I just got through watching "Alien"-"Alien Resurrection" & I just realized there are no threads for any of these movies! A few of these movies (well, at least the first 2) are on some people's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time list, but the only sign of a thread for "Alien" is "Alien VS Predator". How did that happen? (I mean, it was alright. I liked the two main fights, but there coulda, shoulda been more taken from the comics than they did.) Sooooo, I figured I'd start one up. Just in case one of you was waiting for someone else to do it first, and if it turns out to be a dud... Oh well, at least I tried to bring these (mostly) magnificent movies to the forefront...

I bought the 9-disc boxed set that's called the Alien Quadrilogy when it first came out in '03. As the side of the box says, "4 Films... 9 Amazing Discs... 1 Incredible Collection!" Actually, the box is wrong, it's 8 Films! You get 2 versions of every movie, the Theatrical Version & a Special Edition. Each director (with the exception of Alien 3's David Fincher) pops up & gives an introduction to each Special Edition version of their film. For some reason, you only get 2 of the 4 films in DTS: "Alien" & "Alien Resurrection". "Alien 3" has a few trouble areas where the sound couldn't be cleaned up in the added scenes, so they have subtitles on those. I don't need 'em, though, & you can turn off the sub's if you wanna. It really isn't that bad. Each movie also has its own Supplemental Disc of documentaries, interviews, storyboards, pretty much anything & everything you wanna know about every Alien movie is on these discs! Then you have a fifth Supplemental Disc that has a few things about ALL of the films. I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to remember much about what's on that disc because I only watch one thing on it, a little documentary on the person I envy most outta the entire world, Bob Burns! In 'Bob Burns' Alien Collection', you meet the luckiest guy on the face of the planet! He has every Alien prop & set piece. He has the models & the costumes! He has the life-size Alien Queen from "Aliens"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I show this to every person that comes to my house, & by the end, everyone's jaw has dropped! You've gotta see it to believe it! If you love these movies, you have to get this set!

"Alien" - theatrical version A+/special editon C-
I truly enjoy this movie. It actually took me awhile to like it, though. I think it was because I was younger & just wanted more action. I had no idea that suspense, just waiting for something to happen, could be so much fun! The atmosphere the movie creates is very eerie. From the extreme quiet as everyone sleeps to the surface of LV-426 to the way the alien could hide anywher on the ship & be nearly undetectable until it moved. I'm not one of those, "The director is brilliant for hiding the alien!" people. I'd rather see it, but it does work in this film. As for the Special Edition, it has a part that makes no sense after we've seen "Aliens": Ripley is going through the ship toward the end of the movie and finds Dallas & Parker's sidekick, Brett, cocooned. But the strange part that makes no sense is, it seems like they are being absorbed into the eggs, or something like that. It just makes no sense. However, it makes ya wonder if James Cameron had seen this scene before he made "Aliens" because Dallas looks up & says, "Kiiiiillll meeee." the same way the first person the marines encounter in the second one does. From the documentary & commentary, I've learned all of the sexual references I had thought were in the movie, were in the movie. In fact, it gets pretty perverted. That H.R. Giger, what a nut ! There are also interviews with Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett, who are still pretty bitter that Fox changed their original script as much as they did! This has to be one of the more shocking interviews EVER! As shocking as the Wachowski Bros. having critics that hate the movies do commentaries on 'em! Well, I should tell ya, they do love that their little alien movie made it to the big screen, even if it isn't what they had truly envisioned. This is probably the only one where I prefer to watch the Theatrical Version to the Special Edition. Which is how Ridley Scott wants it. He (& everyone, but James Cameron) makes a point to say ,"this isn't a Director's Cut, it's a Special Edition. The Director's Cut came out in theaters." I'd say, watch the Special Edition, just for fun, There are some good added scenes & things. It just doesn't fit with the others as well as it should because of that one scene. But the main movie to watch, for me, will always be the Theatrical Version of "Alien".

