I love Aliens

Since we don’t have a thread devoted to the most ass-kicking science fiction film ever, I’m starting one. Arising from discussing plot holes on the 3x3 thread.

I’m rewatching to figure out this whole Bishop thing, and here’s what I love so far:

  1. Vasquez has a rockin’ body
  2. The sergeant being able to wake up first and start chewing his cigar
  3. Vasquez’s smartgun has “Adios” written on the side
  4. The camraderie of the smartgun people, it’s the big guns against the world!
  5. Lady Gaga piloting the dropship. Cool, competent, throws down when necessary, and has “Fly the Friendly Skies” on her helmet
  6. Hicks sleeping during the drop
  7. I love how Vasquez is always the first through a door. “Maybe we need to kill everything on the other side, better send Vasquez.”
  8. Newt does a hell of an acting job

I know this is Vasquez-heavy. Get used to it.

More to come.

Remember when movies didn’t have bad CG? And when queen aliens and cargo loaders were totally kick-ass practical effects?

 -Tom

What’re we gonna use - harsh language?!

Also, although I mentioned it on the product placement 3x3 podcast*, it’s really weird seeing that big fat Reebok logo splashed across the screen when Ripley slides her foot into the cargo loader. Cameron was a whore back before we knew it was whoring!

 -Tom  
  • I misidentified it as Nike, so fat lot of good that product placement did! Thanks to spacemonkey for the correction.

No doubt, I’ve already goggled at the loader “effects” during the start, how the hell did they do that? I see Terminator technology (the movie, not the fiction) in use during some scenes, but otherwise they’re moving really big things around in a very cool fashion.

H.

Ever since Aliens scared the shit out of me as a little kid, it’s been counted among my favorite movies.

The final, I dunno, 40 minutes or so of the film in particular are just pure cinematic wonderfulness. The slow, tension-building decent into the overloading reactor is so good, pacing at its finest. I can’t help but think of that scene any time I’m creeping deep into a game environment, waiting for the shit to hit the fan (Dead Space 2 comes to mind). Of course it all pays off when we meet the amazing-looking, totally practical alien queen. Unlike CGI from the late 90s, the queen still looks spectacular, one of may reasons practical effects should never fully die. Ripley delivers the emotional payoff with a flamethrower, then it’s back through the crumbling complex with Newt and a pissed-off alien. The tension built by the elevator is just as well done as everything else in the scene, and had the film ended with the power station blowing up, not one single person would have felt shorted.

Of course the film didn’t end there. The power loader scene is stuff of cinematic legend, but rather than talk about it, I think I’m gonna go watch it.

Thanks for putting this movie back in my head, I was just trying to figure out something to do tonight.

“Get away from her you bitch!”

The practical effects in Aliens were definitely nothing short of amazing. The portrayal of Ripley and the loader exosuit was particularly amazing. It was real, and it was big hardware… and they made us believe. The smartgun loadouts were also practical effects, but the best part is that they actually worked the way they were intended to be shown in the movies. The APC, although a cheap overlay of a GM chassis, was convincing. It looked and acted menacing. There are so many things in Aliens that I can only wish to see replicated today, but with the advancement of CGI effects, we won’t be seeing much of it. I’ve seen the movie probably a dozen times (if we include the director’s cut, which I’d rather not) and yet absolutely nothing looks wrong. It’s very real, and still very scary. And also probably the best role Bill Paxton will ever have until the day he dies.

“You always were an asshole, Gorman.”

I wish the sentry guns had made the final cut. In addition to being cool, they explained for me why the marines were not overrun by 400+ aliens incubated in all the missing colonists.

That movie only cost $15 million to make and it still looks as good as or better than any of the $200 million CG blockbusters of today. I was lucky enough to see a screening a few years ago that was followed by a Q&A with Stan Winston, and when asked if he’d do anything differently if he could go back and use modern effects tech, he replied, “Not a single thing.” Like a boss.

Ah, Stan, RIP. One of the greats.

Aliens won the Oscar for visual effects that year. Still looks amazing. Could you imagine how much a Hollywood Studio would pay to make a movie like aliens today? $120 million, easy. And it would look like shit.

Newt was awesome. Carrie Henn’s only role, too. There’s a story to tell the kids and grandkids.

Cool. And true too. Everything still works.
No I need to go buy the Special Edition - it’s been too long. Is it out on Blu-Ray? Preferably not in a box with 3 and 4… everything containing the word “Alien” after Aliens has been shit.

You probably know that, but the complete sentry gun sequence is in the director’s cut which has long been available on DVD.

Yes, it’s out on blu-ray… but so far only in the Anthology box, with 3 and 4. I’m still waiting for the separate releases of the first two movies myself.

Not to mention the superb soundtrack James Horner composed.

Oh so jealous.
I own 3 cuts of this movie, and stopped myself from buying the bluray yesterday…guess I should just stop fooling myself and go grab it.

What the…? I never would have guessed that Aliens isn’t on Blu-Ray already.

Hmm. I’m not sure I like this idea of “FX mistakes that crept in”. I’m getting a whiff of Lucas.

-Tom

Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?

George Lucas presents Aliens Remastered 3D! FUCK YES!

Edit: Aw, dang, this was actually covered.

[Some spoilery stuff below, but Jesus, who hasn’t seen Aliens?]

So to give my post content (why start now, rofl, lmao) lemme note that Aliens is one of those movies that is really, really not served by its director’s cut. Some of the bonus stuff is neat, like the turret scene, and some is actually really good stuff that should never have been cut, like Ripley finding out about her family. But all of that is pretty much balanced out by the tedious nonsense on LV-426 at the start of the film. None of that needed to be shown. Not only does it kind of kill some of the early tension, but it really stretched my suspension of disbelief to have it be Newt’s dad who found the Space Jockey’s ship.

The early LV-426 stuff on the director’s cut reminds me of The Abyss. Even ignoring its effect on tension, the blue collar working stiffs in space didn’t fit with the Aliens motif. Instead it was all about the grunts (and a little bit about the suits).

Doesn’t ANYONE know whether Aliens is out on Blu-ray yet!?

I liked all of the additions, especially the intro sequence. Have you never watched Alien? Working stiffs in space was the whole basis for that movie, and the added intro was a great reminiscence.

Alien is a very different movie from Aliens.