sci-fi action movie.
Three, in it's restored version, is a pretty masterful dark, grubby delight. I really dig this movie now, though it took a long while to get past the opening.
Four is pretty worthless really, the tone is bizarre for an Alien movie, Ryder is horribly miscast and the newborn just laughable.
I don't even consider the AVP movies part of the franchise, godawful idea and even worse realisation.
I pretty much agree with the masses here, To me Alien is like a fine peice of classical music, Aliens is like an 80's american rock band, Alien 3 is like the eurovision song contest loosers & Resurrection is like a lift fart. I dont mind AVP actually but AVP2 to me is just a poorly made B movie.
3jack
Well-Known Member
Yeah got to go with the majority here, I brought the box set last year, watched all of them one after the other. Since then I've only ever watched Alien and Aliens, I could watch the first 2 continously. The last 2 will remain boxed up for a long time to come.
AVP is a really cool concept in my eyes, not 100% sold on the film though, it felt like the Xenos just became cannon fodder. AVP:R I have no opinion on because for 3/4 of the film I couldn't see what the hell was going on.
AVP is a really cool concept in my eyes, not 100% sold on the film though, it felt like the Xenos just became cannon fodder. AVP:R I have no opinion on because for 3/4 of the film I couldn't see what the hell was going on.
I'm glad someone else has mentioned that, I have to re-adjust all the picture settings to watch it too, even with the brightness & contrast up at max its still too dark to see everything properly, even the daytime shots are too dark :unsure
alien - awesome - and wont age ever, still to this day its one of those things that sends shivers down my spine.
aliens - awesome sequel - hasnt aged, gung ho movie
love it
alien 3 - hmmmm was ok, isnt ageing well tho but an ok movie, effects poor, trying to be alien too much
alien resurreation - promising idea with the betty crew idea and the alien breeding, but the silly ripley bringback ruined it for me, and what were the producers smoking with the new alien and the ending - script rewite needed right there before the funds were given imo. res was one of those films i saw years ago and thought hmmmm ok but watchable and then when blu ray came out - i thought what complete trash
my overall verdict - blue ray them individually and id have only got the first 2
as for a v p : too long to come to the screen............by the time it was made acheivable were like all movies nowadays - at the mercy of too much cgi - when a person gets killed by a monster i want to see guts, offal and blood packs going off - not fake cgi shots that cost alot more and are very unaffective even on the small screen
aliens - awesome sequel - hasnt aged, gung ho movie
love italien 3 - hmmmm was ok, isnt ageing well tho but an ok movie, effects poor, trying to be alien too much
alien resurreation - promising idea with the betty crew idea and the alien breeding, but the silly ripley bringback ruined it for me, and what were the producers smoking with the new alien and the ending - script rewite needed right there before the funds were given imo. res was one of those films i saw years ago and thought hmmmm ok but watchable and then when blu ray came out - i thought what complete trash
my overall verdict - blue ray them individually and id have only got the first 2
as for a v p : too long to come to the screen............by the time it was made acheivable were like all movies nowadays - at the mercy of too much cgi - when a person gets killed by a monster i want to see guts, offal and blood packs going off - not fake cgi shots that cost alot more and are very unaffective even on the small screen
3jack
Well-Known Member
The thing that makes me laugh about it is on the directors commentry they actually praise the director of photography for what an "amazing" job he did on lighting the film. I was amazed because I didn't think they'd bothered hiring one!!!
Lawrie
Member
I love Alien, adore Aliens, abhore Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection was tolerable. I actually decided to watch the whole series recently and my previous statement still stands. I know that Alien 3 had several issues with crew changes, but in my honest opinion it should never have been made.
DARTH SABER
Master Member
For me its Alien 1 and 2....and that's it.
I can't really put one above the other because technically they are different films.
Alien is a scinfi horror film that relies on slow buildup tension and suspense to deliver the goods, while Aliens is roller coaster sci fi action war film.
I can't really put one above the other because technically they are different films.
Alien is a scinfi horror film that relies on slow buildup tension and suspense to deliver the goods, while Aliens is roller coaster sci fi action war film.
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