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The ALIEN FRANCHISE Appreciation thread.


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Good intentions, NOF. Although everyone pretty much agrees that the first two movies are great, and then it becomes much more divisive from there. It was mostly an appreciation thread for the two prequels I was after. But let’s see how it goes.

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1 hour ago, Thor said:

Good intentions, NOF. Although everyone pretty much agrees that the first two movies are great, and then it becomes much more divisive from there. It was mostly an appreciation thread for the two prequels I was after. But let’s see how it goes.

You and I are probably the only ones that genuinely like Prometheus. 

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35 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

You and I are probably the only ones that genuinely like Prometheus. 

 

Not at all. I really like it too!

 

It's a little exhausting having to defend it all the time though.

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On the original franchise I love all 4 movies.

 

Alien - is the best for its atmosphere, interesting characters the most suspensefull and a visual marvel. The original theatrical cut is the version to see.

Goldsmith's soundtrack is great (and I'd have loved if an alternate version with more of his original score incorporated into the film was released).

Film 10 - Score 10

 

Aliens - probably my favorite sequel of all time. I like the extended cut of this film better (but omitting the early colony sequence). It takes its time building suspense and has the most amazing last 40 minutes.

Sigourney Weaver gives her best performance as Ripley IMO.

James Horner score is also great but not as classic as Goldsmith's (and another I'd love to see restored to picture as originally scored)

Film 10 - Score 9

 

Alien 3 - a disappointment upon first viewing - the first Alien I saw at theater - (lacks tension and suspense and the action is far from amazing as it was in the first movies) but nowadays I love it.

Sigourney is again amazing and the atmosphere and visuals are great.

Goldenthal's score is perfect. I like both the theatrical cut and the extended cut on this one.

Film 7 - Score 9

 

Alien Resurrection - I'm probably one of the few that love this one.

Interesting visuals and I liked the humor in it. Sigourney Weaver seems to be having a great time. Not on the same level of the two originals but I had a lot of fun watching it.

I also love the score by Frizzell and was very happy when LLL released the complete soundtrack with all those great tracks from the last third of the movie that were missing from the album. Perfect final scene to close the series with Ripley coming back to earth (on the theatrical version). 

The extended cut is a curiosity (but not the Director's preferred cut which is the theatrical) but the added scenes and alternate ending are unnecessary and do not improve the film. 

Film 8 - Score 8

 

On the Prequels and Spin Offs:

 

I was really disappointed by Prometheus - so much wasted potential. So many stupid decisions made for the conveniences of the plot. Good score, some good visuals and ideas. 

Film 5 - Score 7

 

Alien Covenant is just terrible - loved the trailer and was expecting a good movie but it is really a mess.  

How unfortunate it was that Ridley Scott prevented Neil Blomkamp Alien movie for this.

Film 3 - Score 4 

 

Alien Vs. Predator - Bad as expected but watchable.

Film 4 - Score 4

 

Alien Vs Predator Requiem - Terrible film but good score.

Film 2 - Score 6

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4 minutes ago, crumbs said:

The only film in the series I really dislike is Resurrection.

 

Just a baffling series of decisions there, all around.

 

I used to agree with this, but the last time I watched it, I decided to view it not as an Alien movie but as a Jeunet joint, and that really helped a lot. The same plan didn't work for Alien 3 though.

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I love Jeunet's work (Amelie is a favourite of mine) but I really don't think his style was compatible with the Alien universe.

 

I used to really dislike Alien 3, but I've come around to it. If nothing else, I really appreciate it on a technical level (although the story behind the film is more interesting than the film itself).

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The thing is Jeunet's style and tone aren't all that serious (unlike Fincher with Alien3). He's very much into enlarging or exaggerating, perhaps even caricaturing, so that's why it's better to watch Resurrection from his artistic point of view or to look at it as a director's movie. 

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If you want to know how good Alien really is, you should watch Roger Corman's "Forbidden World" once. This movie shows drastically what all could have gone wrong if not the right people would have worked in the picture. 

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1 hour ago, AC1 said:

The thing is Jeunet's style and tone aren't all that serious (unlike Fincher with Alien3). He's very much into enlarging or exaggerating, perhaps even caricaturing, so that's why it's better to watch Resurrection from his artistic point of view or to look at it as a director's movie. 

 

Yeah, it almost feels like the same concept as Jaws 3, People 0. Resurrection was my first Alien movie, and I loved it as a ten year old.

 

i like alien 3

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My top: Alien > Alien: Resurection > Alien3 > Aliens > AvP > Prometheus > AvP:R >>>>>>>>>>>>> Covenant

 

Alien: PERFECT MOVIE: I can't say more than this and I think most here will agree with this

 

Aliens: Great sequel with terrific ideas. Visually it's astonishing (even if it has aged more than the first one). The only negative part for me is Cameron's writing which I always find too caricatural

 

Alien3: I know lot of people don't like it but personnaly it was a real blast for me. I felt again the fear about who will live at the end and who will die. It's quite unpredictable on this point like the first movie (and unlike Aliens) where you really fear for Ripley's life. I also particularly liked the set, dirty and frightening, and the Alien's point of views shots

 

Alien: Resurrection: Back to the origin with the Alien threat on a ship but this time there's more Aliens. This recap was sufficient enough to make me enjoy the movie, I find the characters really caricatural like in Aliens but this time I cared a bit more about them. Anyway I think it's the kind of movie that I just love without really understanding why and that's fine with me.

