The Alien Franchise

[Silver Nemesis]

Since we've got several threads dedicated to Star Wars, I thought it was about time we had an all-purpose thread for the Alien series. Feel free to discuss, analyse and compare any and all of this franchise's cinematic entries, plus related comics, videogames and other peripherals.

I've been on a bit of a Joseph Conrad binge over the past few months, and last week I finished reading his 1904 novel Nostromo. It's an impressive work of literature, though a little uneven, slow and overwritten in places (you've got to expect that from Conrad). As I was reading it, I couldn't help wondering why the title of this book was chosen for the name of the spaceship in the first Alien film. I previously assumed it was because Conrad was in vogue at the time thanks to Apocalypse Now (though Alien was actually released a few months before Apocalypse Now). But having finished the book, I now believe the choice of name is more meaningful than that.

The novel centres around a civil war in a fictional South American country called Costaguana. At the heart of this conflict is the San Tomé Silver Mine. If you'll recall, the spaceship in Alien was a mining vessel. Here we get our first connection.

In the book Nostromo is the nickname of an Italian seaman whose real name is Giovanni Battista. He works for a shipping line called the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, or OSN Company for short. Throughout the novel OSN is often referred to simply as 'The Company', much like the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the Alien films. Anyone who has read Heart of Darkness will recall that too features a shipping line referred to as 'The Company'.

The central and most exciting episode in the novel sees Nostromo attempting to smuggle the silver from the mine away from Costaguana to prevent it falling into the hands of the revolutionaries. Nostromo is now custodian of the mine's treasure, much the way the spaceship in Alien is custodian of the minerals mined by the crew. In the novel Nostromo hides the silver on an island, then sinks his own lighter and swims to shore to make everyone believe the treasure was lost at sea. In Scott's movie Ripley destroys her own spaceship and gets away in an escape vessel. In both stories the protagonist destroys their own ship, and the treasures they were transporting are lost and never recovered by their rightful owners.

Nostromo is haunted by the secret of the silver's location, much like Ripley is haunted by the trauma of her experiences. Both protagonists suffer from paranoia and unrest as a result of their past, prompting them to retread their steps in such a way that ultimately leads to their deaths. Obviously these parallels relate to the sequels and would not have influenced the writers of the first Alien film, but I thought they were worth noting anyway.

The name of Ripley's escape vessel, The Narcissus, is derived from the title of another Conrad novel, though I haven't read that one yet so I can't comment on its significance (or lack thereof). In James Cameron's sequel he called the Colonial Marines' transport The Sulaco. Sulaco is the name of a town in Costaguana in Conrad's novel. However I can't see any significance in the use of this name other than it being yet another reference to Nostromo.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting how something as simple as the name of a spaceship can have a lot of meaning behind it. It just goes to show how much careful thought the writers injected into every detail.

[GoNerdYourself]

I love the first Alien and enjoy Aliens and, perhaps controversially, the extended cut of Alien 3. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I actually like Alien 3 better than Aliens. The original is my favorite in the series though. I love its atmosphere, the set design, the characters talking over each other, its strangeness, its claustrophobic qualities, Jerry Goldsmith's score. It's one of my favorite films.

[Silver Nemesis]

Alien 3 is a solid albeit flawed film. I'd rank it third according to objective quality, but it's my fourth favourite in terms of personal preference (though I haven't seen Covenant yet).

One area in which the Alien 3 Assembly Cut is unquestionably superior to the theatrical cut is editing. There are some major gaffs in the finished film concerning the deleted subplot about the prisoner Golic and the attempt by the inmates to trap the xenomorph. The omission of that sequence renders the earlier scene in the toxic waste containment chamber pointless, except to supply the punch line to the running gag about Aaron's '85' nickname. It also creates a plot hole regarding Golic's fate, since his death scene is removed entirely. Paul McGann is the fourth highest billed actor on the opening credits, and yet his character mysteriously vanishes halfway through the theatrical cut with no explanation. The Assembly Cut doesn't have that problem.

