One more thing that most people missing in the original Alien film is the fact that we don't really know who is our protagonist. Cast has almost equal screen time and Ripley never seems like main focus of the story up to the last 15 min or so. Such a genius move to not cast someone famous (at the time) to play Ripley.
I purchased Alien 3 as VoD a couple of years ago and only recently found out it also featured the Assembly Cut. At first I thought 30ish minutes more movie wouldn't make a big difference but it managed to change pretty much everything. The prison colony has a whole different feel to it, it's more like a monastery now with some weird end of days type religion. Almost every inmate got it's own story arc. There is a whole new sub plot about the Alien actually getting caught and escaping again. Suddenly the whole movie oozes lore and atmosphere like never before. I never really liked the 3rd movie before and I'm still sad they didn't follow the first script, jumped producers and directors and killed Newt and Hicks off screen. BUT the Assembly Cut completely changed my perception of the movie. For me the whole thing is now the final chapter for the trilogy, not the one I wanted, but still a good one.
Revisiting Alien3 Alien3 is infamous for it's production problems. Numerous directors left in preproduction claiming issues with the script and lack of control. When Fox opted for the David Fincher, they felt they could steer a promising talent towards ensuring everything was done to maximise the film’s commercial viability. The issue was not that it was a young director, the previous films helmed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron were testament to that but, Fox were now on unknown terra firma, they had a powerful franchise in their hands with a expectant hungry audience. Fincher was constantly undermined in filming, the studio would relentlessly critic the dailies, demand rewrites, threaten alterations in budget etc. Many of the cast and crew have stated the toxicity of the set as a result of all the uncertainty. Things got so bad, Fincher left after shooting, before the editing process had even started. He even demanded his name be taken off the credits, which was bold as this was his first feature film. Fox refused. The director went on to become one of cinema's most influential modern visionaries (Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, Panic Room and many more). We will never see Fincher's true vision but perhaps the closest to it is the Special Edition (not the Assembly cut as marketed by the studio). It is far superior to the poorly edited and therefore confusing and aloof theatrical release. It does flesh out the characters more, provides more authentic world building and doesn’t compromise the strong religious undertone. No version will appease those looking for a sci-fi action film (Aliens part 2). That was never the director’s intention as Cameron’s Vietnam satire Aliens is a very different tonally to Scott’s haunted house horror Alien, but it is improved and truer to the storyteller's intention. For Fincher devotees, there is much to enjoy here; the now caracteristic colour pallet, striking camera work, the painfully beautiful imagery of suffering, and the foreboding atmosphere of helplessness. It also benefits from an outstanding cast of superb character actors including Charles Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover and Pete Postlethwaite. Much has been said about the lack of technology in the film, it's primal basic approach almost being a rebuke of Cameron's earlier actionfest. This disconnect from the previous film would explain much of the disappointment felt by mainstream audiences on release. The killing of characters who audiences had already invested in was very much a statement that this would be a very different animal. Alien3 with Prometheus (a topic for another day) are the most misunderstood of films. The film is bathed in religious elements; Weaver as the virgin mother, the hellfire of the tunnel ducts of the compound, the environment of eternal damnation, the acceptance of one's fate, the baptising effect of water and the self sacrifice of the finale. At its core, it is about faith. And blind faith is devoid of materialism, technology, abundance and resisting the overwhelming tide of reason. Many would state, the film is devoid of entertainment or merit, I would strongly disagree. It is unquestionably flawed but my devotion is so strong, I would persecute these heretics and ...in space no-one would hear them scream.
Another great episode from my favorite show from SOT. Awesome to have Jamie back on with the OG trio. 1. Alien 2. Aliens 3. Prometheus 4. Alien Covenant 5. Alien Resurrection 6. Alien 3 Thanks for the great content Pete. SOT IS THE BEST CHANNEL ON RUclips
1. Alien - My favorite horror film of all-time! Love everything about it. It's perfect! 2. Aliens - An absolute thrill ride. It never lets up. 3. Alien 3 . Very underrated. This is a film that grows on you after multiple watches. Watch the assembly cut. Yeah, don't care about the rest.
