Poll What Alien movie do you duders like the most? (359 votes)
In my opinion I think the first one is the best but I just wanted to get a general feel from the Giant Bomb audience.
Thanks Duders!
In my opinion I think the first one is the best but I just wanted to get a general feel from the Giant Bomb audience.
Thanks Duders!
Alien is comfortably my favourite. James Cameron's films have never really stuck with me, as such I managed to enjoy Alien 3 more than Aliens. Perhaps this is generally due to bland narratives? I'm not entirely sure. On top of what I think is an incredible movie, it might be important to note that Alien has had an enormous influence on cinema.
Prometheus had its ups and downs but overall I thought it was pretty good. The panicked operation scene was genuinely brilliant.
I love the first two movies, but if I was to choose one I would have to go with Alien. It's something about the fact that it's one creature silently hunting the crew one by one that has a more of an impact than say a shit-ton of them running at a group of space marines and getting torn to pieces.
I feel like this question should be, "Are you a horror movie fan or an action movie fan?".
I'm an action movie fan who generally does not like horror, and Alien is by far the better film.
Alien is amazing and is hands down the best Alien movie. It was the first and one of the only movies that terrified me. The look was atmospheric and the suspense was brilliant. Aliens was a fun movie. It was an action movie just barely in the top 10 action movies I have seen to that point. With competition like Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian, it just did not stand out like Alien did.
The first movie is art.
Agreed. Movies like Alien and Blade Runner are etched in my mind. I know I saw Alien 3 but remember next to nothing of it.
Predator.
Okay, okay. Aliens.
Also this, I think Alien is really great but it was a bit too scary for me when I was a kid, so I was able to get more enjoyment out of Aliens. ( Although I'll give a shout out to Michael Wincott in Alien Resurrection for having such a badass voice)
There's so much I like about the first Alien movie, but when it comes down to it, I'm always reminded of how much of a typical slasher film it is in a lot of ways. Characters do some really dumb things, nobody listens to the guy who actually had good ideas (Parker), and they use the worst trick in the book, a cat jumping out of a locker as a jump scare. Why was the cat in a locker? It couldn't have locked itself in there, did the Alien do it? Did it commit a space crime and need to be imprisoned? Was Ash just that much of a jerk?
Aliens, while granted it does reduce the intimidation of the titular creatures, is overall just such a well made film, even though it isn't a horror film any more. The most important part, too, is that the characters of Aliens are much more fleshed out, and their interactions much more compelling. How Ripley interacts with Hicks, Newt, Bishop, Burke, that is what makes Aliens the better film for me.
wish i could erase Alien Resurrection from memory, barely a movie never mind an Alien franchise movie
The Thing.
I know you meant Ridley Scott, but I feel that The Thing is more successful than Alien at realizing a similar premise.
Strictly comparing Alien to Aliens, I think I like Alien more. I would have to rewatch Aliens to say for sure though.
Aliens, as long as you leave out the deleted footage portion. Otherwise Alien.
I wish there was a cut of Aliens you could get that got rid of the stuff on the planet pre-infestation but kept the auto-turret scene and the Ellen Ripley finds out her daughter's dead scene.
The fucking auto-turret scene is so fucking good, it blows my mind that it did not show up in the original cut.
I actually completely forgot that was a deleted scene, since I so used to it as being a major part of the film.Though I don't see the point of the pre-infestation scene since it removes some of the edge from the initial contact.
Ready for the most controversial opinions on the Alien franchise?
Alien>Prometheus>Alien3>Aliens
I don't know what this Resurrection movie movie keep talking about is. Is it new and I missed it or what?
Aliens, as long as you leave out the deleted footage portion. Otherwise Alien.
I wish there was a cut of Aliens you could get that got rid of the stuff on the planet pre-infestation but kept the auto-turret scene and the Ellen Ripley finds out her daughter's dead scene.
The fucking auto-turret scene is so fucking good, it blows my mind that it did not show up in the original cut.
I actually completely forgot that was a deleted scene, since I so used to it as being a major part of the film.Though I don't see the point of the pre-infestation scene since it removes some of the edge from the initial contact.
Yeah the pre-infestation scene pretty much ruins the mystery of what happened, which was part of what made the beginning of the movie so great (I mean, you know what happened, but not how it happened, and that's spoiled by the added scene).
To me it goes
Alien - Aliens - Prometheus - Alien 3 - Alien Resurrection - All the other terrible Alien crossover movies
I know it's an impossible question to answer, but what if Aliens came out before Alien? Would people still believe Alien is the better of the first two? I voted for Alien because it set up the world. I tend yo like the first in a series more, for example I prefer Uncharted 1 over the first sequel because this is where we first meet the characters and explore the world.