One scene I dislike in both versions of the film is the sequence where the inmates are trying to lure the xenomorph into the lead works. There's some inventive camerawork during this scene, but I don't think it works in terms of building suspense. All the corridors look the same, and with their backs to the camera most of the inmates look identical too. The 180-degree rule goes out the window thanks to all the POV shots. Consequently the sequence has zero sense of spatial continuity, which makes it impossible to track the progress of the inmates' plan. What the scene needed was cutaways showing Ripley monitoring their progress on a computerised map. That way you could see the doors blinking off one by one and you'd have a sense of how the plan was progressing (similar to the computer displaying the amount of drone gun ammunition in the extended cut of Aliens). But we don't get anything like that. And since the entire set piece goes on for the best part of ten minutes, it negatively impacts the pacing of the final act by deflating the tension in the lead-up to the dénouement.

Another problem I have is with the Charles Dance character. He's introduced as Ripley's chief confidante in the opening act of the film, only to be unceremoniously bumped off just seconds after we learn the truth about his back story. His premature death prevents the writers from making anything out of his tragic past. It's set up as this great mystery, but then doesn't really go anywhere because he's eliminated mere seconds after it's revealed. I suppose the filmmakers' intention was to shock the viewer with a Janet Leigh–style red herring. But I always find it a tad awkward how abruptly Ripley's confidence shifts to the Charles S Dutton character. I think perhaps Clemens and Dillon should have been amalgamated into a single character: a doctor-turned-religious leader would have made for an interesting concept.

Despite these quibbles, there's a lot to admire in the film. Alex Thomson's cinematography is superb and beautifully complements the industrial production design. I don't think Elliot Goldenthal's score is as good as the music in the previous two films, but it's still a decent soundtrack. The Foley makes excellent use of low frequency sound, and that contributes a lot to the film's ambience. There's a high quality ensemble of British and American actors, though many of their characters are sorely underwritten. The film's bleak nihilistic tone is both a blessing and curse – it deprives us of three of the most beloved characters from the previous film, but also gives the movie its distinctive nightmarish atmosphere. As a setting, Fury 161 has a strong sense of character, and I thought the concept of the custodial brotherhood was interesting.

Overall Alien 3 a massive step down from the first two films, but an interesting picture in its own right.

[The Dark Knight]

Strangely enough, I watched the original Alien film only a day ago. Funny how this stuff works out.

Alien is a near perfect film in my opinion. It's pure cinema.

The strength of the film is in how it establishes the characters and the settings they inhabit. We get to know these people well enough to care about them, to see all their little ticks and to get an idea of who does what. From my point of view Yaphet Kotto and Ian Holm have the standout performances. They are brilliant. Yaphet struck a chord with me because of how we first meet him. He's a jokey kind of guy who is doing all this for the money. So when his mood changes into concern and fear, you know the situation is dire. And Ian Holm really comes into his own once the twist plays out. Much like Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal, he makes you afraid of this character and it's all done through body language and facial expressions.

This is a film that looks amazing. The sets are literally out of this world, and for a 1979 film it doesn't really seem dated at all.

Alien is a film that has beauty in its simplicity. A member of the crew becomes infected, the Xenomorph gets loose on the ship and it gradually picks them all off, except for Ripley. Many films these days could learn something from Alien. Instead of biting off too much and having a mediocre result, they should focus on a few things and nail them. Alien is a slow burn type of film but it always manages to engage your senses and maintain your interest, which I think is a problem with other films which attempt to replicate these types of scenarios. Simply put....they're boring.

Alien doesn't feel like a chore to watch. It also helps greatly that I find the Xenomorphs fascinating for a variety of reasons.

I'm going to re-watch Aliens in a couple of days and I'm looking forward to it. I haven't seen these movies for a long time. From memory, Alien and Aliens were easily the best of the franchise. I don't really like the others as much, even though Alien 3's extended cut has merit. But I'll see if my opinion changes on that front.

