Favourite Alien Movie?

Started by Darkness, Nov 01, 2006, 08:07:10 AM

What's your favourite Alien movie?

Alien
374 (33%)
Aliens
590 (52%)
Alien 3
114 (10.1%)
Alien: Resurrection
41 (3.6%)
Prometheus
8 (0.7%)
Alien: Covenant
7 (0.6%)

Total Members Voted: 1044

Author
Favourite Alien Movie? (Read 494,030 times)

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1200
Quote from: Valaquen on Apr 18, 2011, 04:22:31 AM
I don't think so. What's comparable to the Hive ambush or the Operations attack? Not a couple of half-second flashes of the original Alien, surely?

Chestbursting was equivalent to hive attack because it was the first "action" sequence which drastically raised the blood pressure and which took the story to a different path, setting up what the movie will be about now - survival, planning, reactions of the characters. Operation ambush=Dallas in vents, it was inspired by it too with the whole motion tracker thing and not knowing which direction the aliens are coming from. Again, same amount of action, just bigger in scale

SiL

SiL

#1201
Except the escape in the vents in Aliens = Dallas in the vents. Also, surely the chestbursters would be equivalent -- Alien's scene ends immediately after, Aliens continues into a much broader piece.

What's the equivalent of Ripley going back to the hive?

Interestingly there are only about six major sequences and one minor-but-important sequence in either involving the Alien -- hugger, burster, Brett, Dallas, Parker/Lambert, air-lock at the end, Ripley in the shuttle; derelict, hive attack, sentry guns, operations/vents, Newt, Ripley in the hive and Ripley vs. Queen. But to say that they have the same amount of action is like saying Aliens has the same amount of action as a movie with just two people talking, but seven times one of the characters stands up and sits back down.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1202
Quote from: SiL on Apr 18, 2011, 04:47:56 AM
Except the escape in the vents in Aliens = Dallas in the vents. Also, surely the chestbursters would be equivalent -- Alien's scene ends immediately after, Aliens continues into a much broader piece.

What's the equivalent of Ripley going back to the hive?

Its basically a twist on Ripley going back to turn off the self destruct system - you have the voice reminding that the place is gonna blow, steam and warning lights everywhere, the place going apeshit and even Jerry's score when alien/queen reappears

QuoteInterestingly there are only about six major sequences and one minor-but-important sequence in either involving the Alien -- hugger, burster, Brett, Dallas, Parker/Lambert, air-lock at the end, Ripley in the shuttle; derelict, hive attack, sentry guns, operations/vents, Newt, Ripley in the hive and Ripley vs. Queen. But to say that they have the same amount of action is like saying Aliens has the same amount of action as a movie with just two people talking, but seven times one of the characters stands up and sits back down.

Well lets not clutch to words. I dont mean the exact same that we can count seconds, but I mean its certainly not any major or big shift or action packed. It more or less has the same amount of action and same pacing structure as ALien

OmegaZilla

OmegaZilla

#1203
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 01:30:31 AM
Still, there no MORE action and its not ACTION packed. The action is bigger in scale, but theres no more than in Alien.
And no ONE said it was ACTION packed. Lozzy just said it brought MORE action. Which it DID.  :P :laugh:
The action is indeed bigger in scale and also lasts longer. See beneath...

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 04:36:36 AM
Chestbursting was equivalent to hive attack
In terms of 'first event', indeed. But the hive attack lasts incredibly longer, don't you think? All the action sequences last longer - and they are action sequences. There are not marines with guns firing in Alien. No grenades. No vehicle sequences. No mecha VS Boss Alien.
There's nothing wrong in saying that Aliens has more action than Alien, really. It does, but who cares? This fact really doesn't downgrade it, as Aliens certainly isn't one of those SHOOT-AND-BOOM (who-cares-for-the-rest) films. It isn't about the action only, but it does have more than Alien. :)


StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1204
The point again is it doesnt and we're not talking about counting second, I tihnk my last 2 posts in this thread explained it best. It hits the same beats, just on bigger drums. I think calling it action packed or an action movie is a disservice  -  of course, theres nothing wrong with action movies, but action movies' focus is action, theyre built around it, they rely on it. Aliens relies on tension and through most of the movie its just sitting, dealing with the situation and stress and fear. For me at least thats where the essence and meat of the movie is, not shooting big guns. Theyre great but they just accent the story, not the other way around

OmegaZilla

OmegaZilla

#1205
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 01:36:39 PM
and we're not talking about counting second,
Whole sequences are hardly 'seconds'.

