So, Alien: Covenant will be released this week, and chances are there'll be a discussion about it here. In pre-emption of this, and in the spirit of the recent Terminator discussion (two film series where the first two films are great, and the rest...aren't necessarily), thought it would be fun to discuss/rank the films up to this point. And when I say Aliens films, I mean the first four, the two AvP films, and Prometheus.
So, on that note:
7) Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
Fuck this movie.
No, really, I'm serious. I hate this movie. I hate how dark the cinematography is so that I can barely see anything. I hate the sepia in the daytime scenes. I hate how broad the characters are, and how it's desparately trying to invoke Aliens with the army mother/daughter, and failing. I hate how Wolf's morality is as flexible as a xenomorph's tail. And above all, I hate how sadistic this film is. The Aliens series has had moments of gore, but it made those moments impactful, silently acknowledging the horror that was going on at the time (e.g. Kane's death). Requiem revels in its gore. It revels in its human sufferring. It presents me with scenes that are less "oh my god, this is horrifying," and more "blood, ain't it cool?"
The only kudos I can give this movie is the shootout at the end (of course, a pizza guy knows how to use an automatic rifle), and two hospital scenes, where we see one scene of patients being evacuated, yet when the protagonists arrive, the parking lot has overturned wheelchairs and whatnot - that's good, implied horror...that's ruined by the maternity wing scene. I...I don't...I can't...
Fuck this movie.
6) Prometheus
I feel guilty that Prometheus is so low on this list. It's still way, WAY above Requiem, and more ambitious then the next two films on this list. And make no mistake, Prometheus deserves props for its ambition, as well as its visuals. Michael Fassbender also deserves kudos as well for his portrayal of David. However, ambition doesn't quite translate into execution. I'm willing to forgive the film for retconning previous Engineer/Space Jockey/Mala'lak lore up to this point, as the Xenopedia universe has always been iffy when it comes to consistency. What's harder to forgive is the bone-headed decisions the characters make, and how things don't quite...fit, if that makes sense.
I feel the moment where Shaw tricks the Engineer into being assaulted by the trilobite is indicative of the film. This is a film that tries to deal with human origins, science, spirituality, etc. Shaw facing the Engineer is potentially powerful, because she's literally facing her maker. Man vs. God, and all that. Instead, a monster does the job for her, in B-movie horror fashion. Prometheus wants us to remember that, yes, this is an Aliens movie, in the Aliens universe, and therefore is obliged to have Alien-like things. Which would be fine, if the film could properly execute its ideas/questions. Because by the end of the film, we have few answers and more questions. Covenant apparently answers some of them, but taking the film by itself, it feels hollow.
So, Prometheus, to me, you're a mess. A beautiful, ambitious, lovable mess, but a mess all the same. You get points for effort, but not execution.
5) Alien: Resurrection
Ask someone what the best Alien movie is, and they'll usually say Alien or Aliens. Ask them what the worse is, and they'll usually say Alien 3 or Resurrection (unless they're counting the AvP films, at which point things get more varied). Looking on the 'net, it isn't hard to find defences for both films, but for me, Resurrection is the weak link in the original quadrilogy. It's separated by time, by character (Ripley 8 is not Ellen Ripley, so zip it), by setting, and, IMO, quality.
That's not to say it's a bad film, but it's by no means a good one either. It's slightly below average. The characters are...fine. Bland, unmemorable, but fine. The 200 year jump is a headscratcher, but it doesn't break the film. It's easily the most light-hearted Alien film there is of the original four, veering away from the most grim (Alien 3), but while I'm not fond of said tone, it's not a dealbreaker. However, this film is...weird. Like, artsy weird. Like, Ripley 8/Newborn/xenomorph tongue weird. It's not even an interesting weird, more like a "...huh?!" weird. And I have to ask, if Earth is such a shithole, why even care if the xenomorphs get there? How the heck is a marine corps of two centuries prior better at taking them out then soldiers of the 24th century?
Resurrection feels unnecessary. It's telling that the Colonial Marines remain iconic, and have inspired the aesthetic of soldiers in other medias (Halo, StarCraft, etc.), while the USM remains obscure. Even the Xenopedia EU makes little use of this era, and in canon, Weyland-Yutani even overthrows the USM - yep, they're really that unloved. So, Resurrection is, at the end of the day, bland. Interesting in some areas, but not in engaging ways.
4) Alien vs. Predator
I've always felt that AvP gets an unfair rep. It's not a good film mind you, but for me, it's not bad either. It's just plain average. Slightly better than Resurrection, but the two are interchanable. AvP is more generic than Resurrection, but it's less bizzare as well. It's...fine, I guess. Lex isn't the most engaging protagonist in the world, but she's still likable. The film does have some gravitas, such as when she's forced to shoot Sebastian, or when two trapped explorers discuss getting back to their children (neither of whom make it). The fight scenes are nothing special, but nothing offensive either.
