What made you a fan?

Started by Vader the White, Mar 10, 2007, 10:37:25 PM

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What made you a fan? (Read 150,714 times)

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1245
Quote from: Gemini on Apr 18, 2020, 11:34:05 AM

I totally understand what you are saying, and I can empathise. the idea of the Alien as something just utterly other, utterly outside our comprehension, or perhaps something horrific that just happened to evolve elsewhere.. so chilling in a deep way.
the first movie was a very enigmatic one. you had no idea how the space jockey race fitted in with the xenomorph. it's like you were just seeing the tip of the iceberg and your imagination filled in all the gaps. you didn't even have an idea of how that xeno fitted in with it's own race. how intelligent was it?

And just the idea, since it was found on a fossilized ship on a distant cold planet, that means it could have been there even million upon millions of years. The emphasis was on an idea that it was an ancient species from who knows, whatever anyone can imagine when, and that those poor bastards from Nostromo awoke it giving it a new host. That was very appealing to me. It wasn't even so much the unknown origins since I just assumed it's a species, but the very idea of it being there way before maybe even Earth was formed and it being sort of suspended in animation on this rock and awaken by a small crew of unsuspecting truck drivers. I liked that idea. And not seeing their home world, which would be worse than hell, or knowing how long ago those things existed and how many worlds they infected. The very idea of it just being a recent (in relation to the saga) experiment made in a cave by an android who could star in some over the top flamboyant California show is the worst thing those things could be turned into, in my opinion of course. To me. I don't condemn anyone who isn't bothered by it, but I am. I mean, I'm not losing any sleep over it because the mythology was damaged heavily beginning with Resurrection for me, but this just made the whole thing completely unappealing to me. When I saw Resurection in 97, it took out almost everything I really loved about the films, all the common elements that tied an otherwise very different 3 films together (as to what they are, its in a Resurection related thread somewhere). The pool was pooped in and it ruined it all for me. The Directors Cut of Alien back in theaters in 2001 made me rewatch the original and be in awe again, reigniting my passion for the mythology, learning to ignore A:R as separate story. And now Covenant ruined it even more than i could ever imagine anything ruining aliens that much. Its hard to stay away tho, and for the past few days Im rereading books and gearing up to watch the trilogy for the first time in over 3 years. Used to watch them at least once a year every year since 2001

Quoteso yeah, I can understand how all we've learnt since then kinda scuppers that. but I think overall we've gained more than we've lost. in terms of keeping the franchise alive and expanding the universe.

Well the mythology might have been dead and forgotten and stopped at AVPR I know.

QuoteI mean, you could even apply what you are saying to everything from Aliens onwards to some degree. as soon as we learnt about the Queen they just become more like animals or bugs.

Well I always assumed it was a species and also assumed eggs get laid so that didnt change anything for me. Well, to be fair tho, I started with Alien 3 but still.

Quoteluckily Alien Ressurection we can kind of ignore or separate out, because it's set so much longer after the other movies.

AND it doesn't feature the main character who still remains dead. Its main protagonist is an 8th genetic crossover of Ripley and alien genes that most resembles Ripley in the outside physical appearance

QuoteI do sometimes wonder how Alien would be remembered if it was just that first movie.. it wouldn't be the big franchise it is today.. still a big movie I am sure, but more of a standalone cult horror thing.

Probably like The Fly, high up there in the pantheon of horror classics. Maybe even as high or respected as Blade Runner. It's still gets the respect and recognition it deserves, but in those days classics tend to get forgotten and lost in a by gone pop culture unless made relevant today, either by video games, remakes spinoffs or sequels. I think if it stopped at 3 as 3 intended it to, the whole triogy would have been very highly regarded.

QuoteI do think that Prometheus, for all the info it gave us, still tried to maintain a lot of mystery. that was what actually infuriated a lot of people! so they are kind of damned if they do, damned if they don't. Covenant was more explicit. I am sure you have all been through the David creating the Aliens debate- for me I am happy that he may have just recreated them but I know others disagree. and I know that's kind of having my cake and eating it..