 

Aliens vs. Predators: A really nice crossover. I haven't read the comics so I don't really know how much more cool it is in it but having said that I'll just consider that it was a lot of fun to watch.

 

Aliens vs. Predator: Certainly the dummest movie from the franchise with really bad acting but it was fun. Why that? Well because I think it's the first movie from the franchise where absolutely anything can happen to anyone at anytime. There's no justice, no empathy, everyone can die from a scene to another and I think this is this awful presentation of this showdown that make me enjoy the movie despite all the negative points.

 

Prometheus: One word came to my mind and it's: "unfinished". So much potential of great story telling unfinished because Scott wanted to much to develop its sequels forgetting at the time to properly develop this introduction first. Visually I was a bit disappointed by the too clean ship and the all holographic ambiance. I mean it supposed to happen before Alien now I know that putting old computer might have sound a bit ridiculous (even if I wouldn't have mind personnaly) but was it really necessary to put an hologram on almost every shot? Anyway the movie is still really enjoyable.

 

Alien: Covenant: There's only one Alien movie that I don't like and it's Covenant.

I find it has really a poor plot. It wastes all the possible interesting stories that needed a developpement after Prometheus. Instead of this you have a very predictable plot with insipid characters (special mention to the main character and its very bad acting) with one exception though: David's arc is interesting but unfortunaly so predictable and underdevelopped. Visually it's quite awful on the SFX part, there some nice sets but nothing fancy: jungle, already seen laboratory, vast hall... I think Covenant is real waste of potential like the two AvP but at least those two were fun to watch.

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ALIEN's a masterpiece. Love it.

 

ALIENS is alright. All the love for it made me initially disappointed that it's not only something so different but something more dumb and shallow, even devaluing aspects of the original.

 

ALIEN3 - yeah, to get "full enjoyment" you need the assembly cut and the bts docus. Still, I don't hate it at all, alright action flick with just the right amount of bitter darkness and oppressively depressing mood.

 

ALIEN: Resurrection - I will not say it's terrible, however its style is really really not my thing. It turned me off instantly jut like Fifth Element.

 

I don't even remember much about Prometheus and Covenant at all. I seem to remember preferring the latter mostly because of disliking the former's visual direction, and partly because the latter leans more into its dumbness instead of trying to pretend to be more than it is.

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22 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I'm sure @Smeltington likes them at least ironically.

 

I like Prometheus a lot actually, unironically. I know there are parts of the plot that don't add up but it doesn't bother me. It's well made, the cast is great, the visual style is great. That one musical theme is very good and expresses the film's philosophical leanings. I like that the movie wasn't just about aliens but showed something new. And I like all the profound questions it poses, even though it doesn't answer them, but these questions have no definite answers anyway, so just to present them and make you think about them is enough.

 

 

22 hours ago, crumbs said:

It's a little exhausting having to defend it all the time though.

 

Yes! It would take too much energy.

 

 

19 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

If you want to know how good Alien really is, you should watch Roger Corman's "Forbidden World" once. This movie shows drastically what all could have gone wrong if not the right people would have worked in the picture. 

 

I watched The Thing recently and had the same thought.

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45 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

That one musical theme is very good and expresses the film's philosophical leanings.

 

Yes! It's a magnificent theme that instantly tells viewers "this isn't Alien."

 

By contrast, Jed Kurzel's score basically beats you over the head saying, "this is Alien," with its obnoxious Goldsmith quotes (half of which were probably dialed out of the original film!)

 

What a shame HGW was let go from scoring Covenant. I would love to hear his rejected score someday.

 

45 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

I like that the movie wasn't just about aliens but showed something new. And I like all the profound questions it poses, even though it doesn't answer them, but these questions have no definite answers anyway, so just to present them and make you think about them is enough.

 

Yes! Well said.

 

45 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

I like Prometheus a lot actually, unironically.

 

Shark's comment is a great example of the type of snide, condescending commentary anyone who dares to admit they don't hate Prometheus has to put up with.

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Here's my review of the Franchise (some of these will probably be controversial)

 

Alien

Saw this for the first time at age 20, by this point I had enough sense to know what is and what isn't a good film.  Unfortunately, I just didn't really love it, I wish I did, and based on my film interests and everything about it I should love the film, but I really don't for whatever reason. I think there are some amazing scenes, but as a whole it just doesn't come together and I have yet to rewatch it in full in about 5 years (I've seen it at least 3 times in full as well as bits and pieces from tv airings).  I think this movie may not be for me, though I definitely applaud its technical achievements and the performances.