As Pete said in his conclusion, that was fun! And Chris gets a special shout out for adding "star trek" as a verb in my vocabulary going forward with his statement "you just Star Trek that $hit!" But just a perfect fivesome panel for this show and the ensuring discussion. Everyone's distinct personalities shone through like a beacon and you the fun each had with the other always makes for good entertainment. Can't rank them all but will say that watch Aliens more often than Alien so probably should rank that as number 1. It took quite a while for me to go see Aliens - at the insistence of my older brother - as just couldn't imagine it being better than Alien even though he kept telling me that. But the night after watching Aliens, remember distinctly having a memorable nightmare for what seemed like all night fighting the aliens in my dream. So real I was exhausted the entire next day. Again, thanks, gents, for taking your time to entertain us and each other and looking forward to next week's episode.
1:39:35 I always found 'Leviathan' enjoyable. Yes it was an 'Alien' and 'The Thing' rip off set underwater. But it was a decent film and had a strong cast that included Peter Weller, Ernie Hudson, Daniel Stern and Richard Crenna
21:32 - There is a young Guy Pierce in the original cut. Those scenes were cut. They ended up using them as "viral" promotional material. So, yes, there was a purpose, but that purpose ended up on the cutting room floor. FWIW
The problem w old man makeup is that characters don't MOVE like old people. They either exaggerate the movements or just move like they're actual age. One of the best old man performances is when Peter Cushing portrayed an 80 year old (approximately) Dr Who while Cushing was only in his early 50s. He had minimal makeup and what really sold it was his old-man body movements which were just right.
1:21:25 When l was 8 there were only 2 films playing at my local 2 screen cinema in 1985 and all we had to go by was the posters. The films were Back To The Future and The Goonies. I really wanted to see BTTF but my mother said let's go in and see the Goonies as BTTF doesn't look or sound all that good. I went into the Goonies so disappointed, but came out loving it. The following week I harped on to see BTTF and my mother went with me not expecting much. Turns out we both loved BTTF as well. I now own these 2 classic films on Blu Ray along with BTTF 2 and 3 of course. The 80s had loads of great films!
"Jaws in Space" is absolutely a thing! There's even a book of the same title because that was allegedly the phrase they used to pitch the movie to the studio. Jamie Laszlo wasn't off at all with that one.
1. Alien 2. Aliens 3. Alien 3 (underrated, there are things in both the assembly cut and theatrical cut that I enjoy so my ultimate cut would take elements from both) 4. Prometheus (it has problems, but I would still mark it as a good movie. It's been 10 years, I've gotten over the thing with the engineers being pale jacked guys and just wearing helmets. The sets look good, it's shot beautifully, and has some interesting ideas) 5. Alien Covenant (there are things it does better than Prometheus. Some scenes are very memorable, but ultimately it isnt as interesting as Prometheus. I find the first half really good, but once they meet David the movie dips a bit. I am also not a fan of David being the mastermind behind the Xenomorphs that we know. Sure it could be that he stole the ideas from the engineers as he saw the mural in the vat room in Prometheus, but I'm not sure if that's what Scott was getting at) 6. Alien Resurrection (a complete abomination. Nearly unwatchable in my mind. It doesnt know what it wants to be. Sometimes its a bad comedy, sometimes it's a terrible action movie, sometimes it's a mediocre thriller. Pick a lane. The dialogue is garbage, the characters are all one note each with a dumb trait, the guns on his arms guy, the wheelchair man who talks funny. Theres more, but that's the short version)
The funniest thing I remember from seeing Alien Resurrection at the theater was the entire crowd laughing and cheering when Brad Dourif had his head bitten off. He was very annoying throughout the movie
A great character actor sadly underused by mainstream Hollywood two of his finest roles being Billy Bibbit in A One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Hazel Moats In Wise Blood.
23:26 - Bishop II, as he is known as in Alien 3, is a synthetic modeled after and created by the human Michael Bishop who played a large role in sending the team in "Aliens" to investigate the disappearance of the families of that tera-formed planet to be impregnated by the Xenomorph and brought back to be weaponized and sold to the military.
