ALIEN!

[Alexander]

I've been a huge fan of the original Ridley Scott "Alien" film for about as long as I can remember. I was too young to have seen it in the theater when it was released, but I must have seen it between then and the release of "Aliens" in the mid-80s because I had already seen it when I saw the sequel (I was one of the few who preferred the earlier film). Since then, I've seen each of the films as they were released (although I've so far passed on the AvP films) and while I have enjoyed each one, the first film remains my favorite.

Recently - via Netflix - I've been watching the "special edition" versions of each of the subsequent films (meaning that I own "Alien" on DVD so I've been renting the other three films in the "Quadrilogy" box set versions) and I have to say that I've modified my views in light of these new versions. "Aliens" has been improved greatly by the additional footage. When the film was released theatrically, I was disappointed by the transformation of a fantastic horror/suspense film ("Alien") into a dumb action/splatter film ("Aliens"). The new version restores a good deal of suspense and fleshes out the characters (Bill Paxton doesn't seem nearly as annoying in this version, possibly because he seems a bit more human). Particularly important is a detail regarding Ripley's daughter (which sets up her relationship with Newt later on in the film).

"Alien 3", much maligned for NOT being the action film "Aliens" was, is also improved in the new version. Life on the prison planet is given a bit more detail here, which makes it more interesting (to me, at least).

I've been a fan of Jean-Pierre Jeunet since I saw "Delicatessen" in the early '90s so I was VERY excited to learn that he was to direct "Alien Resurrection." Again, I think I liked it a good deal more than the average viewer did when it first came out. Interestingly, although Jeunet did make a special edition version for the DVD, he admits that he was perfectly satisfied with the 1997 theatrical version and does NOT consider this a "director's cut." There are a couple of fleshed out scenes (including a bit where the Ripley Clone talks about Newt), but the main changes are Jeunet's original opening credit sequence (reminiscent of his "City of Lost Children") and cute ending where the Ripley Clone and Call (Winona Ryder) visit what's left of Paris (a kind of Francophone "Planet of the Apes" ending...fitting actually, since the original "Apes" novel was by a French author).

Of course, my fascination with the Alien franchise has a lot to do with the xenomorph itself. I think it's a fascinating creature and I've always loved speculating on it based on what little we know based on the films (I've never gone in for the "expanded universe" of the novels and comic books).

It seems to me that the xenomorph is unique in that it seems to reproduce largely asexually. The Queen seems to produce eggs without fertilization (the Queen taken from the Ripley Clone in "A:R" produces eggs as soon as it reaches maturity). The eggs themselves contain the facehugger parasite, which one assumes must contain the embryo of the chestburster. Since the fully grown alien Warrior takes its physical characteristics from the host (aliens hatched from humans are bipedial while the one hatched from the dog (or the ox in the special edition) in "Alien 3" is a quadroped), one can deduce that the embryo implanted by the facehugger has an incomplete set of chromosomes and that it is then joined by genetic material from the host. It's fascinating to think about because you have to wonder what sort of evolutionary circumstances could possibly lead to such a complex reproductive cycle. I personally think that the xenomorphs have been geneticially modified (if not completely genetically engineered) by the Space Jocky Aliens (seen in the ship explored by the Nostromo's crew in the first movie) for use as shock troops. The xenomorphs are deployed and quickly estabilish a colony, using the genetic traits of the dominant life-form on a given planet to best adapt to the environment. Once the colony is established and the Queen is producing, all life forms become hosts for new Warriors until there's nobody left. The Space Jockies (not my term, btw) then must have had some way of either controlling or destroying the xenomorphs so they could take over and colonize the planet. I like to imagine that the Space Jocky found by the Nostromo's crew was a victim of one of the eggs in his ship's cargo. The eggs seem to be able to lie dormant almost indefinately, waiting for a life form to come an activate them.

I know I'm a geek, but it's just so cool to think about!

Anybody else here a fan? Anyone have any alternate theories?

[Shawn]

The main thing that ties all of the films together is H.R. Giger's alien design, probably the best creature design in film history. When you have that iconic of an image it leaves open endless possibilities for what you can do with it.

My quick views of the films:

Alien - Still by far the best in the series and one of my all-time favorite sci-fi films. I prefer the original theatrical cut because the pacing of the film was flawless and the additional scenes in Scott's director's cut interrupt that flow. One of very few films that maintains it's creepiness with repeated viewings.

Aliens - When this first came out I was a fan, but of all the films I think this one has aged moreso than the others. Another case where I prefer the theatrical release, Cameron has issues with self-editing and the director's cut is just too long for the material. Still a very well-made action film, but in my mind the Alien story isn't designed to be an action film.