 

Aliens

I'm generally a Cameron guy and his first real big film after The Terminator definitely didn't disappoint me.  The idea of the Colonial Marines works really well for me, and the characters are all larger than life in all the right ways.  Ripley's relationship with Newt and the parallels of the relationship with her own daughter are great and add a tremendous amount of weight to what essentially comes down to a sci-fi action movie. The movie builds on tension so well, that you really feel Ripley's despair and anger by the end.  Great movie, and unfortunately a level that would not be reached again in the franchise.

 

Alien 3

Saw this for the first time at a friends house and moderately enjoyed it for what it was, especially the end even if the SFX were not quite up to par for Fincher's ideals.  After watching it again on my own, I really found it boring and I think the communal experience over beers was a much preferable method to enjoying this film.  I will check out Fincher's assembly cut this Summer as I got the Alien boxset recently but haven't had a chance to watch anything yet.  Hopefully it will be a better rounded experience though I'm already coming in with low expectations.

 

Alien Resurrection

Some baffling creative decisions really plague this film.  The biggest compliment I can give it is that it doesn't necessarily feel like a big Hollywood picture.  That being said, the film itself just goes too far into the absurd and strange for me, with some really unlikeable characters and subpar performances from actors who are among my favorites. Ripley really dragged this film down as your story felt complete and this feels like an unnecessary addition from a franchise afraid to move on and find a new protagonist.

 

Alien vs. Predator

The film is schlocky and stupid, and usually in all the wrong ways.  There are some good ideas scattered throughout this film, but none of them really work and Paul W.S. Anderson really didn't make a good film.  I was hoping more for the Anderson that made Event Horizon, not the one that made Resident Evil.  This one was an easy single viewing experience.

 

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem

Watched five minutes on tv once and knew I had no intention on watching anymore.  

 

Prometheus

I appreciate and like a lot of what Scott was trying to do with the film, though I think it rarely works.  I think the cast is well put together, but none are really given enough to do or given logical actions at times.  I definitely don't hate the film, but I think its definitely a case of missed opportunities. Guy Pearce in old man makeup is the biggest head scratcher for me, as I think he could have done well as Elizabeth's partner rather than playing an old man without much to do.  I veteran actor who surprisingly shows up at that point really could have added more to the film and its never believable to me that I'm watching anything but an actor in old age makeup. Overall I enoyed it and was looking forward to the direction the next film would go and what it would explore. As mentioned, I liked the main musical theme quite a bit and thought it had this lovely quality about it. The fanedit Prometheus: Giftbearer was a nice version of the movie and one I recommend to people that want to revisit the film.

 

Alien: Covenant

Killing off Naomi Rapace's character between movies is a bigger travesty that killing off Hicks or Newt to me.  She was a very interesting character and I would have liked to seen more with her and seen her maybe take a much darker turn in the sequel.  Instead we get a whole new crew along with a female lead in Katherine Waterson who is really nothing more than a Ripley stand-in to me.  Too bad the studio/Scott killed off Blomkomp's proposed idea, as the artwork and ideas seemed really interested and some fresh ideas for a franchise that had been languishing for a while in my opinion.  The film itself is fine but incredibly forgettable. The David twist at the end is incredibly obvious and telegraphed and the film itself does nothing really of interest for me to intend to revisit it anytime soon. Hopefully Disney can do something interesting with the franchise and I look forward to the upcoming show.

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7 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Shark's comment is a great example of the type of snide, condescending commentary anyone who dares to admit they don't hate Prometheus has to put up with.

 

Geez, dude, I was just pulling @Smeltington's leg.

 

I haven't even seen the film.

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5 minutes ago, crumbs said:

By contrast, Jed Kurzel's score basically beats you over the head saying, "this is Alien," with its obnoxious Goldsmith quotes

 

Yes! That bugged me too.

 

 

6 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Shark's comment is a great example of the type of snide, condescending commentary anyone who dares to admit they don't hate Prometheus has to put up with.

 

It's just a particular line of ribbing he does towards me, with no offense intended, and none taken  :)  But it's nice to see from this thread that more people like Prometheus than expected. I had the same experience with the TROS score in the recent top 10 Williams scores thread - not that the score gets a lot of hate, but I didn't know so many people loved it as much or more than I do.

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I could, but it's not on the top of my list.

 

27 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

I had the same experience with the TROS score in the recent top 10 Williams scores thread - not that the score gets a lot of hate, but I didn't know so many people loved it as much or more than I do.

 

Exactly how much do you love it?

 

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It's hard to judge the score's structure. It does have satisfying thematic through lines, though, with several new themes that appear throughout, in some nice variations. I liked how many ways Williams found to use the otherwise simplistic Knights of Ren idea. And the shift that Kylo's theme went through was a great piece of musical storytelling. 

 

The album also has a lot of tracks that make for great listening on their own. We Go Together, The Speeder Chase, Prologue, Journey to Exegol, The Rise of Skywalker, Anthem of Evil, The Old Death Star, and all the tracks from the finale.

 

And just to keep us on topic, I want to remind everyone that I appreciate the Alien franchise.

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

I think that's my favorite meme format.  All 3 people are perfectly cast

 

It's funny to me that he's checking out a girl that looks so similar to the one he's already got.

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A different attitude!

 

But yea, maybe making her blonde would have increased the comedy

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