While I don't think it has any actual affect on which movie is better, you do pose an interesting question. How scary would a single xenomorph when the last movie had hundreds of them getting mowed down with rifles and shotguns and flamethrowers? The mystery of the alien and it's peculiar life-cycle is also an important part of the first film, and approaching it with knowledge gained from Aliens would certainly diminish it's impact. It would still be the better movie, but I think the perception of what the franchise is would be very different.
To me it goes
Alien - Aliens - Prometheus - Alien 3 - Alien Resurrection - All the other terrible Alien crossover movies
Exactly my order too. Screw the Prometheus haters, right?
i kinda liked how in Aliens things start off (mostly) so quietly and the dread builds and builds and then it just goes crazy ass bonkers after that. some of the best progression ever for an action film and characters you can actually care about even if they are blindingly one-note. also the effects and costumes/animatronics/etc still blow my mind to this day. oh how i long for a day when we can get back to practical effects. at least christopher nolan is (somewhat) carrying that torch...
To me it goes
Alien - Aliens - Prometheus - Alien 3 - Alien Resurrection - All the other terrible Alien crossover movies
Exactly my order too. Screw the Prometheus haters, right?
Yep, I never understood the haters..what, you think Prometheus is worse than Alien Vs. Predator, REALLY?? It's very weird where the hate for that movie comes from...its not like it was critically hated either and has a fairly good imdb score but there was this weird backlash against it I'll never understand...Alien Resurrection didn't get nearly the same hate when it came out and that's WAY worse! Good to see we exist bomber.
Alien is great, and I tend to ignore the rest.
Aliens is a cheesy 80s action movie layered with some pretty awful acting and cringeworthy dialogue - another example of why James Cameron should not write screenplays. On top of that - the kid. No one likes little kids.
Alien 3 I can barely remember, other than there was this prison and Ripley jumps into some lava or something. Utterly forgettable film.
Resurrection is where Ripley's character gets ruined. It's fine and natural for her to toughen up incrementally from the kind of 'Regular Jane' space trucker she was in the first movie, but here with the silly cloning angle, they basically gave her super powers. Which is lame.
Aliens, it was the first of the series I watched when I was a kid and the Alien costumes I think look better than the first movie.
Yep, I never understood the haters..what, you think Prometheus is worse than Alien Vs. Predator, REALLY?? It's very weird where the hate for that movie comes from...its not like it was critically hated either and has a fairly good imdb score but there was this weird backlash against it I'll never understand...Alien Resurrection didn't get nearly the same hate when it came out and that's WAY worse! Good to see we exist bomber.
Nostalgic lore is VERY fragile. I can at least understand/sorta admire the dislike I guess?
It's a competent movie either way, though!
The order of quality is the same as the order they came out. Alien is the best. Aliens is reeeeeal close and if you said it was your favorite I would totally support that. Alien 3 is flawed but doesn't deserve quite as much crap as it gets and Resurrection is TEEEEERRIBLE.
Not gonna address 3 or the fourth one here, since they're basically non-factors to me. If I had to pick it would obviously be 3 but still...
Alien has great set design and music, but if I'm gonna be brutally honest here... the supporting characters aren't great, it's painfully predictable (even for its time), and I just found Ripley kinda lifeless. A lot of what I found rough about Prometheus, I can trace right back to this film: They share similar flaws to me.
Aliens is a different genre but it's got great action, much better characters, and Sigourney has some chance to actually emote. It's the better film by a considerable margin, but the original is okay for what it is. Anyway if you're weighted toward action, like I am, then there's no contest. I grew up with that pulse rifle noise, man!
I liked Prometheus, but it was kind of messy and I don't appreciate how it connects to the original film. I'd probably find it more entertaining than Aliens if I rewatched it. Aliens was good for one viewing. I watched the two sequels to Aliens too long ago to have an opinion, but their tones seem totally wrong.
I've actually only seen Alien so far. Also it was pretty recently that I watched and it was my first time seeing it. It's a real good movie and I think it totally stands the test of time.
Alien.
I need to re-watch Resurrection. I remember absolutely nothing about it. Like, nothing at all. Just that I thought it was boring and awful. I think I liked it better than 3.
To me it goes
Alien - Aliens - Prometheus - Alien 3 - Alien Resurrection - All the other terrible Alien crossover movies
Exactly my order too. Screw the Prometheus haters, right?
Yep, I never understood the haters..what, you think Prometheus is worse than Alien Vs. Predator, REALLY?? It's very weird where the hate for that movie comes from...its not like it was critically hated either and has a fairly good imdb score but there was this weird backlash against it I'll never understand...Alien Resurrection didn't get nearly the same hate when it came out and that's WAY worse! Good to see we exist bomber.