[Silver Nemesis]

The screenplay for Alien (1979) might be the best script for any science fiction film ever. The characterisation is top notch and the overlapping dialogue feels organic and believable. The interaction between the crewmates tells us a lot about their personalities.

Dallas is the stoic leader who strives to maintain a cool head. He distances himself from his crew a number of times throughout the film and seems to enjoy solitude (when he's communicating with Mother, when he's relaxing in the Narcissus listening to Mozart). He's the liaison between Mother and the Nostromo's human complement; the mouthpiece for the Company's directives. He tries to remain logical and stoic, but in the end his compassion defeats him. It's his compassion that compels him to ignore quarantine protocol and bring Kane aboard the ship. It's his compassion that spurs him to instruct Ash to cut the facehugger from Kane, and which drives him to go into the ventilation system in place of Ripley. He tries to remain detached from emotional decision making, but in the end his feelings get the better of him.

Parker initially seems the most mercenary of the group, but he's also the most proactive when it's time to fight. He has an aggressive and subversive streak that prompts him to question orders and spout provocative remarks. But he also has a humorous, personable quality that endears him to his crewmates. He can be headstrong at times. Perhaps even blunt. But ultimately Parker is one of the bravest characters in the film. He doesn't hesitate to rush to his crewmates' assistance when they're in danger. He helps hold down Kane when the latter begins convulsing, he rescues Ripley from Ash, and he gives his life trying to protect Lambert from the Xenomorph. The opening act of the film instils a low expectation of Parker in the mind of the viewer, but in the end he rises above it and earns our respect.

Brett is the most laidback of the crew. He's a classic beta male who's happy to follow Parker's lead and let others do the thinking for him. Compared to the other male characters, he's purely reactive. His sluggish reticence when looking for Jones (the cat) reveals his timidity. This is a guy who can't make important decisions and needs others to guide him. Left to his own devices, he's useless. But working as part of a team, he has his place.

Lambert's probably the character with the least development, though she still serves a function as a more stereotypically passive female counterpoint to Ripley. The Director's Cut reveals some hostility between her and Weaver's character, with Lambert striking Ripley after she refuses to let Kane back aboard the ship. Again, this is an example of her more conventionally female characterisation. Where Ripley is cool and logical, Lambert is emotional and impulsive.

Kane's a difficult character to assess because we don't get much time to know him. He seems curious and intuitive, challenging Dallas and Lambert to press on when they first encounter the wreckage of the alien vessel. Of course it's his curiosity that eventually leads to his downfall. Interestingly, John Hurt was not the first choice to play Kane. Originally Jon Finch was cast in the role but had to drop out due to reasons of health during his first week of filming.

I've often wondered what kind of impact this film might have had on Finch's career had things gone according to plan. He was a successful screen actor in the seventies, starring in major productions such as Polanski's Macbeth (1971) and Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972). I think Alien would have given his career a much needed shot in the arm towards the end of that decade.

Ash is clearly the most sinister character in the film. Even before we discover the truth about his nature, he displays a dry demeanour and passive aggressive temperament that puts him at odds with his more emotional crewmates. He seems particularly disdainful towards Ripley and apparently resents the fact she outranks him. She's just a navigator after all, while he's a scientist. Listen to the condescension in his voice when he answers her questions about the facehugger, and you can hear his narcissistic personality shining through. He's a calculating and manipulative loner whose outward calmness belies a hidden agenda. There's a particularly interesting reaction shot of Ash during the chestburster scene. Just when Kane starts to convulse, the camera cuts to Ash and we see him calmly observing his shipmate's fit.

I always wonder if he knew this was going to happen. He was the science officer, after all. Had he detected the alien in Kane's chest? Was he just waiting for it to hatch?

