Movie Debate #150: Alien

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[TDIRunner | 2,737]

Great movie.  I haven't watched it in a while, but I've seen it recently enough to know it still holds up well today.  I prefer the action of the sequel to the horror of the original, but it's still a great movie.  

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

Easy 9 for me. I think Aliens is a damn near perfect movie, but this one is also absolutely fantastic in its own right. It's very similar to Terminator and Terminator 2, in that the first film is more horror-focused, but the second has more action whilst still retaining the core of the original, and they're both great in their own ways (and also much like Terminator, none of the films after the 2nd one can quite manage to reach the heights of the first two, haha.)

Also, Alien: Isolation is a fantastic game for anyone who's a fan of the Alien films. Perfectly recaptures the feeling of the first film, super fun game. Would highly recommend it to anyone who likes this franchise.

[wongojack | 214]

Went with 9 and it probably deserves a 10, but Aliens is just so good that I think it goes down a point just by orbiting too close to the sun.

I recently busted out the Blu Rays with the extended editions of Alien 1-3.  I REALLY enjoyed the extended versions of all of them.  Alien has the fewest changes.  Aliens gives you a lot more of the colony, and Alien 3 now actually makes sense.

 

[RH | 4,903]

My vote is a bit of a stretch.  I feel like I saw this on TV as a kid over 30 years ago but other than seeing the scene with the robot guy and the knife, I don’t remember anything about it.

 

[nrslam | 475]

9 for me. Not just a great movie, with one of the most iconic monster debut scenes of all time, but it made me a fan of H.R. Giger's artwork as well.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

10 minutes ago, RH said:

My vote is a bit of a stretch.  I feel like I saw this on TV as a kid over 30 years ago but other than seeing the scene with the robot guy and the knife, I don’t remember anything about it.

 

That's Aliens, not Alien.  We actually watched the same broadcast since it was kind of a big deal.  Scarred me for life considering I wasn't even 5.

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

I gave it a 7/10. It absolutely terrified me as a child and turned me off from horror for a long time. I may revisit and rate it higher as I'm starting to enjoy some fantasy horror lately, but the 7/10 score is as high as it is because it accomplished what it se out to do.

[RH | 4,903]

26 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

That's Aliens, not Alien.  We actually watched the same broadcast since it was kind of a big deal.  Scarred me for life considering I wasn't even 5.

Yeah, I wondered if that was Aliens, but that part in my mind felt like more of a setup.  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Alien, though. +30 years of separation from the viewing does make it a very hazy memory.

[Link | 2,710]

Sometimes, older movies just feel dated and a little boring. It's really a shame, but there's something off with the pacing, the dialogue is hokey, or the plot is confusing. Having only seen this movie for the first time a few years ago and having no nostalgia factor for it,

Not Alien. Voted 9.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

So good.  Incredible tone and atmosphere.  No other space/horror flick comes close, including favorites Event Horizon, Jason X, Freddy in Space, Pandorum, etc. 

Aliens is another 10 of course, but loses the horror edge to a degree much like T2 as @ZeldaFreak mentioned.  And similar to Terminator, I prefer Alien over the sequel by a slim margin for the horror aspect and sense of impending dread.  

And not to mention, peak Sigourney Weaver. 

Spoiler

 

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

2 hours ago, Link said:

Sometimes, older movies just feel dated and a little boring. It's really a shame, but there's something off with the pacing, the dialogue is hokey, or the plot is confusing. Having only seen this movie for the first time a few years ago and having no nostalgia factor for it,

Not Alien. Voted 9.

I'd in fact say Alien was quite ahead of its time in a lot of ways. Holds up super super well for sure.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

Strong and likable female protagonist done right.  Disney should be taking notes.  9/10

[Link | 2,710]

3 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

I'd in fact say Alien was quite ahead of its time in a lot of ways. Holds up super super well for sure.

 That was supposed to be a fakeout that sounds like this movie sucked in my eyes and, punchline!, it doesn't at all and none of those factors I mentioned apply; in fact everything I said is really the opposite, and it's a serious cinematic treasure, 9/10, killer movie, everyone should watch it.

I was trying to be original in saying something, and clever and a little funny by making a twist ending, I fail yet again 

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

1 hour ago, Link said:

 That was supposed to be a fakeout that sounds like this movie sucked in my eyes and, punchline!, it doesn't at all and none of those factors I mentioned apply; in fact everything I said is really the opposite, and it's a serious cinematic treasure, 9/10, killer movie, everyone should watch it.

I was trying to be original in saying something, and clever and a little funny by making a twist ending, I fail yet again 

Uh, yeah I know, I got that, haha. I was commenting on the fact that not only does Alien hold up well (like you said,) but it also, like I said, was even ahead of its time in a lot of ways. I was agreeing with the punchline, haha.

[Sumez | 2,951]

cool movie

[doner24 | 1,195]

8 Aliens is a 9

[AstralSoul | 502]

Absolutely amazing movie. Slow start but when it picks up it's seriously good. Best sci Fi and horror combination out there. 9/10

[Link | 2,710]

15 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

Uh, yeah I know, I got that, haha. I was commenting on the fact that not only does Alien hold up well (like you said,) but it also, like I said, was even ahead of its time in a lot of ways. I was agreeing with the punchline, haha.

Oh, see, it sounded like you were disagreeing with me I'll just stop now lol

Edited February 15 by Link

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

One of the (many) things I really love about the film is the soundtrack. With some horror films they can sometimes go a little overboard with the soundtrack, which actually lessens some of the horror, but I never felt that way with Alien.

There's actually a (mostly) cut track that was originally going to be used for the scene in which

Spoiler

Ash attacks Ripley, and while the track itself is REALLY good, ultimately I think it was the right move to cut it, and for most of the scene to have no music at all/much more subdued music until Ash's head is ripped off by Parker. As good as this track is, I definitely think what they did in the final cut is much more effective, and is a good example of what I was talking about where a scene going a bit too far with the music can actually somewhat dampen the horror rather than enhance it. And the music finally kicking in when it does in the final cut makes the reveal of Ash being an android that much more effective.