"Aliens" - theatrical version A/director's cut A+
The one I've always liked from the first moment I saw it! The Special Edition of this one is actually the Director's Cut. In fact, this is the only movie where the director would prefer you watch the alternate cut. I absolutely love the added material! You see the colonists before they're killed off, you find Ripley had a daughter who died of old age while she was gone (This really makes it clear why Ripley was extremely protective of Newt. It wasn't just because Ripley's maternal instincts had kicked in.), there's an extra sequence that involves motion detecting guns, & you learn Hicks' first name! I'm sure most of you have seen it, it's been available for years before this set came out in 2003. On the "Extras Disc" you have the design & screen tests for the Queen among other great behind-the-scenes material!

"Alien 3" - theatrical Version B-/special edition B+
This one & "Resurrection" are the only 2 I was old enough to see in theaters. As with "Alien", the first time I had seen it, I was disappointed that it only had a single alien & it was so small compared to the other movies. But after a few years, the movie grew on me, & I really enjoy it. In fact, I think this one has my favorite of the Special Editions in the set! It's story is very different in certain areas. Like, in this version we, of course, have alot more when it comes to the prisoners, but you see more of the initial crash & rescue, the facehugger gets ahold of an ox instead of a dog (but for some reason it kills the ox & the chestburster is still born. I know, it doesn't make a whole lotta sense.), & they succeed in trapping the alien in the Toxic Waste Bunker only to have the nutty prisoner set it free again. The story really is deeper & much better. There is only one thing I would change about the Special Edition, I would take the end of the theatrical version, where Ripley kills herself & the Queen bursts out as she falls, & put it over the one in the S.E., where Ripley falls & just vanishes into the fire with no Queen chestburster. I know it didn't make sense that Ripley didn't die when the Queen popped out, but it looked cool when she grabbed it & held it against her chest as the two of them plummetted into the furnace. You've gotta check out the "Extras Disc" on this one! It talks about the original direction the movie was going to take. Get this, it was going to be set on a man-made planet! Not like the Death Star, but something even more low-tech, it was going to be made completely outta wood! They have concept designs & storyboards, along with a bit of the plot. I'm actually curious as to how that version might have worked. There is also an interview with Sigourney Weaver, who talks about wanting to die in this film because she's heard of "Alien VS Predator" &, I quote, "it just sounds, blech, awful!" So she wanted to make sure she wouldn't be asked to do it since her character would be dead.

"Alien Resurrection" - theatrical version C+/special edition C+
This one doesn't fit into the story as well as the last 3. What was cool about watching them was how well each one melded with the next. In the first movie we are left with Ripley drifting through space in hibernation. We start the second one with her being found by a salvage crew & end it with her, once again, drifting through space in hibernation, but with a happier JAMES CAMERON ending because she has a family. Complete with robot servant ! Part 3 begins with the ship catching fire & sending Ripley, & her new fam, to Fury 161, where she ends up the only survivor. She even loses her robot servant ! Then it ends with her death. In this one, we come to her having been cloned, hundreds of years later, in order for the military to finally get the Queen they've always wanted. I like it alright, but the whole cloning Ripley to get a Queen, really doesn't hold water. I still don't get how they justify it, but it's an Alien movie! Just being able to see another one makes my toes tingle with excitement! Plus, if you just don't think about it, it won't bother ya so much . There is a beginning sequence (Which was another reason this movie is so different from the others! The first 3 all had similar opening credits, but this one...) in the Special Edition version that starts with a close-up on, what appears to be, an alien mouth, but as the camera pulls back we see it's just a small bug that ends up squished by a space marine. The scene is one very long shot as the camera continues to pull back revealing the entire space station during the opening credits. You have minor additions, a bit more character development here & there, nothing really big to mention, but we finally get to see Ripley take a step on Earth at the end of the movie! It only took her over a hundred years to get there! Once again, the "Extras Disc" doesn't disappoint. They even show the uncut footage of Sigourney Weaver making that over-the-shoulder shot!

Well, that's what I think of these wonderful films. There is an interview with Ridley Scott & he mentioned a sequel idea that has never been touched on. A prequel to the first movie, where we find out how that derelict ship ended up on LV-426. Now, that would be interesting to see. While each of the movies has a slightly different grade, the Supplemental Discs get an A++++++++++++++++++! Anyone else wanna add anything?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Monkey_Boy,

Interesting I have a strong difference in my opinion regarding the third and fourth movies that are just the reverse of Monkey_Boy.