And then there's Ripley, who is just about the best female hero in the history of science fiction cinema. She's intelligent, practical and calm. Every decision she makes is the logical one, though she suffers the resentment of her crewmates for doing things by the book. I've always found Sigourney Weaver attractive, but the character as presented on screen is not overtly sexualised. Her courage and practicality come first. Her looks are incidental. It's quite telling that the part was originally written with a male actor in mind. Yet Ripley also has a strong feminine presence that comes across through Weaver's performance. Ripley is assertive without being overbearing. A good example of this is the scene where she confronts Ash about his letting Kane aboard the ship. Ash is adversarial, while Ripley remains calmly remonstrative. She gradually loses that coolness as the situation grows more desperate. But it's a steady process. She doesn't immediately fall apart the way Lambert does.

Obviously the actors deserve a lot of credit for helping define these characters. But so much of what makes them compelling is there in the script. I also admire how the film is structured and paced. The first third is a slow burn science fiction mystery. The middle act is your classic And Then There Were None plot, with the crew being picked off one by one. It's essentially a haunted house story, only instead of a haunted house it takes place aboard a spaceship. And then the final act is pure survival horror.

Aliens (1986) is my favourite entry in the series and the one I enjoy revisiting most. But objectively speaking, the first film is the finest.

[The Dark Knight]

I watched Aliens yesterday. I concur the original film is better, but I do admire the sequel.

I admire that it *is* a sequel but it also provides us with a new type of experience.

The film begins where the original ended, albeit 57 years later. I love that mindf*** because it instantly changes the context of the new film. The events of Alien are still at the front of Ripley's mind even though it's now ancient history. It also makes the characters of Alien forgotten people. They basically died for nothing and the characters of Aliens don't really believe Ripley's story or fully comprehend the severity of the threat they face.

So again, I appreciate the smooth transition from Alien to Aliens.

Alien is indeed the perfect science fiction film scenario, just as Die Hard is the perfect action film scenario. Aliens has similar tropes, namely an AI robot who we initially doubt considering the events of Alien. But as a point of difference he proves his worth and helps save the day. We once again have Ripley, flamethrower in hand, walking about an environment rigged to explode, but once again, the scenario is twisted enough to feel fresh.

The premise of Aliens, a bunch of heavily armed Marines going into an environment, fully prepped and aware of an alien entity, is what sells me on the film. It's the exact opposite of what Alien presented. There, the characters were caught off guard and had to improvise with whatever tools they happened to have. I actually prefer that, but the contrast was there to be made by James Cameron and he was smart to go down that road.

The special edition of Aliens is undoubtedly the better experience in my opinion, even if only for the sentry gun sequence. I also feel that the sequence showing Newt's father getting face hugged also added something, both to the sense of dread for the viewer and and emotional resonance it gives Newt.

I like that Cameron introduced the Alien Queen. It adds something to the species and further drives home the bug/ant vibe. In my head canon, the Xenomorphs eggmorph people when an Alien Queen is not present (as per the deleted scene from Alien). And when a Queen is present, they simply bring them back to the hive to the eggs that have already been laid. I don't think we need to have one or the other - both concepts can co-exist.

All in all, it's a solid movie.

I have opinions on Alien 3 already but I'll share them once I watch the film again.

[Silver Nemesis]

The special edition of Aliens is undoubtedly the better experience in my opinion, even if only for the sentry gun sequence. I also feel that the sequence showing Newt's father getting face hugged also added something, both to the sense of dread for the viewer and and emotional resonance it gives Newt.

The extended version also includes the subplot about Ripley's daughter, which adds a lot of depth to her relationship with Newt and the film's overall themes of motherhood. I only found out recently that the picture of Ripley's adult daughter is a photo of Sigourney Weaver's mother, English actress Elizabeth Inglis. I always assumed it was Weaver herself made up to appear older. Her mother bore a strong resemblance to her.

Some people have criticised Aliens for having so many structural parallels with the first film, but that never bothered me. I admit some of those parallels are simple repetition, like the twist about the monster stowing away aboard the escape vessel for one last showdown. But other parallels are used as red herrings to deliberately mislead the audience. For example, the scene where Bishop is examining the facehugger beneath a microscope. This clearly echoes a similar scene with Ash in the first film, and the effect is to plant suspicion in the mind of the viewer. We expect Bishop to turn out like Ash. But in the end Bishop turns out to be a good guy, and it's the affable human Burke who is revealed as the real monster.

