Aliens

[Go Cat Go!!]

Probably the greatest SF movie ever made. One of the few films where the sequel is better than the original. I'm watching it on Blu Ray. It still holds up almost 30 years later. BTW whomever thought up the creature must have some serious social issues. Acid for blood and the gestation period is inside a host body, WTF??

[Cobra]

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/movie/aliens/aliens_5.jpg

[Jimmy P]

yeah one of my favorite movies ever. I wouldn;t say its better than the original, just a different feel to it.

[The Last Rebel]

Probably the greatest SF movie ever made. One of the few films where the sequel is better than the original. I'm watching it on Blu Ray. It still holds up almost 30 years later. BTW whomever thought up the creature must have some serious social issues. Acid for blood and the gestation period is inside a host body, WTF??
H.R. Giger came up with the design for it, I forget the name of the guy who thought up how it functioned biologically. The alien is basically a metaphor for rape if you want to think about something really unsettling.

If you look at Giger's art it carries that theme of disturbing sex and biomechanics. Interesting stuff really.

[rhinocaster]

I enjoyed Aliens, but it's nowhere near the film that Alien is. Alien was a pure experience. Aliens was a great action movie.

[Echo Are]

Cool movie. I remember seeing it when it first came out. Don't forget Bill Paxton as Pvt. Hudson: "That's it, game over, man!"

[HoboMan]

Great Figgen Movie!

[mwc2112]

Definitely one of the best sci-fi action movies ever... with the 1st one being one of the best sci-fi horror/suspense movies ever. :dude

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I still remember Alien when it came out. It was a dark movie even on the big screen. Pure creepiness! :)

[jtm622]

Pvt. Hudson: "We're in some real pretty sh#t, now..."

To me, the 2nd Alien movie was indeed the best... When I saw the first one in a theater, I kept telling my wife over and over: "This sombitch is a ripoff of a movie I saw on TV when I was little kid... I can't remember exactly, but I think it was called "The Terror from Space" or something..."

:)

[Bankston]

Aliens is on par with Empire, The Road Warrior and Godfather II among great movie sequels.

[Stratobuc]

Best ever? Probably not - as "ever" comprises hundreds of films, many of which have not been viewed by those choosing the "best". The Alien series are some great, well made films but not close to the "best" IMO.



By the way - that story was told waaaaayyy back in the '50's by a film which had a plot strangely similar to Alien:

XHr0Q7I0m2E

[Go Cat Go!!]

I enjoyed Aliens, but it's nowhere near the film that Alien is. Alien was a pure experience. Aliens was a great action movie.

I think that's why prefer the sequel. The first one scared the bejezuz out of me, but i found it a bit slow. Aliens just took those original ideas and took off.

[jazzbasta]

Certainly one of the most satisfying sequels ever made.

[Dancing Frog]

H.R. Giger came up with the design for it, I forget the name of the guy who thought up how it functioned biologically. That would have been Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shushett...

Aliens was certainly one of my favorites of all time. It's a war movie and a Beethoven of the original Alien. And, by Beethoven, I mean it takes the plot elements of the original and makes them larger.

[Jube2550]

Saw it upon release, on the way out of the theater I was mesmerized and wanted to see it again immediately. Sci-Fi action at its finest.

[captain_bob]

I prefer Alien but after watching it again recently I have to admit that it's starting to look pretty dated.

:hide

[iamdavea]

Hudson: "Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?"
Vasquez: "No...have you?"

I worship Aliens--certainly one of the greatest guns & ammo movies ever made, with the addition of edge-of-your-seat scary stuff. When Ripley was going down in the elevator, loading up her weapon for the big confrontation, my date was practically in my lap from anxiety. And the shot in which the Mother Alien literally rips Bishop in half is one of the great F**K YOU! moments in film history.

[Sweetfinger]

BTW whomever thought up the creature must have some serious social issues.
Issues? He's got a subscription!

