Poll: Alien or Aliens?

[Jamieson 90]

I mostly prefer Aliens ... mostly.

But seriously while they're both great, Aliens way just a much more fun film for me as it has so many epic moments and iconic lines.

Favorite quotes:

"They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls!"

"Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"

"That's it man, game over man, game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?"

And is it a coincidence that they're all Hudson's lines?

 

[Dr. Cakey]

Aliens turned the Alien into a space bug whose only purpose was cannon fodder. None of the eerie mystique of the original creature, the Derelict, or the Space Jockey was left.

Not saying Aliens was a bad movie (except for the extended edition, that one sucked), but it really isn't for me.

Fair enough your opinion and all, but I think you've missed the point of Aliens by a long shot. This is the same reason Alien games have missed the mark - because they're treating the alien as a cannon fodder space bug. Aliens doesn't do this at all - it's a Vietnam war movie in space (and other things, like motherhood, as well). In Aliens you've got your "bad-ass" marines, full of machismo and confidence in their technological edge and overwhelming firepower.. and they get completely taken apart by a largely unseen, technologically-inferior foe that the marines were totally unprepared for.

Granted, Aliens does focus less on the mystique of the creature, the derelict spaceship, the Space Jockey, etc. (although it does instead bring in plenty of a different kind of lore, expanding the humans' side of the universe with so many iconic ideas.) as you say - but I disagree that the creature was there simply as cannon fodder. If anything the marines were the cannon fodder.

If you win due to numbers, you're cannon fodder. A similarly-sized contingent of Goombas would have done almost as much damage as the Xenomorphs in Aliens.

On the other hand, my favorite is Alien 3, so maybe I should just leave now.

 

[Jfswift]

I enjoy watching Aliens a little more due to the tension and great action scenes although I feel that Alien is also slightly better. It contains surprises such as hidden company agendas, an android being on board and has fairly realistic acting. There's a scene where a crew member has the alien on him and quarantine is brought into question. It's one of several emotional scenes and I like it for that reason.

 

[RJ 17]

I'd say Aliens. Of course because of those whacky space marines, but also for what I like to call "Predator Syndrome". It's something I noticed with horror movie franchises such as Predator. The reason everyone says that the first Predator movie was the best is because when you're seeing it for the very first time, it's a mystery. You don't know if it's a person with high-tech gear, a monster, an alien, you don't know what's going on. Hell, the first half of the movie only shows very seldom heat-vision shots from the Predator's viewpoint as he stalks the team that are going to take out some rebels or something. Half the movie goes by you don't don't even catch a whiff of the monster.

It was impossible for Predator 2 to match the atmosphere and suspense because all of a sudden you're dealing with a known quantity. Assuming you saw the first movie, you already know what's out there and what it's capable of. This almost demands a shift from "suspenseful horror" to more a more action-oriented story, which Predator 2 most certainly was.

It's the same with Alien and Aliens. The first time you see the first movie, EVERYTHING'S a surprise. From the facehugger to the chestbuster (I don't care who you are, the first time you see that scene you pee yourself a little ) to the vent-shaft hunt and everything else. In Aliens, all the mystery is removed, you already know what these creatures are and what they do and how deadly they are, meaning it had to go for a more action-oriented story.

Sooooooo how does this equate to me actually voting for Aliens after suggesting that the mystery and suspense of Alien make it superior? Simple...I've already seen both movies. There's no more mystery or suspense for me in Alien. I still love the movie and consider it one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time. But all things considered, with they mystery removed the playing field becomes even. At which point I have to go with the movie with the wise-crackin' space marines. I mean come on, there's just WAY too many quoteable lines in that movie!

"This little girl surivived all on her own for 2 weeks and she didn't even have military training!"
"WELL FUCKING PUT HER IN CHARGE!"

"I say call the dropship, get back to the Sulaco, and nuke the site from orbit."
"Fuckin' A!"

And for the record, I do still think that the first Predator movie is better than the sequel...though not by much.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Alien is like listening to a solo: it's pretty cool how one person can do all the work and still sound fantastic.

Aliens is like listening to the rest of the orchestra play. I'm going Aliens.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Alien.

No horror movie has ever been made better by making it an action film.

 

[drzoidbergmd]

I've always been more partial to the horror and survival aspect of the universe, so Alien is my favorite.

 

[docsax]

For the record, there was no CG in Aliens, it was entirely practical effects. 1986, after all.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

The sequel, while a great movie, didn't quite draw me in the same way. The characters are more over the top, the effects are more obvious (particularly when cgi gets involved,) and the overall look just didn't grab me like the first's did.

Correct me if I'm wrong (I could be), but there is NO CGI in Aliens. In fact, the Alien Queen scene stands as the greatest testament to the power of practical effects over CGI in the history of cinema.

I have to agree with people who say that they're both perfect examples of their respective genres: Alien is a sci-fi horror movie, Aliens is a sci-fi action flick. It's like an even more extreme version of the difference between The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. While there's at least SOME basis for comparison, it's like asking us to choose between apples and oranges- they're both fruit, but are totally different types of fruit.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I vote Aliens.

I'm not a big fan of horror films. However, I love sci-fi movies, particularly ones with good action. Aliens is a fun, actiony ride with a good female protagonist who manages to be interesting, complex, and competent in the face of deadly Xenomorphs. Thus Aliens is the obvious winner.

If one liked horror movies, I could see why one would prefer Alien, so it really comes down to personal preference.

 

[GLo Jones]

Definitely Aliens, since Alien just manages to anger me.

It took me a long time to understand why they had a cat aboard the ship, but I eventually realised that that cat is by far one of the smartest members of the Nostromo's crew. The majority of crew deaths were their own fault for being so painfully idiotic.