I will say that the lack of gore doesn't bother me. Gore, to me, is like cake frosting - it's worthless by itself, but it adds to context. The gore of the original Predator works, for instance, because the actions it's related to are horrific in their own right - it's the act of skinning a corpse that's horrific, not the fact in of itself that it's skinned. And the yautja here aren't here to hunt humans, they're here for xenomorphs, so there's no reason for them to waste time skinning anyone.
So, AvP is fine. Average. Enjoyable in some areas. It's...fine. That's all I can say.
3) Alien 3
Alien 3 is underrated.
There, I said it. It's underrated. Or at least, the Assembly Cut is - I've never seen the original version. It isn't as good as its predecessors, but for me, it's a damn solid film in its own right. I love the aesthetic, the atmosphere, the nihilism, the closing of the trilogy (Resurrection aside). Alien 3 feels like its own film, coming off two films that also felt like their own films. I'm even fine with Hicks and Newt dying - the universe is cold, unfeeling, and it doesn't care how Ripley is affected by this. It doesn't care that Weyland-Yutani is still around, and doesn't care that all the innmates of Fiorina have to die, to potentially save mankind from an even worse fate. The EU kind of negates this sacrifice, given that Earth temporarily fell to the xenomorphs, but taking the movies in isolation, Alien 3 does feel like a good capoff. No-one will sing the praises of Fiorina or Ripley, but they did good in their last days.
Is the film perfect? No, not really - the innmates are better characters than other films on this list, but at in some sense, Alien 3 is too grim for its own good. Clemens is by far the most interesting, but dies early on. Aaron is likable, but dies. Dillon is okay, but dies. Only Morse survives, and if you forgot his name, I don't blame you. Also, the swearing - yes, I get it, they're former prisoners, but if you swear every other sentence, it starts to get tiresome. Also, the film doesn't quite have the same level of 'oomph' that its predecessors had, not to mention that while the Runner xenomorph is interesting (introducing the idea of xenomorphs taking on the traits of their victims), it hasn't aged as well as the practical effects of earlier films.
Alien 3 is flawed. It isn't quite up to snuff with its predecessors. But I think it's a solid film in its own right.
2) Alien
As I said earlier, ask someone what the worst Aliens movie is, and it would be 3 or Resurrection. Likewise, ask them what the best is, and it'll usually be Alien or Aliens. For me personally, the divide between Alien and Aliens is similar to Resurrection and AvP, in regards to pacing. But while Resurrection and AvP are average movies, both Alien and Aliens are excellent movies. That Alien comes in at #2 tells you which one I think has the edge, but let's not sell Alien short.
This film is a masterpiece of horror and sci-fi. I...do I need to explain? The characters, the atmosphere, the aesthetics, the isolation, the horror, the sense of the alien being utterly...well, alien, how there's no clear protagonist (anyone can die), etc. Oh, and the theme of defilement/rape - take notes Requiem, you can convey rape analogies in a manner that doesn't feel like schlock. Later material went on to flesh out the xenomorphs and Space Jockeys, but Alien still works as an example of how sometimes leaving mysteries works. We don't know much about the Derelict, the alien is unknown, etc. It is, IMO, a masterpiece, and in Ridley Scott's resume, second only to Blade Runner in my opinion.
1) Aliens
Let's get one thing out of the way first - Aliens, when compared to Alien, is a more conventional, more crowd-pleasing, more action-focused film. Perhaps more notably, Ripley is the bona fide protagonist, when in Alien, anyone was fair game. However, Aliens, I think does have the edge, however slightly. Which means that I'm going to both praise it, and compare it to Alien.
The film is well paced, well shot, and it takes its time - not a single shot is fired until well over the thirty minute mark. The marines are fleshed out, at least to the extent of the Nostromo crew, or at least, the ones that survive first contact. Ripley is more or less guaranteed to survive, but the others are fair game. It isn't quite as much of a horror film as Alien, but it does have horror nonetheless, such as the motion tracker. And the action is less "ooh-rah," and more fighting just to survive.
Aliens also explores different themes than Alien - Alien is more the sense of the unknown, and 'defilement'. Aliens more explores the potential parallels between humans and xenomorphs, such as 'which species is worse?' and the theme of motherhood - it's seen how Ripley interacts with Newt, how the queen interacts with Ripley, and how the xenomorphs interact with the queen. These aren't deep themes in of themselves, but are still noticable and appreciated.
I think what really seals the deal for me with Aliens is that Alien does one thing very well (horror), Aliens does two things very well (horror and action). It's also noticable that Aliens gives us a sense of the wider universe, and has been the de facto template for most EU works, and inspiration in other sources. It's arguably the more accessible film, but I don't think that diminishes it. Both Alien and Aliens are excellent, but for me, Aliens just has the slight edge over its predecessor.