One of the most brilliant moves was bringing in H. R. Giger to do all the sculpting and design of the alien landscape, vessel, and occupants thereof in the first film and have the original designer for the film do all the "human" stuff. If you'd like a taste of what might have been if Giger had not been brought on board, check this pre-production painting for the alien "tomb"
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLPxM7_4Cf0/TJ6IKPhPX-I/AAAAAAAABKE/D5MIsMaVVio/s320/a1art17fm7.jpg

There is a really great picture of Giger and others receiving their Oscars in 1980. Farrah Fawcett was one of the presenters. I can't find it online but they're all in a line just as happy and elated as can be...... except for Giger! :wave

http://www.eastsilver.net/admin/user_img/article/big/1112_91264c0cf1ac410c5.jpg

Basically after Alien came out, EVERYTHING changed in terms of "alien" designs. Giger has been imitated ad infinitum, but nothing has ever really touched the original. Yes, I think he might almost be smiling in that last photo!

[A-Bone]

I enjoyed Aliens, but it's nowhere near the film that Alien is. Alien was a pure experience. Aliens was a great action movie.
:agree

[mbargav]

I enjoyed Aliens, but it's nowhere near the film that Alien is. Alien was a pure experience. Aliens was a great action movie.

Double agree. Cameron dumbed it down a bit too much.

[zekmoe]

Double agree. Cameron dumbed it down a bit too much.

Bill Paxton dumbed it down. How ridiculous he seemed when he was so scared? Gee, you're a over armed merc space guy and you're panicing during a fight? Unrealistic portrayal, even for sci-fi.

[Glenn D.]

Bill Paxton dumbed it down. How ridiculous he seemed when he was so scared? Gee, you're a over armed merc space guy and you're panicing during a fight? Unrealistic portrayal, even for sci-fi.

I think they'd lost half the team by the time he started panicking. Seems realistic enough to me.

[Stratobuc]

I think they'd lost half the team by the time he started panicking. Seems realistic enough to me.



It's not as though someone warned them earlier that this would happen....:jo

[Shiny McShine]

Pvt. Hudson: "We're in some real pretty sh#t, now..."

To me, the 2nd Alien movie was indeed the best... When I saw the first one in a theater, I kept telling my wife over and over: "This sombitch is a ripoff of a movie I saw on TV when I was little kid... I can't remember exactly, but I think it was called "The Terror from Space" or something..."

:)


It's OK because The Terror from Space was just a rip off of an old Willie Dixon song.

[Drew68]

Apples and oranges really.

Alien was a horror film, and a great one. Aliens was an action movie, and a great one.

[Scott Peterson]

Apples and oranges really.

Alien was a horror film, and a great one. Aliens was an action movie, and a great one.

Stole my thunder.

I'd call "Alien" more a suspense film.

I'd call "Aliens" the same you did, an action movie.

Both are really superlative, but in their own ways and for their own reasons.

[spakuloid]

Alien = Ridley Scott
Aliens = James Cameron

Ridley Scott still makes movies for adults - James Cameron still makes movies for Adult's who are struggling getting their GED. With the exception of the first Terminator movie - which is his best.

[Boomer]

I saw Alien in the theater when it came out. I can't remember any other movie that left me both physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Talk about tension!

Speaking of great films, when are they going to release Lawrence of Arabia on BluRay? I can't think of a movie that deserves it more!

[atquinn]

Aliens is one of my top ten favorite movies! Haven't managed to sit through any of the other movies in the franchise. My parents rented the first one on VHS when I was a kid and I just remember being bored. For me it's all about Aliens. I'd like to find a non-director-cut-ized version of it (The Abyss to while I'm at it) for DVD or BluRay, but I don't believe they exist?

And one only needs to take a look at the movies Scott has directed to see how moronic spakuloids comment is.

-Austin

[Pally]

Very enjoyable, but not much "sci-fi" involved.

It's a monster movie.

[Dancing Frog]

Bill Paxton dumbed it down. How ridiculous he seemed when he was so scared? Gee, you're a over armed merc space guy and you're panicing during a fight? Unrealistic portrayal, even for sci-fi.He represents the audience in much the same way Lambert did in the first movie. He voices the audience's fears. That's his character's function.

I wouldn't go so far to say that Hudson was panicked. It's just that he was squad's f'ing drama queen. It was obvious he wasn't nearly scared as he was letting on. His sounded panicked and his assessments of the tactical situation were decidedly negative; but action wise, he did his job and never once ran from a fight or froze up when the opportunity presented itself. He tended to meltdown between actions which I viewed as more of a blowing off of steam, but you'd still have to say he was there. He was their computer and electronics specialist. He hacked the colony computer, hooked up the sentry guns, and adequately used a motion tracker as well as his own weapon. That does not sound like the actions of someone paralyzed with fear.