Prometheus I didn't dislike, just expected more from Ridley Scott, at least visually, and it was ok but an average come and go scifi film. In my opinion of course. Covenant...eh, its cheap looking production and feel as if its a TV movie..I mean Alien was by design simple story but made great by terrific feel, designs and visuals. Covenant is also a simple monster story but without any striking visuals, designs or feel. Thats outside the origins given to alien which ruin everything for me. the whole theory that David just recreated an aien would be less painfull, but I do realize its just a fan theory not the intention of the film

Ivan The Insect

Ivan The Insect

#1246
I saw Aliens when I was around 6 years old and I immediately fell in love! Everything about the Alien franchise seems to excite me, from the music and atmosphere to the architecture and themes! And the most incredible thing is that I've been equally obsessed with insects and parasitoid wasps in particular for even longer but never made the connection between the Xenomorph and these critters untill my teenage years. I love every single movie in the franchise, even the more questionable ones. I will never forget organising watch marathons with friends during the weekends back in late 90s! We would sit down and rewatch all the Alien movies back to back on VHS... Good memories!

Tichinde

Tichinde

#1247
Growing up I was a huge fan of Rocky, Terminator, and Schwarzenegger in general. So when I watched predator, you have to understand I watched Apollo Creed and the Terminator get absolutely clowned by this thing. That was reason enough to get invested, the books and comics sealed the deal and I played concrete jungle religiously, completing every mission, getting every skin, 100 percenting the game because I found it so fun.

Alien was different and more recent. My dad never liked the film but he introduced me to it out of curiosity. I think he didn't get the same cat and mouse feel from it I did the first time around. It was so unique, like the predator it was terrifying and at the same time awesome. I still very much enjoy Alien. Aliens, slightly dissapointed me. Now its an unfair critique, but all the individuality of the alien was stripped away for a hive like film. Don't get me wrong I loved it and enjoyed it, I still love xenos today, it just felt less personal now. That spark of individuality was redeemed when I played Alien Isolation, even though there were multiple Aliens it felt much more claustrophobic and similar to the original. I know many will disagree and that's fine, but I prefer one Xeno to many as a threat and hope maybe they can do a more limited species if they ever make another decent Alien film :)

PredBabe

PredBabe

#1248
I think I awkwardly deleted my initial post in this thread.  :laugh:

I got into both Predator and Alien at a really young age thanks to having two older brothers. I was around 4 or 5 years old (so in1994 or 1995) when I first saw Predator. Skinned bodies and shootouts were fine, but my mom tried to kick me out after the p*ssy jokes. I snuck back into the room shortly after and when she realized none of the scenes fazed me, she accepted my weirdness.  ;D

My mom and grandma caught onto my Arnold obsession so they actually got me Terminator and Terminator 2 for Christmas shortly afterwards.

I saw the Alien films a bit out of order though. Started with Aliens, which I watched around the same time as Predator. Then I watched Alien 3, followed by Alien...

Got to watch Alien: R in theaters where I awkwardly ugly cried because the Queen was bitch slapped into oblivion and then cried again at Newborn's death.





Kradan

Kradan

#1249
Quote from: Tichinde on Jul 21, 2020, 11:33:26 PM
Growing up I was a huge fan of Rocky, Terminator, and Schwarzenegger in general. So when I watched predator, you have to understand I watched Apollo Creed and the Terminator get absolutely clowned by this thing.

I like that description  :)

Quote from: Tichinde on Jul 21, 2020, 11:33:26 PM
I still very much enjoy Alien. Aliens, slightly dissapointed me. Now its an unfair critique, but all the individuality of the alien was stripped away for a hive like film. Don't get me wrong I loved it and enjoyed it, I still love xenos today, it just felt less personal now.

I feel that Alien Queen kinda takes that place of "personal, individual Xeno". Fight between her and Ripley feels very personal

Quote from: PredBabe on Aug 04, 2020, 04:52:02 AM
Skinned bodies and shootouts were fine, but my mom tried to kick me out after the p*ssy jokes.

:D

Quote from: PredBabe on Aug 04, 2020, 04:52:02 AM
My mom and grandma caught onto my Arnold obsession so they actually got me Terminator and Terminator 2 for Christmas shortly afterwards.

Oh man, what awesome grandparents !

Quote from: PredBabe on Aug 04, 2020, 04:52:02 AM
Got to watch Alien: R in theaters where I awkwardly ugly cried because the Queen was bitch slapped into oblivion and then cried again at Newborn's death.

I always find Newborn kinda cute

FatStu

FatStu

#1250
The first one I saw was Aliens. I was about 12 or 13 I think. It was on TV one night and I stayed up late to watch it. It made a huge impression on me (I saw the first one at a later date). I became friendly with a lad at my school who was also a huge fan and he lent me the VHS of the Special Edition which I watched over and over.