But that's just me. Who knows where Covenant will fall into this list?
So, on that note:
7) Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
Fuck this movie.
No, really, I'm serious. I hate this movie. I hate how dark the cinematography is so that I can barely see anything. I hate the sepia in the daytime scenes. I hate how broad the characters are, and how it's desparately trying to invoke Aliens with the army mother/daughter, and failing. I hate how Wolf's morality is as flexible as a xenomorph's tail. And above all, I hate how sadistic this film is. The Aliens series has had moments of gore, but it made those moments impactful, silently acknowledging the horror that was going on at the time (e.g. Kane's death). Requiem revels in its gore. It revels in its human sufferring. It presents me with scenes that are less "oh my god, this is horrifying," and more "blood, ain't it cool?"
The only kudos I can give this movie is the shootout at the end (of course, a pizza guy knows how to use an automatic rifle), and two hospital scenes, where we see one scene of patients being evacuated, yet when the protagonists arrive, the parking lot has overturned wheelchairs and whatnot - that's good, implied horror...that's ruined by the maternity wing scene. I...I don't...I can't...
Fuck this movie.
6) Prometheus
I feel guilty that Prometheus is so low on this list. It's still way, WAY above Requiem, and more ambitious then the next two films on this list. And make no mistake, Prometheus deserves props for its ambition, as well as its visuals. Michael Fassbender also deserves kudos as well for his portrayal of David. However, ambition doesn't quite translate into execution. I'm willing to forgive the film for retconning previous Engineer/Space Jockey/Mala'lak lore up to this point, as the Xenopedia universe has always been iffy when it comes to consistency. What's harder to forgive is the bone-headed decisions the characters make, and how things don't quite...fit, if that makes sense.
I feel the moment where Shaw tricks the Engineer into being assaulted by the trilobite is indicative of the film. This is a film that tries to deal with human origins, science, spirituality, etc. Shaw facing the Engineer is potentially powerful, because she's literally facing her maker. Man vs. God, and all that. Instead, a monster does the job for her, in B-movie horror fashion. Prometheus wants us to remember that, yes, this is an Aliens movie, in the Aliens universe, and therefore is obliged to have Alien-like things. Which would be fine, if the film could properly execute its ideas/questions. Because by the end of the film, we have few answers and more questions. Covenant apparently answers some of them, but taking the film by itself, it feels hollow.
So, Prometheus, to me, you're a mess. A beautiful, ambitious, lovable mess, but a mess all the same. You get points for effort, but not execution.
5) Alien: Resurrection
Ask someone what the best Alien movie is, and they'll usually say Alien or Aliens. Ask them what the worse is, and they'll usually say Alien 3 or Resurrection (unless they're counting the AvP films, at which point things get more varied). Looking on the 'net, it isn't hard to find defences for both films, but for me, Resurrection is the weak link in the original quadrilogy. It's separated by time, by character (Ripley 8 is not Ellen Ripley, so zip it), by setting, and, IMO, quality.
That's not to say it's a bad film, but it's by no means a good one either. It's slightly below average. The characters are...fine. Bland, unmemorable, but fine. The 200 year jump is a headscratcher, but it doesn't break the film. It's easily the most light-hearted Alien film there is of the original four, veering away from the most grim (Alien 3), but while I'm not fond of said tone, it's not a dealbreaker. However, this film is...weird. Like, artsy weird. Like, Ripley 8/Newborn/xenomorph tongue weird. It's not even an interesting weird, more like a "...huh?!" weird. And I have to ask, if Earth is such a shithole, why even care if the xenomorphs get there? How the heck is a marine corps of two centuries prior better at taking them out then soldiers of the 24th century?
Resurrection feels unnecessary. It's telling that the Colonial Marines remain iconic, and have inspired the aesthetic of soldiers in other medias (Halo, StarCraft, etc.), while the USM remains obscure. Even the Xenopedia EU makes little use of this era, and in canon, Weyland-Yutani even overthrows the USM - yep, they're really that unloved. So, Resurrection is, at the end of the day, bland. Interesting in some areas, but not in engaging ways.
4) Alien vs. Predator
I've always felt that AvP gets an unfair rep. It's not a good film mind you, but for me, it's not bad either. It's just plain average. Slightly better than Resurrection, but the two are interchanable. AvP is more generic than Resurrection, but it's less bizzare as well. It's...fine, I guess. Lex isn't the most engaging protagonist in the world, but she's still likable. The film does have some gravitas, such as when she's forced to shoot Sebastian, or when two trapped explorers discuss getting back to their children (neither of whom make it). The fight scenes are nothing special, but nothing offensive either.