[Ultron]

I'm getting stoked for "Prometheus"....I've heard Ridley Scott is letting Giger go nuts on design. Good sci-fi is so rare these days.

[rhinocaster]

He represents the audience in much the same way Lambert did in the first movie. He voices the audience's fears. That's his character's function.

I wouldn't go so far to say that Hudson was panicked. It's just that he was squad's f'ing drama queen. It was obvious he wasn't nearly scared as he was letting on. His sounded panicked and his assessments of the tactical situation were decidedly negative; but action wise, he did his job and never once ran from a fight or froze up when the opportunity presented itself. He tended to meltdown between actions which I viewed as more of a blowing off of steam, but you'd still have to say he was there. He was their computer and electronics specialist. He hacked the colony computer, hooked up the sentry guns, and adequately used a motion tracker as well as his own weapon. That does not sound like the actions of someone paralyzed with fear.

As much as I enjoyed Paxton's character in the movie, he's a big reason ALIENS will never be more than a great action movie for me. I give Cameron full marks for succeeding in making the movie he wanted to make, but that movie was ultimately just one of the better action movies I've seen.

[Glenn D.]

It's not as though someone warned them earlier that this would happen....:jo

You can always tell a (Space) Marine, but you can't tell them much.

[beckerman]

Cool movie. I remember seeing it when it first came out. Don't forget Bill Paxton as Pvt. Hudson: "That's it, game over, man!"

Love Bill in that role! "Why don't you put her in charge then?!"

[VaughnC]

I saw Alien when it first came out in a near pitch black theater...wow, what an experience! Aliens was cool...but Alien gets my vote for the better movie.

[jekylmeister]

Aliens is by far the best of the series. The first one was outstanding, but I enjoy Aliens a lot more.....just a cool movie with quotes out the wazoo. Shall we start?

Game over, Man!
Every meal a feast, every paycheck a fortune.
Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
They mostly come out at night. Mostly.

[Strat-Mangler]

They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
That one is ultra cringe-worthy, man. Incredibly forced and child actors are way too crappy to sell that.

One of my favorites was "Look into my eye." The Sgt was one of my favorite characters.

IMHO, that movie is a clinic in how to build tension. I can't imagine the millions of ways Cameron could've screwed up the 1st half building the tension. It takes a while before we even see the aliens.

[iamdavea]

Aliens is by far the best of the series. The first one was outstanding, but I enjoy Aliens a lot more.....just a cool movie with quotes out the wazoo. Shall we start?

Game over, Man!
Every meal a feast, every paycheck a fortune.
Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
They mostly come out at night. Mostly.

I always liked Hicks' assurance to Ripley, after Ripley tells him, "Don't let me end up like the others" (cocooned and impregnated), to which Hicks replies, "Hey, if it comes down to that, I'll do us both." In the context of the movie, it's strangely comforting.

[Go Cat Go!!]

Get away from her you BITCH!

Classic!

[lhallam]

Both great movies

[Brett Valentine]

For me, "Alien" messed with your head. . . great in an almost Hitchcockian kind of way.

Aliens was "taking a bat with you into that dark corner looking for the boogieman. . ."

Like 'em both!

And I agree "Why don't you put her in charge then?" was classic!

[MRscratch]

I enjoyed Aliens, but it's nowhere near the film that Alien is. Alien was a pure experience. Aliens was a great action movie.THIS !!
alien was the greatest. pure magic.

[MRscratch]

lance henricksen was just awesome in that movie!

[Ken Ho]

After being told they were not allowed to use bullets...

"What are we gonna use ? Harsh language ?"

Still cracks me up today.

[rob2001]

Sci-fi is my favorite movie genre. Good movies, but not in my top 10.

[alexanderplatz]

Very enjoyable, but not much "sci-fi" involved.

It's a monster movie.

Agreed.

One thing that I did like about the original "Alien" was the fact that it began with the discovery of a spaceship from a race of gigantic aliens. I've always wondered why the sequels have never returned to this intriguing 3rd party. After all, the discovery of a derelict spaceship from some sentient life form would be a huge deal, and as story material it seems ripe with possibilities. But getting back to the original movie, the fact that these giants had been killed off by the monster underscored what Ripley was up against, which was a nice touch.

