Aliens

[eXtacy]

Best of the Alien series and one of the best science-fiction films of all time.

 

A

[luna]

i mean, i didn't expect to like it, but goodness, i wasn't expecting yet another blockbuster that celebrates genocide. for fuck's sake. i actually felt really fucking sad for the creature when ripley murdered its children.

[CJohn]

A masterpiece. This and the first movie will live forever. 

[solaris]

My absolute favourite film. The best. Everything is perfect. Sigourney slays. Technically, structurally, narratively - on every level this is as good as is gets.

A+++++ 10/10 gold star etc etc

[Goffe]

Aliens has one of the best supporting characters in a blockbuster, it definitely set the gold standard for all action films that followed. I love that they aren't faceless soldiers, each of the main ones gets their time to shine before dying, they all have a distinct and likeable personalities, and oh man they were funny, like 3 or 4 moments I had to pause the film to get my shit together.

 

Cameron really gets to show his skills in this film, the cinematography, in particular, is just crazy good, so many iconic shots.

The pacing is very problematic though, it didn't need a 148 minutes running time. It takes 50 minutes before they get to LV426, was that really necessary? The romance, while decently executed, makes Ripley less unique and it doesn't go anywhere. Did we need really need the subplot?

 

Paul Reiser doesn't receive enough praise for his performance.

 

Aliens had the potential to be as good as the first one, the horror is on the same level, plus top-notch action, great supporting characters and dialogue, but it falls short in the pacing, as opposed to the tight pacing of Alien, and loses some big points for it. +75/100

 

OR, NR

Alien 60/100, -85/100

Aliens 80/100 (normal edition), +75/100 (special edition)

Alien 3 90/100, 

Alien 4 40/100,

Prometheus 90/100,

Edited July 10, 2015 by Goffe

[Plain Old Tele]

I take it you watched the extended cut.

The romance? What?

[dashrendar44]

There's no romance in Aliens, except Vasquez with her big-ass gatling.

[75Live]

I take it you watched the extended cut.

The romance? What?

 

 

There's no romance in Aliens, except Vasquez with her big-ass gatling.

 

 

my guess is Goffe means Ripley and Hicks

[ddddeeee]

Yeah for the romance to go anywhere it would have to exist in the first place. A cheeky flirt doesn't mean romance or else I'm romantically involved with all of my friends.

[Goffe]

I take it you watched the extended cut.

Yes, it is almost unanimous that the extended version is better on the internet, even Cameron said to prefer it over the theatrical version. So I thought, why not give it a shot....

 

The romance? What?

Yeah, I chose my words very poorly. I meant all the flirting between Ripley and Hicks.

 

To me, there were 2 or 3 relatively lengthy scenes focused on them interacting with each other, I felt that there was a subplot somewhere that wasn't developed in its entirety (thus not going anywhere). Either way, it doesn't/wouldn't do this movie any good.

 

I would rather have more Ripley interacting with Bishop or Newt.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Goffe

[Plain Old Tele]

The brief scenes with Ripley/Hicks interactions are great, and flesh out both characters beautifully. In fact, through them you can largely see Hicks stepping up and accepting the mantle of command.

 

The internet is wrong about the extended cut, btw. (I don't remember reading anything specific about Cameron preferring it over the shorter cut, but obviously he thinks it's worth watching). The theatrical cut is tauter and better, even though you lose the brief scene where Ripley finds out her daughter is dead. Most importantly, it doesn't show the colony or what happened until the Marines actually arrive.

[Deep Wang]

The brief scenes with Ripley/Hicks interactions are great, and flesh out both characters beautifully. In fact, through them you can largely see Hicks stepping up and accepting the mantle of command.

The internet is wrong about the extended cut, btw. (I don't remember reading anything specific about Cameron preferring it over the shorter cut, but obviously he thinks it's worth watching). The theatrical cut is tauter and better, even though you lose the brief scene where Ripley finds out her daughter is dead. Most importantly, it doesn't show the colony or what happened until the Marines actually arrive.

I've seen both way too many times, but the sentry guns hold a special place in my heart so I pretty much have to watch the extended cut every time.

[Plain Old Tele]

The sentry guns are great, no question. But that colony reveal is a rare misstep for Cameron.

[Deep Wang]

The sentry guns are great, no question. But that colony reveal is a rare misstep for Cameron.

And I swear that walking and talking scene is almost EXACTLY like the one between Dyson and that dude in T2!

[Goffe]

 

(I don't remember reading anything specific about Cameron preferring it over the shorter cut, but obviously he thinks it's worth watching).

I didn't find his actual quote, but every review I have read about the director's cut mentions that, so I guess it is true.

 

 The theatrical cut is tauter and better, even though you lose the brief scene where Ripley finds out her daughter is dead.

that's the only scene I would keep it from the extended version, it gives more weight to Ripley and Newt relationship.

[Goffe]

which one should I watch, the regular version of Alien 3 or the Assembly Cut?

[ddddeeee]

which one should I watch, the regular version of Alien 3 or the Assembly Cut?

Only the Assembly Cut, which I love.

[The Stingray]

i mean, i didn't expect to like it, but goodness, i wasn't expecting yet another blockbuster that celebrates genocide. for fuck's sake. i actually felt really fucking sad for the creature when ripley murdered its children.

 

Did you feel sad when the "children" slaughtered the marines?

[Jake Gittes]

Did you feel sad when the "children" slaughtered the marines?

 

I also wouldn't call what the film does a "celebration", to me it's a bit more ambivalent. Sure, Cameron doesn't exactly make the queen a sympathetic character, but he doesn't shy away from the fact that yeah, Ripley can be seen as a straight up murderer, and the queen has every right to be pissed at her. 

[The Futurist]

I also wouldn't call what the film does a "celebration", to me it's a bit more ambivalent. Sure, Cameron doesn't exactly make the queen a sympathetic character, but he doesn't shy away from the fact that yeah, Ripley can be seen as a straight up murderer, and the queen has every right to be pissed at her. 

 

It IS the intent.

 

The Battle of two Mothers.

 

That s greek tragedy epic stuff.