Which Alien film was the most boring?

[SiL]

God no. Its first half is a chore.

[PsyKore]

Alien 3 is a bit mixed for me. it's got really boring parts between really well-filmed, awesome parts.

[Jonesy1974]

I don't find A3 boring at all, the atmosphere and set design alone keep me engaged.

For me Resurrection is the most boring by miles, it has plenty going on and moves at quite a pace yet still manages to be dull as dishwater.

[farsightblogger]

Resurrection is a movie I have not watched again pretty much since it came out. I bought the big flashy DVD and Blu-ray boxsets and still haven't watch A:R or the extras. I just didn't like the pace or the story itself, and the characters were great but really felt like they didn't belong in an Alien movie. As strange as it sounds, if the film had been it's own thing and not connected to the Alien mythology I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Prometheus and Covenant would have made the list but I try not to look at them as Alien movies but rather lacklustre attempts to tell a grandiose story - luckily, I had inside skinny on the production so I kind of knew what to expect. My main problem is that the characters in these movies made dumb decisions, and for a bunch of supposedly smart scientists that was really grating. Other than that I find them watchable as visually they're pretty good and I've got a soft spot for concept and design.

I love Aliens, it's a got-to action movie of mine that I can watch again and again, but I have a long list of issues with it that have only hit me in the last few years. I'll share that at some point.

[Local Trouble]

I have it on good authority that anyone who likes Aliens but not AR just wants more guns, more marines and more 'splosions.

I love Aliens, it's a got-to action movie of mine that I can watch again and again, but I have a long list of issues with it that have only hit me in the last few years. I'll share that at some point.

Is Hudson's "ultimate badass" speech on that list?

[farsightblogger]

I have it on good authority that anyone who likes Aliens but not AR just wants more guns, more marines and more 'splosions.

I love Aliens, it's a got-to action movie of mine that I can watch again and again, but I have a long list of issues with it that have only hit me in the last few years. I'll share that at some point.

Is Hudson's "ultimate badass" speech on that list?

It isn't, but the movie could do without it!

I like Aliens for the same reason like a lot of 80s action movies - thrills, spills and tension. I do think, however, that the film was a bad sequel that took away a lot of the alien's mystery, but I understand Cameron's choice as there's no point in doing a carbon copy of the original (even though the story was similar).

[Jonesy1974]

I have it on good authority that anyone who likes Aliens but not AR just wants more guns, more marines and more 'splosions.

I love Aliens, it's a got-to action movie of mine that I can watch again and again, but I have a long list of issues with it that have only hit me in the last few years. I'll share that at some point.

Is Hudson's "ultimate badass" speech on that list?

It isn't, but the movie could do without it!

I like Aliens for the same reason like a lot of 80s action movies - thrills, spills and tension. I do think, however, that the film was a bad sequel that took away a lot of the alien's mystery, but I understand Cameron's choice as there's no point in doing a carbon copy of the original (even though the story was similar).

That's kinda how I view Aliens, I wouldn't go as far as call it a bad sequel though. I certainly think it hasn't aged as well as Alien.

[Local Trouble]

I think part of the reason it hasn't aged well is because of the aspect ratio and film grain.

[OpenMaw]

That beautiful mid-80s film stock.

[Local Trouble]

Is it even fixable?

[Mr. Clemens]

Is it even fixable?

There's a controversial fix called DNR (digital noise reduction), but film purists hate it (and so do I). Film grain is part of the reason a particular stock is chosen, so it's not really a 'mistake' per se.

I know there was a blu-ray of Predator out there that people were boycotting because they'd used too much DNR and Arnie ended up looking like a rubber mannequin.   

I'm a little creeped out about how accurately he described my place. 

[TC]

The Anthology bluray release used DNR (digital noise reduction) to good effect. When it's used with a heavy hand skin tones turn "waxy" but I believe CAmeron himself oversaw the digital grade and he made sure it was done properly. Even so, it's not a good as a near-grainless modern digital camera capture, but who knows what up-coming technology can achieve. I think Cameron was thinking about the possibility of a 3D conversion of Aliens, and 3D has a far greater need for noiseless imagery.

But what you said about the 1:85 aspect ratio; yeah, it really should be 'scope.

TC

[Mr. Clemens]

But what you said about the 1:85 aspect ratio; yeah, it really should be 'scope.

Me, I'm of two minds on that score. I love 'scope, and for series continuity he should have used it, but... when I watch Aliens projected on my wall here at home it's extra-exciting, because it's just so freakin' HUGE! 

[OpenMaw]

As I recall he went with the 1:85 for visual effects reasons. Something, I swear the Stan Winston guys mention something about it in the commentary, there's lens distortion considerations or something...

[whiterabbit]

None of the movies are boring but A:R is the slow one and it is very much a puke green film. Even though Alien³ had that awful bronze/sepia color it was much better to look at. In truth though, Prometheus and Covenant are a bit slow as well.

The grain in Aliens sucks but it also rhymes with the tone of the film. Definitely fits the horror vibe of an aliens movie that came from the 1980's.

Still the 2 special edition fixes that need to be done to save alien³ and A:R is to fix the shitty composting in A³ and remove that stupid swimming fin from the A:R aliens. Not that it'll make them any less boring but come on already.