[semi-hollowbody]

Aliens was definitely my favorite!
And am I the only one who likes how they tied the alien to predator??

[Go Cat Go!!]

I was disappointed in the whole Ailen vs Predator franchise. I thought Hollywood was going to follow the Dark Horse comic storyline. That would have made a killer movie. What they gave us was asinine. It was just another special effects action storyline.

[hank]

Boys and girls, we gotta get off the Alien kick. I'm addicted, LOL!

I dreamt of my abilities to levitate things last night. :eeks

[TheTones]

Paxton is in alot of Camerons movies:

Terminator
Aliens
True Lies
Titanic

[big jilm]

I have a book concerning Giger's designs for Alien, and many of his personal notes on the subject. Giger wanted the Alien's head to be clear - so he could fill it with maggots so it would look like it's brain was a squirming writhing mess. F'n genius!

[3 Mile Stone]

I have a book concerning Giger's designs for Alien, and many of his personal notes on the subject. Giger wanted the Alien's head to be clear - so he could fill it with maggots so it would look like it's brain was a squirming writhing mess. F'n genius!

And one warped twisted SOB. But brilliant, yes.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa79/3MileStone/2006_NAMM_HR_GIGER_Guitars.jpg

[Ultron]

One thing that I did like about the original "Alien" was the fact that it began with the discovery of a spaceship from a race of gigantic aliens. I've always wondered why the sequels have never returned to this intriguing 3rd party. After all, the discovery of a derelict spaceship from some sentient life form would be a huge deal, and as story material it seems ripe with possibilities. But getting back to the original movie, the fact that these giants had been killed off by the monster underscored what Ripley was up against, which was a nice touch.


Did you know that Ridley Scott's upcoming "Prometheus" involves the Space Jockeys and their creation of the Alien (among other things)?

[Stratobuc]

"Original" Alien ????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??





.........hmmmmm.........

[Cpt. Picard]

Unfortunately, I am of the age that I saw Aliens before the original Alien.

While Aliens is awesome and bad-ass, and I will always choose to watch it over the original, it never did captivate the me like Alien did.

All I could think was "WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO SHOW THE DAMN ALIEN?!?!"
And when they did, I realized I had been edging over the seat and clutching my sleeves for 45 minutes straight!
WAY more powerful.
I might squealed a bit...

[Shiny_Beast]

Cool movie. I remember seeing it when it first came out. Don't forget Bill Paxton as Pvt. Hudson: "That's it, game over, man!"

maybe the best supporting role of all time. I still laugh everytime he opens his mouth in that movie.

[mrkenny]

Ash: "....you have my sympathy"

[jackrussel]

One of the best in my book!
When I was 12, at a friends house, we probably saw the final scene 20 times in a row. End, rewind, end, rewind... :D

[Flogger59]

If you like Aliens, check out Near Dark, a vampire movie. Pretty much the Aliens cast without Sigourney, directed by Cameron's ex, Katherine Bigelow.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi379126041/

[Dancing Frog]

Did you know that Ridley Scott's upcoming "Prometheus" involves the Space Jockeys and their creation of the Alien (among other things)?Maybe. The rumors are swirling around this one. One of them is that Alien prequel and Prometheus have become two separate movies with Prometheus being loosely connected to the Alien franchise. Apparently according to early drafts of the script, the events in Prometheus take place 30 years before Alien. I'm also hearing that the script deals with some sort of first contact situation that leads to the idea the Aliens may have been created by the Space Jockeys to wipe out human encroachment which has been idea near and dear to Ridley Scott's heart.

That sort of fits in within the first contact hypotheses espoused by Hawking, Plaitt and others in discussions over METI(Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence) in which they suggest that humanity's best course of action may be to lay low in the this galactic neighborhood. This is of course based on the interactions between greater and lesser technically developed cultures in our own past which have lead to devastating outcomes for the lesser developed cultures. Others believe that the dangers of METI are irrational and superstitious fears. But irrational fears are the basis for some great SF movies as I view it.

[BobPoomba]

Aliens is right up there in the top for me. I always thought it was crazy that there is no action at all for 53 minutes... and then it never stops.