I found the third installment rather lame and of course they conveniently kill off some important characters in the beginning of the movie as if the producers couldn't pay the former actors enough money. I didn't find the third installment that original or innovative, just more and bigger and louder of the same. It seemed like a typical monster movie that
I've seen many times before.

As for the fourth movie, I was fascinated and quite taken by Signoury Weaver's decision to reprise her role and I have to agree with her decision. I didn't have any problem about the cloning and I felt that the fourth movie moved the whole franchise markedly forward building on the first two movies, especially and most importantly with the whole notion of an interbreeding, genetic combination between alien and human being. This is a fascinated and as yet underdeveloped theme in mainstream science fiction, something that may have future relevance. I enjoyed Ripley's interplay between alien and humanity that I felt was rich with a great science fiction narrative.

I give 'em all A's.

The entire series is a gift to us all; magnificent from the first shot of the floating Nostromo way out in a hostile universe, to the last shot of Mother Earth, with all the foreboding we could hope for.

I too, just 2 mths ago watched the series from go to whoa for maybe the 7th or 8th time.
Me girl hadn't seen a whisker of any of them, so it was fun to see them thru her eyes.

If I was forced to choose one however, it would have to be the original.
What a motherfuckin' masterpiece. Just watch Ridley Scott push himself to the greatest use of camera language he would ever achieve, save Blade Runner.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:
I give 'em all A's.

I actually would give the first 3 all A's as a whole, but individually, I like some more than others. As for the fourth, it just doesn't fit into the story as well as the others do. I love the seamlessness of the original trilogy.

I didn't mean to sound like I didn't really like the fourth installment, Tabuno. In fact, it has one of my favorite casts ever! Besides Ms. Weaver, we have Michael Wincott, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, Brad Dourif, Leland Orser, Raymond Cruz, & an adorable Winona Ryder as Pinochio, I mean, Call. (Has anyone else noticed that Orser is cast for the role of "nervous guy/panicky idiot" quite often? There's "Se7en", "Pearl Harbor", "Very Bad Things", "Alien Resurrection", & "Saving Private Ryan". Nobody does it better. Somebody give this guy an Oscar !) I do enjoy "Alien Resurrection" & I watch it everytime I watch the series.

mmmm, Winona....hubba hubba, kapow, drool, drool.....sinking in a puddle of my own spit.....

quote:

Monkey_Boy Jedi
Posted 31 July 2007 07:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:
I give 'em all A's.
I actually would give the first 3 all A's as a whole, but individually, I like some more than others. As for the fourth, it just doesn't fit into the story as well as the others do. I love the seamlessness of the original trilogy.

I didn't mean to sound like I didn't really like the fourth installment, Tabuno. In fact, it has one of my favorite casts ever! Besides Ms. Weaver, we have Michael Wincott, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, Brad Dourif, Leland Orser, Raymond Cruz, & an adorable Winona Ryder as Pinochio, I mean, Call. (Has anyone else noticed that Orser is cast for the role of "nervous guy/panicky idiot" quite often? There's "Se7en", "Pearl Harbor", "Very Bad Things", "Alien Resurrection", & "Saving Private Ryan". Nobody does it better. Somebody give this guy an Oscar !) I do enjoy "Alien Resurrection" & I watch it everytime I watch the series.

I just got it! O.K. from the seamless consistency from one movie to the next, the arch so to speak, while I didn't like the third movie, from the perspective you are describing, I am beginning to understand what you're getting at. I never, ever thought of the series that way. The first three movies stand alone and considering how the series goes, the third movie actually is consistent with the first three regardless of how dumb I thought of it (at first). The fourth movie stands on its own with a little preface, background.

quote:

Originally posted by the Ish-man:
mmmm, Winona....hubba hubba, kapow, drool, drool.....sinking in a puddle of my own spit.....

I THOUGHT I was the only one to ever have a thing for her ! She's never been on anyone's "most beautiful" list! But, seriously, you need to stop. I'm not wearing shoes & I HATE soggy socks!

quote:

Originally posted by tabuno:
I never, ever thought of the series that way.