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 01:36:39 PM
It hits the same beats, just on bigger drums.
The beats are very, very similar - however there's no real counterpart in Alien for scenes such as Ripley VS Queen, or the Dropship explosion, or the long run of the APC. There are bigger counterparts and complete additions. And it is totally warranted. It has to be original somehow, no?

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 01:36:39 PM
I think calling it action packed or an action movie is a disservice
No one, again, called it action-packed. Just that it has more than Alien. Bringing more 'action' =/= being a complete action film, too.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1206
Quote from: OmegaZilla on Apr 18, 2011, 01:52:03 PM
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 01:36:39 PM
and we're not talking about counting second,
Whole sequences are hardly 'seconds'.

I didnt mean that literally. Perhaps "time" would be a better word


QuoteThe beats are very, very similar - however there's no real counterpart in Alien for scenes such as Ripley VS Queen, or the Dropship explosion, or the long run of the APC. There are bigger counterparts and complete additions. And it is totally warranted. It has to be original somehow, no?

It IS original, but originality or not has nothing to do with it. The point is action is similar in meaning and structure and theres more or less the same amount of it. Queen vs Powerloader is basically Ripley vs Alien in Narcissus - both movies had a double ending, and in both it appeared it wasnt over when it seemed like it was over after a big explosion. If someone thinks Im  talking about repetetive scenes, thats not what Im talking about at all. Im talking about the amount of action sequences (and not the lenght of them either) and how they impact and flow with the story. Again, in both Alien and Aliens, nothing happens for half of the movie, its just a buildup. Then one major event happens  (Chestbursting in Alien, Failed hive attack in Aliens) which changes the course of the story (from planned return home/mission) into survival story. Then for a very long time nothing happens again for a long time aside from occasional small inserts (Brett&Dallas killed, Sentry Gun & facehuggers scenes), and then when the action starts (Ripley starting self desruc system, Ripley going back for Newt) with timer on to the explosion, it never releases till the explosion happens (Nostromo explodes, Hadley's Hope vaporized), then after a brief sight of relief it appears its not the end yet (Kane's son/Queen stowed in the ship) and last fight for survival commences after which the creature is hurdled into space.

So its not like Aliens is Rambo and loaded with action. It has the same pacing/structure and amount of action scenes as Alien



OmegaZilla

OmegaZilla

#1207
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
The point is action is similar in meaning and structure and theres more or less the same amount of it.
More. :P

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
Queen vs Powerloader is basically Ripley vs Alien in Narcissus
Kind'a no, because Ripley never phisically fights the Alien. It's a strategy on her side. With the Queen, she's literally bitchslapping her with the powerloader. It's a ground-down clash of (Wo)man and beast. The plot point is similar, but the execution is an action scene.

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
Then one major event happens  (Chestbursting in Alien, Failed hive attack in Aliens) which changes the course of the story (from planned return home/mission) into survival story. Then for a very long time nothing happens again for a long time aside from occasional small inserts (Brett&Dallas killed, Sentry Gun & facehuggers scenes), and then when the action starts (Ripley starting self desruc system, Ripley going back for Newt) with timer on to the explosion, it never releases till the explosion happens (Nostromo explodes, Hadley's Hope vaporized), then after a brief sight of relief it appears its not the end yet (Kane's son/Queen stowed in the ship) and last fight for survival commences after which the creature is hurdled into space.
Skeletal structure is similar, yeah, but flesh and muscles are another way around.

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
So its not like Aliens is Rambo and loaded with action.
*Inhale*
I didn't say it waaaaaaaas. :D
It just has more than Alien. More Action =/= Rambo levels of Action.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1208
Quote from: OmegaZilla on Apr 18, 2011, 02:25:47 PM
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
The point is action is similar in meaning and structure and theres more or less the same amount of it.
More. :P

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:09:08 PM
Queen vs Powerloader is basically Ripley vs Alien in Narcissus
Kind'a no, because Ripley never phisically fights the Alien. It's a strategy on her side. With the Queen, she's literally bitchslapping her with the powerloader. It's a ground-down clash of (Wo)man and beast. The plot point is similar, but the execution is an action scene.

As I said, I dont mean repeating the scenes verbatim, That would make no sense. But both have alien stowing on a ship and then Mano-e-mano fight. Sure, one is on a much larger scale, but its still fight with an alien ending with an airlock exit. So again, Alien has as much action as Aliens, just scaled down. What happens in Narcissus IS action. So I dont agree that Aliens has considerably more action or is action packed. I know you didnt say it but Im just talking in general, since I hear that 'packed' term used often

QuoteSkeletal structure is similar, yeah, but flesh and muscles are another way around

I think a good way to express it would be to say that while yes, they have different muscles and flesh, one doesnt have more bones than the other. Just that one is built like a weightlifter and one isnt


OmegaZilla

OmegaZilla

#1209
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:33:03 PM
But both have alien stowing on a ship and then Mano-e-mano fight.
There wasn't any fight in Alien. Ripley pulled the Alien's ass outta the mechanisms, opened the door, smashed the Alien's chest, blew him out with the thrusters. End. There wasn't any phisical confrontation - which was there in Aliens. From the same root, the fruit is different.