[Dancing Frog]

Aliens is right up there in the top for me. I always thought it was crazy that there is no action at all for 53 minutes... and then it never stops.I regard that as classic thriller plot structure which allows for plenty of exposition and character development which gives the audience time to invest emotionally in the characters and the back story. That was pretty standard for horror/thriller movies of that time period. For example, in Jaws you didn't see the shark for the first hour. Also, in Alien, the facehugger is seen at 34 minutes, and you don't actually see the full grown Alien until 1:07. In 50's and 60's, the exposition period was even longer. It's only in the 90's that horror/thriller movies have coddled the ADD and ADHD afflicted much to genre's detriment by slicing down exposition for cheap thrills to point where the back-story is newspaper clippings attached to a wall somewhere and character development is a bunch of 2D Jungian archetypes.

Also, you have consider that back then effects were much more difficult to pull off and not as convenient or relatively inexpensive as cgi is today, so movies had to be much more character and story driven than effects driven. Now high quality cgi has infiltrated movies to such an extent that they have to slow mo everything so you can see just how cool everything looks. I'd much rather have a lot more "WTF was that" moments where the mind has to fill in the gaps, because my mind can come with stuff that is much scarier than screen.

But as much as I don't like the slo mo effects driven stuff, I can put up with it. It is this quasi-reality handicam fad that has got to stop with its shaking and spinning camera, poor framing, abrupt amateur zooms, and high grain low res pictures. Not only does it not look cool, it's extraordinary hard to follow. After Blair Witch which made it popular, we have .REC, Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, Welcome to the Jungle, Shrooms!, and about a couple dozen more movies from idiots who think that they're directors. Just stop already and get off my lawn.

[jmp]

I used to own both Alien and Aliens on DVD. Sometime last year, I had a weekend to myself and watched both again for the first time in many years. I still own Alien. The sequel was traded for a Dora the Explorer DVD for my little girl. The original is a masterpiece. The sequel was fun, but for me has not stood up to the test of time to the point that I am willing to devote precious shelf space to it.

[BobPoomba]

Now that you brought up the long character development in older scarier movies I remember it now. Haha now I'll be on the lookout for that.

Not to derail but why is it that the puppets from back then look and feel way more scarier than the most ultra high res CGI? And what happened to the good ol days of copious blood squibs? They're replacing all that with CGI blood now. Gar.

[davecan]

Both movies are great and each is different...too bad the other ones have been so bad (at least when compared to the first two).

But one thing that has always bothered me about Alien (1) is how, at the very end, when the alien is blown out of the ship and you get a really good look at it -- to me it looks like a guy in a suit. It should look more like a big bug, IMHO, and that shot has always let me down a little. Anyone else feel this way?

[spindlergallery]

netflix! watching it again for the 100th time now! this thread put me in the mood...lol

[A-Bone]

If you like Aliens, check out Near Dark, a vampire movie. Pretty much the Aliens cast without Sigourney, directed by Cameron's ex, Katherine Bigelow.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi379126041/

Near Dark is definitely an often underrated, overlooked, under the radar film.

[Dancing Frog]

Both movies are great and each is different...too bad the other ones have been so bad (at least when compared to the first two).

But one thing that has always bothered me about Alien (1) is how, at the very end, when the alien is blown out of the ship and you get a really good look at it -- to me it looks like a guy in a suit. It should look more like a big bug, IMHO, and that shot has always let me down a little. Anyone else feel this way?Yeah, couple that with the fire sprinkler raining milk across four lights for the engine thrust, and it's a little hokey by today's standards.

[Fuzzhead66]

Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...

[Dancing Frog]

Looks like a g'damn town meeting....

[slayerbear17]

I remember seeing Aliens for the first time as a kid, what an awesome movie.

Got the Quadrilogy on DVD. Keep coming back to 1 & 2.

Looks like my weekend is booked up watching .....We need an Chestburster Icon here.

[Dancing Frog]

Looks like my weekend is booked up watching .....We need an Chestburster Icon here.Will this do?
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o13/theboarsrock/Egg%20you%20on/alienchestburster_a_01.jpg
or perhaps, this....
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o13/theboarsrock/Egg%20you%20on/Alienfinal.gif

[slayerbear17]

I raise you a face hugger....NO TONGUE!!!

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o271/SlayerBear17/alien-film.jpg