Well, I'm glad to open your eyes to a whole new way of viewing the world . Go. And be at peace, my son.

By the way, do you have the "Alien Quadrilogy", Ishmael? I'm just curious if you've picked it up, or if your stuck-like-chuck in "No-Special-Edition-Land" & unable to grab it, but you'd like to.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Monkey_Boy,

quote:

Originally posted by Monkey_Boy:

quote:

Originally posted by the Ish-man:
mmmm, Winona....hubba hubba, kapow, drool, drool.....sinking in a puddle of my own spit.....

I THOUGHT I was the only one to ever have a thing for her ! She's never been on anyone's "most beautiful" list! But, seriously, you need to stop. I'm not wearing shoes & I HATE soggy socks!

Heh, actually a good friend of mine has a big crush on Winona, and the girl he's been with looks/sounds a lot like her (we joke he's got a Vertigo thing going on.) He's also watched bad movies just because they featured her, including Alien - Resurrection. While he is a bigger Alien fan than I, I have seen them all at one point or another and think they work in diminishing returns, each new installment a notch down from the last. Related I've found interesting:

3 and Resurrection kinda hit me as weaker versions of Alien and Aliens, respectively. Fincher went that stylized, paranoid route and Resurrection took the bang bang action route (My Dad likes Resurrection better than Alien and 3 because he only judges based on the action amount, not even kidding.)

Ridley Scott and James Cameron directed the same movie again, in Blade Runner and The Terminator (Cameron a few years later again.) What I mean, you could watch Blade Runner/The Terminator or Alien/Aliens and know just how each would approach the other idea. I always thought it was a really weird interweaving of stuff.

One of these days I should get the box set

quote:

Posted by monkey boy
By the way, do you have the "Alien Quadrilogy", Ishmael?

Monkey, monkey, monkey...(shakes head slowly)...OF COURSE!!
Bought it when it came out. I'm hubba bubba for all things Alien.
In fact, I have often used the box set in film class for particular film theory examples I wish to illustrate.

Of course I try to avoid showing Winona scenes in class in case I embarass myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:
Monkey, monkey, monkey...(shakes head slowly)...OF COURSE!!
Bought it when it came out. I'm hubba bubba for all things Alien.

Just makin' sure!

i lived in Japan when i was eight years old, and the only English movie i saw there was "Aliens". i fell in love with the entire franchise. i bought the boxset a few months ago.

for me, the first two are the best. i don't think there's anything i can say to add to all the great things that have been said about Scott's brilliant vision or Cameron's expertly crafted thriller.

i do quite like the third installment, mostly for Fincher's wonderful textures and grit, as well as the sharp dialogue. the CGI is embarrassing, and the story can drag a bit, but on the whole, i think it's underrated.

the fourth is terrible in my opinion. i find the story dumb as hell, riddled with stupid characters and cheap suspense. the CGI is pretty bad, as well. the slimey, gooey xenomorphs in "Aliens" worked much better in the action scenes than the phony CGI in "Resurrection".

as for Winona, i fell deeply in love with her when i first saw "Edward Scissorhands". always had a soft spot for her.

quote:

Originally posted by Nhazghaal:
3 and Resurrection kinda hit me as weaker versions of Alien and Aliens, respectively. Fincher went that stylized, paranoid route and Resurrection took the bang bang action route

Good gravy ! Now I know how Tabuno felt! I never saw them exactly like that before. I had always heard how part 3 was a bad version of part 1, but I really never thought too much about it in THAT sense. Good show!

quote:

Originally posted by the Ish-man:
In fact, I have often used the box set in film class for particular film theory examples I wish to illustrate.

I can't believe I nearly forgot that the first time I really saw "Alien" was in art class, when we studied the work of H.R. Giger! The art teacher was a really cool guy (pro'lly like you, huh, Ish-man? ) who basically gave everyone A's because he believed we were all artists & that there was no such thing as a bad art project. He was the first & only art teacher who liked my artwork BECAUSE I didn't draw the way the book wanted ya to. My other art teachers wanted me to draw their way, but I already have a method, dag-nab-it! So, I always got low grades in their classes. That always shocks people. When they see my work, they are always quick to say, "You musta got good grades in art class!" And then I tell 'em, "No, actually, I didn't." Then, there's a face like this:

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:
i do quite like the third installment, mostly for Fincher's wonderful textures and grit, as well as the sharp dialogue. the CGI is embarrassing, and the story can drag a bit, but on the whole, i think it's underrated.