Alien3 - Put me in the minority on this one, my favorite after Alien. The "work print" cut in the box set is the preferred way to go here, much more suspenseful than the threatrical release. Not nearly as immediate as Aliens, but in my mind a welcome return to the moodier elements of the first film.

Alien Resurrection - A nice experiment, but one that ultimately fails IMHO. Despite the witty script, the film never feels comfortable trying to balance the comedy/horror element. Starts out well but begins to disolve around the edges till it eventually falls apart. The new "creature" in this film is a horrible design and doesn't look like it even remotely belongs tied with the Aliens, that simple fact took me out of the story and ruined the remainder of the film.

[Hot Ptah]

Just remember, there's one of them right now, sitting at the bottom of the ocean under Antarctica, chained to a huge piece of metal.

[BruceH]

Did you know that the first Alien film was based (loosely) on an sf story by A. E. van Vogt?

[kinuta]

I remember seeing Alien in Ginza in 1979. I'd seen the trailer and was suitably psyched up but my mate and I nearly jumped out of our seats in the now famous chestbuster scene. We'd had no word of mouth info about what was going to happen. The longer 153 minute version of Aliens is the one I already have. Does the megabox version improve on this ? I also saw Alien3 on release day and really liked it. My mind hadn't been swayed by the bad press it later received. The longer version isn't available for rent here but I'd like to see it very much.

[jazzbo]

I've watched them all in the box set and I really only like the first and last. The two middles. . . don't really do much for me.

[Jazzmoose]

Did you know that the first Alien film was based (loosely) on an sf story by A. E. van Vogt?

That's hard to believe; the movie made sense...

[Noj]

I consider the first Alien one of the best movies I've ever seen. The second one is comedy, Bill Paxson is still Chet from Weird Science. The others...meh.

[BruceH]

Did you know that the first Alien film was based (loosely) on an sf story by A. E. van Vogt?

That's hard to believe; the movie made sense...

His short stories tended to make a lot more sense than his novels. Sometimes.

[Jim Alfredson]

You think about some weird stuff, Alexander.

I mean that with love.

[Alexander]

You think about some weird stuff, Alexander.

I mean that with love.

Oh, I do, man! I do!

[Hot Ptah]

You think about some weird stuff, Alexander.

I mean that with love.

Oh, I do, man! I do!

On the other hand, "those who dance are often thought mad by those who cannot hear the music." (Tao Te Ching)

[BruceH]

One thing I've always wondered: The alien grew awfully fast after bursting out of some poor guy's stomach. Where did it get all that extra mass? Hyperspace? Did it eat chunks of the ship and transmute the metal atoms into organic (nitrogen/oxygen/carbon) ones?

[Hot Ptah]

One thing I've always wondered: The alien grew awfully fast after bursting out of some poor guy's stomach. Where did it get all that extra mass? Hyperspace? Did it eat chunks of the ship and transmute the metal atoms into organic (nitrogen/oxygen/carbon) ones?

Also, I never understood why the aliens would immediately kill some humans, but would take others back to the birthing area to implant a baby alien inside the human's chest. How was that decision made, and how well could the aliens think, reason and discriminate on such an issue.

[Shawn]

One thing I've always wondered: The alien grew awfully fast after bursting out of some poor guy's stomach. Where did it get all that extra mass? Hyperspace? Did it eat chunks of the ship and transmute the metal atoms into organic (nitrogen/oxygen/carbon) ones?

Also, I never understood why the aliens would immediately kill some humans, but would take others back to the birthing area to implant a baby alien inside the human's chest. How was that decision made, and how well could the aliens think, reason and discriminate on such an issue.

#1 - I've never seen the Aliens actually eat anything. The gestation cycle has gotten faster and faster in each film.

#2 - In the first film there's only the eggs, facehuggers and a "drone", so he's got nothing to do but kill. It wasn't until Aliens that they fleshed out the full life cycle. My guess is that if you're viewed as a threat your dead...if you're not then you're a surrogate mother.

[BruceH]

#1 makes no sense. But that's Hollywood for you.

[Shawn]

#1 makes no sense. But that's Hollywood for you.

Yes, that's an accurate assessment, but at the same time a "genre film" can get away with lapses in logic if it fits the overall concept. It's a horror film, it doesn't really require deep meaning...it's supposed to be a visual equivalent of a roller coaster ride or a trip through the funhouse at the fair...it's a cathartic fear release that's fun.

In Alien they came up with a very novel concept (host body used for a gestating alien life form), which allowed them to scare the crap out of the audience when the little critter burst out of the guy's chest. Then the Alien goes off camera for an extended spell while the crew searches the ship for it (it grows up during this time) and the next time it's seen it's full size...the script doesn't provide an explanation, it just has one of the crew members say "It's big". But in a horror film that's good enough, your imagination should fill in the holes.