I've only seen the first four films, I was done after '97. That being said here's my list. 1. Aliens (1986). 2. Alien (1979). 3. Resurrection (1997). 4. Alien 3 (1992).
The Monster's Den is always great but this week was fantastic. Many thanks to the star-studded panel, you're all well worth my attention and the time of this hangout flew by in half an hour, or that's how it seemed to me. Wonderful stuff.
1. First two films kick ass. 2. I have a soft spot for Alien3 because of all the Brit actors like Paul McGann and Brian Glover (the PE teacher in Ken Loach’s Kes). 3. Aliens and the first two Terminator films are the only two James Cameron films I can watch. 4. Jamie, I get your point about Gotham. Although there is no Batman until the final scenes, Alfred and Jim Gordon are both prototype Batman for the young Bruce. Yes, I need to get out more.
The problem with the prequels for me is that after seeing them I realized that I was happier with the mystery. I liked not knowing anything about the space jockeys and the origin of the Alien more then the explanation were given. Sometimes a little mystery is better. I've only watched each one once and I'll never watch them again
Yeah I had this same issue with the Alien prequels. I preferred seeing the Alien as a mysterious space creature who biologically evolved somewhere in the deepest reaches of space. Knowing this backstory from the prequels that a race of humanoids created them makes them less interesting in my opinion.
Thanks Pete and everyone for discussing the Alien series! Great discussion gentlemen! It's similar to Jurassic Park for me in that while I only consider the first two movies to be actually good, I find moments to enjoy in the others and like discussing them as a whole. I first got into the Alien franchise when I was 13 in Fall 1997. This was when Alien Resurrection was about to be released and in anticipation, I rented the first three films on VHS from Blockbuster. I also got the Starlog issue covering AR's making of and the Darkhorse comics adaption of AR. The alien creature is one of the coolest movie monsters ever. To me it's up there with the classic Universal Monsters from the 30's and 40's. I love H.R. Giger's entire design and how they added the Queen concept in the sequel to expand on Giger's original. Alien & Aliens are like Godfather I&II for me in that they're both very good movies and feel like one complete story that complement each other beautifully. Hard for me to rank, but for now, Aliens then Alien. Alien Resurrection - Not a fan of the comedic vibe that runs throughout and they waste Michael Wincott, but I like Sigourney Weaver's new cloned Ripley enjoying her new alien-spliced abilities. Also love Ron Perlman and the bit where they go in the room with the failed clones. Alien 3 - I appreciate what they were trying to do with the film and respect that it's gotten a reappraisal in the past 20 years, but I still can't get over the phony way they write out Hicks, Newt and Bishop. I also feel the supporting cast all look too much alike and its hard to tell them apart when they're running around at the end of the film. The alien FX aren't very good either. It's watchable and has some good moments, yet remains a conflicted film for me. Alien Covenant - I take issue with the way they execute the alien's origin and a lot of the supporting cast are forgettable, but Michael Fassbinder continues to do a good job and there's some good moments like the massacre of the engineers and the alien playing along to the music. A mixed bag. Prometheus - One of my biggest theatrical disappointments and remains a major letdown a decade later. I was eagerly looking forward to Ridley Scott returning to the franchise and exploring the story of the Space Jockey from the original and what we got was....a lame retread of Alien with stupid characters behaving illogically, nonsensical plot contrivances, a lame origin for the Engineers and a waste of a great cast. At the least Michael Fassbinder is excellent as David (I also think Noomi Rapace does what she can as Shaw) and the film's visuals & locations look beautiful. A nice looking mess is an apt description. I welcome an Alien 5 set after Resurrection, but hope it will have a good script. Same deal with a third Alien prequel.
Great episode. I'll join Chris Alo with Aliens #1 and Alien #2. I love them both, but I'm definitely more of an action sci-fi guy than a horror-haunted-house-sci-fi guy.
i used to have that tee when i was a teen Chris - i had to roll up and stuff it with paper towels to keep it from going impotent while walking. i was afraid o' it getting mauled in the wash so i rarely wore it. unfortunately i lost it years ago - however i did come across a 2D reprint not too long ago that is pretty f'n faithful to how the 3D version looked head on................so i got that going for me...