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:33:03 PM
What happens in Narcissus IS action.
Of a different kind than what we see in Aliens, clearly not the same thing. That's what one can mean with 'more action'. Because the action in Aliens has guns and explosions in good quantity. That's what people recognize as action.

Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:33:03 PM
I know you didnt say it but Im just talking in general, since I hear that 'packed' term used often
I know and it's annoying sometimes, making it sound like that Aliens relies on the guns when it does not - it's a generalization.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1210
Quote from: OmegaZilla on Apr 18, 2011, 05:33:23 PM
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:33:03 PM
But both have alien stowing on a ship and then Mano-e-mano fight.
There wasn't any fight in Alien. Ripley pulled the Alien's ass outta the mechanisms, opened the door, smashed the Alien's chest, blew him out with the thrusters. End. There wasn't any phisical confrontation - which was there in Aliens. From the same root, the fruit is different.

Again, it doesnt have toi be a mirror repetition. Physical or not, Ripley vs Alien one-on-one took place in Alien, and the point of all this is that there was also a one-on-one fight of Ripley with the Queen in Aliens. Whether theyre identical or not or technically physical or not doesnt matter, what matters is that there WAS such confrontation which goes back to the point that Aliens didnt suddenly inject tons of action since the amount of action, the meaning of the action and its flow and place in the story is the same

Quote
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 18, 2011, 02:33:03 PM
What happens in Narcissus IS action.
Of a different kind than what we see in Aliens, clearly not the same thing. That's what one can mean with 'more action'. Because the action in Aliens has guns and explosions in good quantity. That's what people recognize as action.

But thats not what action is. action doesnt equal or require weapons and big scale, action is a series of tense events, activity

Valaquen

Valaquen

#1211
I think you're ignoring the fact that there are scales of action. Crossing the road is action, running down the street is action, and combating a 14 foot tall Alien in a powerloader is action - all different degres. One is surely more bombastic and exciting than the other. Your point seems to stem from a dislike of the words 'action packed,' or at least other people's perception of it. But balking at calling Aliens an action film because of an apparent stigma on the genre is akin to saying Alien isn't horror, all because the genre is overpopulated by screaming teens. But Alien is a horror movie, and Aliens is action-orientated. James Cameron and Gale Hurd practically scream this in the docs. It's not something you can contest.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1212
Quote from: Valaquen on Apr 19, 2011, 01:48:11 AM
I think you're ignoring the fact that there are scales of action.

Absolutely not, I even repeated a few times that Aliens has action on a bigger scale, but Im saying it doesnt have "more" action. More not as in bigger, more as in plot consisting of primarily or substantially more scenes with activity than Alien, which as I compared before, is not the case. They have the same structure skeleton, only the muscles are beefed up in Aliens, but the body is the same

Valaquen

Valaquen

#1213
Quote from: StrangeShape on Apr 19, 2011, 01:52:22 AM
Absolutely not, I even repeated a few times that Aliens has action on a bigger scale, but Im saying it doesnt have "more" action. More not as in bigger, more as in plot consisting of primarily or substantially more scenes with activity than Alien, which as I compared before, is not the case. They have the same structure skeleton, only the muscles are beefed up in Aliens, but the body is the same
Aliens definitely has more action than Alien, same 'structure' or beats aside. It's not even an argument. Again, where is the Hive attack equivalent in Alien? A quick flash of the Alien snatching Brett? Or the dropship crash and tunnel sequence? Not comparable to the Dallas vent sequence in any way. Same trope, yeah, but absolutely not the same in action, length-wise, kintecism-wise, any-wise. This is a strange position to argue. You're even arguing with the director himself, who prided the fact that Aliens was such a U-turn from Alien, as well as the many people who praised the movie for its direction.

StrangeShape

StrangeShape

#1214
Wait, we're talking about slightly different things I see since youre asking if chestbursting is like the major hive attack - again, I do acknowledge that the action is grander in scale, that theres more happening within the action sequences, but what Im saying is that there are no more action sequences

QuoteSame trope, yeah, but absolutely not the same in action, length-wise, kintecism-wise, any-wise. This is a strange position to argue

That Im not arguing at all

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