That's funny, I almost didn't remember the CGI because I enjoyed the movie so much! That happens when I watch a movie. If the story grabs me, I don't pay attention to the FX details too much. At the same time, if I'm bored, I notice EVERYTHING!

quote:

Originally posted by Monkey_Boy:

quote:

Originally posted by Nhazghaal:
3 and Resurrection kinda hit me as weaker versions of Alien and Aliens, respectively. Fincher went that stylized, paranoid route and Resurrection took the bang bang action route

Good gravy ! Now I know how Tabuno felt! I never saw them exactly like that before. I had always heard how part 3 was a bad version of part 1, but I really never thought too much about it in THAT sense. Good show!

quote:

Originally posted by the Ish-man:
In fact, I have often used the box set in film class for particular film theory examples I wish to illustrate.

I can't believe I nearly forgot that the first time I really saw "Alien" was in art class, when we studied the work of H.R. Giger! The art teacher was a really cool guy (pro'lly like you, huh, Ish-man? ) who basically gave everyone A's because he believed we were all artists & that there was no such thing as a bad art project. He was the first & only art teacher who liked my artwork BECAUSE I didn't draw the way the book wanted ya to. My other art teachers wanted me to draw their way, but I already have a method, dag-nab-it! So, I always got low grades in their classes. That always shocks people. When they see my work, they are always quick to say, "You musta got good grades in art class!" And then I tell 'em, "No, actually, I didn't." Then, there's a face like this:

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:
i do quite like the third installment, mostly for Fincher's wonderful textures and grit, as well as the sharp dialogue. the CGI is embarrassing, and the story can drag a bit, but on the whole, i think it's underrated.

That's funny, I almost didn't remember the CGI because I enjoyed the movie so much! That happens when I watch a movie. If the story grabs me, I don't pay attention to the FX details too much. At the same time, if I'm bored, I notice EVERYTHING!

it was pretty hard not to notice how terrible the alien looked as it scampered out of the trap thing they made, or when it chased them through those hallways.

the close-up models were great, wonderfully slimey and all that, but the computer-generated stuff sucked, imo. watch again and i don't think you'll disagree!

Some people don't like Fincher's use of CGI, even in his best-reviewed films. (I kinda liked it in Zodiac.)

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:
it was pretty hard not to notice how terrible the alien looked as it scampered out of the trap thing they made, or when it chased them through those hallways.

the close-up models were great, wonderfully slimey and all that, but the computer-generated stuff sucked, imo. watch again and i don't think you'll disagree!

You are right about the CG & I wasn't disagreeing, but I just didn't let it bother me because I was having a good time with the story. That's all I meant. However, the CG in "Alien Resurrection" was much better than that in part 3. Even if it still wasn't "Jar Jar/Gollum perfect".

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
Some people don't like Fincher's use of CGI, even in his best-reviewed films. (I kinda liked it in Zodiac.)

There's CG in "Zodiac"? What kinda CG? Is the killer in CG? Or maybe it's Jake Gyllenhaal, he's CG, right? No wait, the victims are CG, huh?

There is a sped-up recreation of the building of the TransAmerica Pyramid, among other things.

I gotta see that movie. It looked interesting, but I just never got to the theater to see it. Maybe Columbia House will have it super cheap. You've got my tastes pretty much pegged, Mr. f. Would I like it?

As long as you like the suspense and detective work and can accept that it's not an action movie, then you should like it fine. I watched it twice in two days, and even though it's almost 160 minutes, it flew by both times.

Is it anything like the atmosphere of "Se7en". I know it's the same director, so if it is, I can see myself liking it alot!

Sure, it's akin to SE7EN, but it's more low-key. Even so, as a mainline movie expert, you'll notice the similarities.