I remember Ridley Scott once saying he was partly inspired by Star Wars to make Alien. I always liked the idea of the Alien universe being broad and expansive like the Star Wars universe. I find the films that expand upon the mythology tend to be more satisfying than the ones which simply rehash earlier ideas. Aliens is one of the films that adds new elements to the universe. The first film gave us:

•   The Nostromo
•   LV-426
•   The crashed alien spaceship and 'space jockey'
•   The facehugger
•   The Xenomorph.

Aliens gives us:

•   The terraforming colony
•   The Colonial Marines, plus all their weapons and vehicles
•   The Sulaco
•   The alien nest
•   The Xenomorph queen

A little repetition is acceptable as long as something new is added by way of payment. Aliens does that. In my opinion, it's one of the all-time great sequels.

[The Dark Knight]

Absolutely. A criticism I see from people is how Aliens reduced the creatures to cannon fodder. Sure, plenty of Xenomorphs get shot. But the Marines are not shooting rubber bands. These are using high powered guns and at close range. Considering the Marines are meant to be highly trained and competent, I have zero problem with the film communicating that fact through their actions. An alien gets shot, a Marine gets covered in acid. That's a good tradeoff, and considering the Alien hive was huge, they probably weren't going to kill them all anyway. They were always a threat.

The sentry gun sequence allows the viewer to see that the creatures can reason, retreat and formulate another strategy to get inside. It also creates tension in the fact the Marines hope the Aliens don't come crashing through the doors once the bullets stop. It's very well done and I don't think we see one frame of an alien the whole time. It's all communicated via the ammunition countdown. Mystery and tension is achieved in a minimalistic way.

I like the Predators because they are a more savage version of Batman. They have an honor code but will rip out your spine if you're deemed fair game. They're cool characters and I have a lot of time for them too.

But because this thread is about the Aliens I'll say this.

The Aliens are far more effective creatures in terms of horror and creepiness. Take my five reasons:

1. Aliens don't need weapons. With acid blood, a second mouth, claws and tail....they ARE the weapon.
2. They are stealthy. They can climb on walls and stick to the shadows as good as any creature.
3. They are strong and fast. Even if you were smarter than one it wouldn't really mean that much.
4. They are wild animals and therefore are way more unpredictable. They don't discriminate.
5. Their reproductive cycle is beautiful in how disgusting it is. You die as the alien is born.

I love how Xenomorphs don't have eyes. They're pure instinct. In terms of aesthetics, they're near perfect. Just great.

Nothing in the Predator universe is as creepy as a facehugger, a chestburster or a bunch of people cocooned. As said, I love the Predators, but in terms of an alien species, the Xenomorphs take the 'most alien' prize. Their design helps a lot.

[Silver Nemesis]

Absolutely. A criticism I see from people is how Aliens reduced the creatures to cannon fodder. Sure, plenty of Xenomorphs get shot. But the Marines are not shooting rubber bands. These are using high powered guns and at close range. Considering the Marines are meant to be highly trained and competent, I have zero problem with the film communicating that fact through their actions. An alien gets shot, a Marine gets covered in acid. That's a good tradeoff, and considering the Alien hive was huge, they probably weren't going to kill them all anyway. They were always a threat.

If anything, I'd say the badass nature of the marines makes the Xenomorphs even scarier. The crew of the Nostromo are ordinary civilians. The marines are an elite fighting unit similar to the SAS or Delta Force. And ultimately they still get creamed. Only Hicks survives. We see how cocky the marines are before they enter the nest in the atmosphere processing plant. Their confidence almost diminishes the threat posed by the Xenomorphs. But all of that changes after their first encounter with the creatures. Most of their team are wiped out in a matter of seconds and the survivors are devastatingly demoralised. It's a sobering moment where the full magnitude of what they're facing becomes clear, both to the characters and to the audience. And for the rest of the film they're on the defensive, just fighting to stay alive.