Yeah, but you gotta admit that at least AvP and Resurrection knew, right from the outset, exactly what they were. They had no high-minded pretensions of making art with a capital "A" only to then fail miserably.
If I go to the Ritz Carlton and get the equivalent of Whopper Value Meal, I'm going to be massively disappointed. If I go to Burger King and get the same thing, I got exactly what I expected. Prometheus may be a better film, but it fails on its own merits where the other two at least somewhat succeed.
Edit: Oh yeah, regarding the topic, Alien then Aliens. The rest can be mindless brain candy if the mood strikes.
You can enjoy Aliens more than you do Alien, but it still won't be the better movie.
Dingdingding! I'm very much in this camp. I certainly enjoy Aliens more than Alien for a variety of reasons, but Alien is clearly the better-made film.
I can understand how some people might like Prometheus but I just remember hating it at the time when I saw it mainly cause of how fucking stupid some of the characters were and just feeling like their motivations were all over the place. But its been a while, maybe worth going back to rewatch.
I can't say I hate 3, I agree with the location/circumstances but boy that CGI, and it feels like such a hard gear change after Aliens which was an entertaining reimagining. The original is a classic so you'd be hard pressed to get anymore out of that. That's whats so great about 2, it doesn't try to be a sub-par original, it instead carves out its own identity and iterates on the existing mythology in new and interesting ways. Alien 3 is just a lesser version of the original.
@pr1mus: Okay. Look man, if you're gonna say Alien 3 is better than Alien we could argue for days but in the end I can KIND of see where you could possibly come from. Naturally this means you prefer the solo Alien idea compared to a swarm so this defaults resurrection and aliens below Promethus and that's fine. But... Buddy. Buddy ole pal. You are going to have to explain how you find Alien Resurrection in any way better than Aliens.
I hold the alien franchise in high regard and while some don't even acknowledge the dourth film I kind of enjoy it as a dumb film with insane action sequences and goofy characters. But there is no way I can see that ever eclipsing Aliens. I just can't, I need some sort of explanation. Please sir! ENLIGHTEN ME!!!???
Alien is a groundbreaking, master crafted science-fiction horror film.
Aliens is a groundbreaking, master crafted science-fiction action film.
@pr1mus: Okay. Look man, if you're gonna say Alien 3 is better than Alien we could argue for days but in the end I can KIND of see where you could possibly come from. Naturally this means you prefer the solo Alien idea compared to a swarm so this defaults resurrection and aliens below Promethus and that's fine. But... Buddy. Buddy ole pal. You are going to have to explain how you find Alien Resurrection in any way better than Aliens.
I hold the alien franchise in high regard and while some don't even acknowledge the dourth film I kind of enjoy it as a dumb film with insane action sequences and goofy characters. But there is no way I can see that ever eclipsing Aliens. I just can't, I need some sort of explanation. Please sir! ENLIGHTEN ME!!!???
I hate every characters, story and action in general in both Alien Resurrection and Aliens but one of them has Ron Perlman in it.
Actually, i can expand a bit more. I don't actually hate the characters in Resurrection. They're dumb for sure, like in Aliens, but they're at least entertaining compared to just annoying in Aliens. The story isn't very good in either movie with Resurrection being particularly egregious. But really what it comes down to is that i prefer the solo Alien versus a horde of them like you pointed out and Resurrection is a lot closer to that than Aliens. To be honest Aliens is just a really bland and boring looking action flick of the 80s. It's a style that never did anything for me at all.
And then there's Ron Perlman. He's great.
As for Alien 3 vs Alien well there's a couple thing. First i'd say the cinematography of Alien 3 is unparalleled. It is a beautiful movie to look at and that's something considering the locations and populace it depicts. The acting is solid throughout, better than in the first in my opinion. Sigourney Weaver was great in the first film, as were Ian Holm and Tom Skerritt but everyone else was kind of mediocre. Now most importantly though is the Assembly Cut. The original cut was bad. I wouldn't defend that one but the 2003 cut fixes a lot of the problems. I think in general far too many people have just been conditioned to hate Alien 3 by default, to the point that most don't even know why and probably couldn't elaborate on why it is such an "aberration".
Nice topic. I like Alien and Aliens the same, while I don't care for three or Resurrection, but still, three is better than Resurrection. Alien Isolation is great too :P. I can't vote on this since I do like the first two the same. Oh! I also like Prometheus, but it has some bad dialogue, and annoying characters (those two things can go hand in hand), which is the only reason why I dislike it more than Alien and Aliens really. It's understandable as to why it's not on here though.
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