Not long after I found issue one of the comic series. I'm in the UK and we did comics differently back then. Here comics often had three stories in them. For some reason the UK edition started with Nightmare Asylum. It had The first part of that, the first part of Predator Concrete Jungle and the first Alien Vs Predator one shot.

I don't think I'd seen Predator when I got that. Much like Aliens I saw that on TV on a Saturday night. Loved it. Borrowed the second one from a school friend. 

I can't say I really liked any of the Alien or Predator movies that came after the second ones. Nor did I like the first AvP movie (I've not seen the second and have no intention of doing so).

Earlier this year I attended a cinema showing of Aliens and it was just spectacular. I also showed it to my daughter who loved it (she wasn't too keen on Predator though)

As a side note I'm a huge DC Comics fan and absolutely adored Batman Vs Predator as a kid. I need to get a new copy of that actually.

In think that about covers it.

(I also love Star Wars, James Bond, the films of James Cameron, and rock and metal music. I'm also an artist)

AliceApocalypse

AliceApocalypse

#1251
Quote from: PredBabe on Aug 04, 2020, 04:52:02 AM
first saw Predator. Skinned bodies and shootouts were fine, but my mom tried to kick me out after the p*ssy jokes. I snuck back into the room shortly after and when she realized none of the scenes fazed me, she accepted my weirdness.  ;D


My daughter was 8 when I let her see P2 on TV, falsely believing it would not be as gory.  She didn't even blink at the skinned bodies either lol so I let her watch AVP next.  At least you still enjoy this, mine decided that "sci fi is so boring" as a teen  :-\

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1252
Quote from: AliceApocalypse on Aug 31, 2020, 02:38:14 PM
Quote from: PredBabe on Aug 04, 2020, 04:52:02 AM
first saw Predator. Skinned bodies and shootouts were fine, but my mom tried to kick me out after the p*ssy jokes. I snuck back into the room shortly after and when she realized none of the scenes fazed me, she accepted my weirdness.  ;D


My daughter was 8 when I let her see P2 on TV, falsely believing it would not be as gory.  She didn't even blink at the skinned bodies either lol so I let her watch AVP next.  At least you still enjoy this, mine decided that "sci fi is so boring" as a teen  :-\

It amazes me now when I think how young I was when I already could quote  these movies. By 8 I knew every frame of T2 and Robocop by memory. Having said that, I wont let my kids watch any of those at that age  ;D

AliceApocalypse

AliceApocalypse

#1253
AVP is relatively safe for a teen/preteen, she was 12 when I let her see it.  Robocop and T1 were a bit more disturbing though, so she didn't get to see those lol.  T2 wasn't so bad for a preteen/teen, but she really doesn't have an interest in Sci Fi sadly. 

Corporal Hicks

Corporal Hicks

#1254
T2 gave me nightmares when I saw that when I was around 10.  :laugh:

Nightmare Asylum

Nightmare Asylum

#1255
I only ever saw the TV edits of some of the R-rated movies that really stuck with me as a kid. The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Robocop, Starship Troopers, etc. I actually saw all of those before I ever rented Alien and its sequels, which didn't happen until I was in middle school.

The moment in T2 when the T-800 cut the skin off of his arm to show the Dysons what he was was one of those pivotal moments that really engrained itself in my mind as a kid. The brain bug in SST and its big brain sucking moment was another. :D

Fulcrum29SMT

Fulcrum29SMT

#1256
Yeah, Terminator 2 scared the shit out of me as a kid as well  :laugh: I even "swore off" action movies for a while... until my teenage years, though, when I would binge them with friends.

Corporal Hicks

Corporal Hicks

#1257
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Oct 13, 2020, 04:21:49 PM
The moment in T2 when the T-800 cut the skin off of his arm to show the Dysons what he was was one of those pivotal moments that really engrained itself in my mind as a kid. The brain bug in SST and its big brain sucking moment was another. :D

The moment I remember from T2 was the furnace stuff. But I honestly can't recall why that gave me nightmares. I totally get you with Troopers though! That gave me some nightmares too. All the flying body parts.  :laugh:

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#1258
My overriding memory of the first time I saw T2 was the bit where Robert Patrick kills the dog, and then being really confused when it wasn't on the video. I guess it must've been on TV around the time the Special Edition came out.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1259
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 25, 2020, 10:11:19 AM
My overriding memory of the first time I saw T2 was the bit where Robert Patrick kills the dog, and then being really confused when it wasn't on the video. I guess it must've been on TV around the time the Special Edition came out.

Yeah, you might have seen a special on TV or a laserdisc perhaps?

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