The sentry gun sequence allows the viewer to see that the creatures can reason, retreat and formulate another strategy to get inside. It also creates tension in the fact the Marines hope the Aliens don't come crashing through the doors once the bullets stop. It's very well done and I don't think we see one frame of an alien the whole time. It's all communicated via the ammunition countdown. Mystery and tension is achieved in a minimalistic way.

That's a superb sequence. It baffles me that it was removed from the theatrical cut.

Nothing in the Predator universe is as creepy as a facehugger, a chestburster or a bunch of people cocooned. As said, I love the Predators, but in terms of an alien species, the Xenomorphs take the 'most alien' prize. Their design helps a lot.

Yeah, there's a strange nobility to the Predators. They're still horrific monsters, but they adhere to a code of honour. The Xenomorphs, on the other hand, are a plague. There's absolutely nothing beneficial about their existence. They're disgusting, slimy repulsive vermin contaminating every world they touch. The only other movie monster that comes close in terms of sheer repulsiveness would be the Thing, but even then I'd say the Xenomorphs are worse.

There's a strong Freudian psychosexual dimension to the Xenomorphs' appearance and life cycle. So much of the imagery surrounding them is disturbingly suggestive. This goes back to H R Giger's Necronom IV (1976), the painting that inspired the Alien concept. It's a grotesquely perverse image, but weirdly compelling.

A Predator will kill you, rip out your spine and use your skull as the centrepiece of its latest art project. A Xenomorph will cocoon you, leave a facehugger to orally rape and impregnate you, then watch you explode giving birth to another Xenomorph. I wouldn't want to be killed by either of these monsters. But if I had to choose, I'd be volunteering my skull for the Predator's mantelpiece. Better that than end up like Kane.

[The Dark Knight]

Okay, so it's Alien 3 time.

I think it's a severely underrated movie.

People seem to hate the idea of killing Newt and Hicks. James Cameron even saw it as a sign of disrespect. Me? I love it and if you're offended that's the whole point. The Alien franchise is not a fairytale. It's a nightmare that never ends. Ripley had a new family (Newt especially as a daughter figure) and she literally wakes up to an hellish new reality. The autopsy of Newt is one of the most difficult and intense scenes to watch in the franchise, and it captures what Alien 3 is all about. Drama, sadness but also a cold and clinical numbness.

By Alien 3, Ripley is a shell of a woman who has seen too much and has lost too many friends.

This wasn't a typical Hollywood film. It's on the depressing side but for Alien, I think it's perfect. Bishop's remains being cobbled together by Ripley to understand what happened on board the Sulaco is damned good because it provides a touch of continuity with Aliens but maintains the gloomy vibe. Bishop, a machine, would rather choose 'death' over his current state of disrepair. And Ripley gives him that without saying a word of goodbye.

Ripley finding out she has a Queen inside her is another standout scene. She realizes this is the end, and she has to die to protect humanity. And of course she does that. Ripley making the ultimate sacrifice isn't a Hollywood ending. It's sad and depressing, but that's the reality of the xenomorph. The Alien took everything from her. She had nothing to live for. Having the Queen inside her gave Ripley purpose in a twisted way.

I dig that the film makes a point that these characters are nothing but murderous rapists. They're criminals. We had scientist/explorers in the original and marines in the sequel. Each film gave us something different. Alien 3 also added to the mythology like the other two films by showing how the hosts' DNA carries over to the alien. The example is the dog, or the ox in the Assembly Cut. It's a minor addition to the lore, but given so much was already established in the other films, that's something I'm okay with. I also liked the angle of the Alien refusing to kill Ripley due to the Queen inside of her.

Alien 3 is not as good as the first two and it does lack a certain polish. But I think it's very underrated and does represent a good ending to the franchise. It's better than it's reputation suggests.