I will say that the lack of gore doesn't bother me. Gore, to me, is like cake frosting - it's worthless by itself, but it adds to context. The gore of the original Predator works, for instance, because the actions it's related to are horrific in their own right - it's the act of skinning a corpse that's horrific, not the fact in of itself that it's skinned. And the yautja here aren't here to hunt humans, they're here for xenomorphs, so there's no reason for them to waste time skinning anyone.
So, AvP is fine. Average. Enjoyable in some areas. It's...fine. That's all I can say.
3) Alien 3
Alien 3 is underrated.
There, I said it. It's underrated. Or at least, the Assembly Cut is - I've never seen the original version. It isn't as good as its predecessors, but for me, it's a damn solid film in its own right. I love the aesthetic, the atmosphere, the nihilism, the closing of the trilogy (Resurrection aside). Alien 3 feels like its own film, coming off two films that also felt like their own films. I'm even fine with Hicks and Newt dying - the universe is cold, unfeeling, and it doesn't care how Ripley is affected by this. It doesn't care that Weyland-Yutani is still around, and doesn't care that all the innmates of Fiorina have to die, to potentially save mankind from an even worse fate. The EU kind of negates this sacrifice, given that Earth temporarily fell to the xenomorphs, but taking the movies in isolation, Alien 3 does feel like a good capoff. No-one will sing the praises of Fiorina or Ripley, but they did good in their last days.
Is the film perfect? No, not really - the innmates are better characters than other films on this list, but at in some sense, Alien 3 is too grim for its own good. Clemens is by far the most interesting, but dies early on. Aaron is likable, but dies. Dillon is okay, but dies. Only Morse survives, and if you forgot his name, I don't blame you. Also, the swearing - yes, I get it, they're former prisoners, but if you swear every other sentence, it starts to get tiresome. Also, the film doesn't quite have the same level of 'oomph' that its predecessors had, not to mention that while the Runner xenomorph is interesting (introducing the idea of xenomorphs taking on the traits of their victims), it hasn't aged as well as the practical effects of earlier films.
Alien 3 is flawed. It isn't quite up to snuff with its predecessors. But I think it's a solid film in its own right.
2) Alien
As I said earlier, ask someone what the worst Aliens movie is, and it would be 3 or Resurrection. Likewise, ask them what the best is, and it'll usually be Alien or Aliens. For me personally, the divide between Alien and Aliens is similar to Resurrection and AvP, in regards to pacing. But while Resurrection and AvP are average movies, both Alien and Aliens are excellent movies. That Alien comes in at #2 tells you which one I think has the edge, but let's not sell Alien short.
This film is a masterpiece of horror and sci-fi. I...do I need to explain? The characters, the atmosphere, the aesthetics, the isolation, the horror, the sense of the alien being utterly...well, alien, how there's no clear protagonist (anyone can die), etc. Oh, and the theme of defilement/rape - take notes Requiem, you can convey rape analogies in a manner that doesn't feel like schlock. Later material went on to flesh out the xenomorphs and Space Jockeys, but Alien still works as an example of how sometimes leaving mysteries works. We don't know much about the Derelict, the alien is unknown, etc. It is, IMO, a masterpiece, and in Ridley Scott's resume, second only to Blade Runner in my opinion.
1) Aliens
Let's get one thing out of the way first - Aliens, when compared to Alien, is a more conventional, more crowd-pleasing, more action-focused film. Perhaps more notably, Ripley is the bona fide protagonist, when in Alien, anyone was fair game. However, Aliens, I think does have the edge, however slightly. Which means that I'm going to both praise it, and compare it to Alien.
The film is well paced, well shot, and it takes its time - not a single shot is fired until well over the thirty minute mark. The marines are fleshed out, at least to the extent of the Nostromo crew, or at least, the ones that survive first contact. Ripley is more or less guaranteed to survive, but the others are fair game. It isn't quite as much of a horror film as Alien, but it does have horror nonetheless, such as the motion tracker. And the action is less "ooh-rah," and more fighting just to survive.
Aliens also explores different themes than Alien - Alien is more the sense of the unknown, and 'defilement'. Aliens more explores the potential parallels between humans and xenomorphs, such as 'which species is worse?' and the theme of motherhood - it's seen how Ripley interacts with Newt, how the queen interacts with Ripley, and how the xenomorphs interact with the queen. These aren't deep themes in of themselves, but are still noticable and appreciated.
I think what really seals the deal for me with Aliens is that Alien does one thing very well (horror), Aliens does two things very well (horror and action). It's also noticable that Aliens gives us a sense of the wider universe, and has been the de facto template for most EU works, and inspiration in other sources. It's arguably the more accessible film, but I don't think that diminishes it. Both Alien and Aliens are excellent, but for me, Aliens just has the slight edge over its predecessor.
But that's just me. Who knows where Covenant will fall into this list?