Great episode, I loved that your bottom four movies were so different. I've seen all these films, but Alien 3 and Resurrection I probably watched 20 years ago and I honestly can't remember anything from them. Thought I'd seen both the two newest ones, but apparently I haven't rated Prometheus on Letterboxd and when watching the trailer just now I couldn't remember any of it, so I guess not. Covenant is a 6/10. I remember it as okay, but not great. The original is my clear favorite. Just a perfect movie. Aliens is awesome as well, though it has a couple of characters I dislike.
Excellent show guys, wish I could have been there for the live chat. The Alien Franchise is the best Horror Sci-fi in film for me. Nothing even comes close. The first two are the best but over the years Alien 3 and Resurrection have really grown on me. The Scott sequels leaves a lot to be desired.
One of my favorite parts of this episode was the opining on how movies are completely ruined by the endless previews that give the movie away and how much better it was going into a movie not knowing anything about it. Not only did I get that with Alien (and even Aliens), but actually got it with Prometheus believe it or not. I don't watch coming attractions on the internet. I don't go to "sci-fi geek" websites at all. If a movie looks interesting enough and well-made, I don't bother reading reviews before watching it. So, I put it in my Blockbuster queue way back when (I preferred it over Netflix for mail rentals) and, when it showed up, I popped it in having no idea what it was about. Around halfway through I started saying, "Wait a minute...this is blatantly ripping off Alien." It wasn't until near the end that I actually put it all together and figured out it was a prequel. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it a little more than most of the guys here.
Alien 3 actually has very little to no CGI. The alien in that film is a puppet in front of a green screen. They even tried dressing a dog up in an alien costume... and you can imagine how that went.
A-L-I-E-N It's all about the classic first film for me. "Alien" is a brilliant horror movie of the 1970s, while "Aliens" is still good, but a bit of a goofy action film of the 80s. There's just no comparison for me. The first film is a frightening, well acted, mature/adult, wildly cool film. I dunno, just imagine sticking Paul Reiser or Paxton ("We're screwwwed, dude!") or that screaming, annoying Newt in the original movie. I'd be more into the Alien staying on, while I kick those three the hell out of the ship! So....ALIEN is indeed like JAWS. Where it's all about the first great film. The follow up is still good, and then.... But make no mistake. This is about the era as well. The 1970s was cool, intelligent and thought provoking. The 80s was fun, (and at times really interesting), but also goofy and completely immature. *Btw, I love Chris Alo's point about PROPHECY & ALIEN, both having the egg poster. Prophecy was my first date. Took Marcy to see it in June of '79. I remember Alien later in the year, but those two, although very different, are always connected for me. --if only the Alien had made to earth and been able to tree-slam some helpless campers in yellow sleeping bags.
really enjoying these ranking vids..Petes room resembles the man cave I've got with all the music, blu ray topped off with les paul and sg. ha! Think you guys should continue with these for a lot of franchises. out of interest how do you guys rate 'event horizon'? in my opinion one of the most underrated horrors
I sincerely lost track of this franchise after the third movie, but Sigourney (at her 72 years), I'm sure has at least one more Alien movie in which she could totally kick anybody's ass. She did "Defenders" a few years back and was one of the few good things about that show. Great show, as always, thanks! 🍺🍺
The Deacon was not the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph was the result of black goo experimentation by David. I don't get the confusion over the plot of Prometheus. It's pretty straightforward. Finally, Scott was pretty adamant that PM wasn't an "Alien" prequel. 1. Aliens 2. Alien 3. Prometheus 4. Resurrections 5. Covenant 6. 3 EDIT: Still watching the video. Yikes! There were several horseshoe ships at that facility. David deciphered the alien language which is how he revived and communicated with he Engineers.
Great video Pete! Looking forward to that Predator one next week! For me their is only two Alien films I like, Alien & Aliens. The rest of them I couldn't care less for them as I really disliked Alien 3 for how boring and depressing it was. However, after hearing how good Alien Resurrection was I'm thinking of watching it again as I only got halfway through the movie then shut it off after not enjoying it. Their a lot of interesting history on how the whole Alien film was created and the many ideas, early drafts and concept art then went into it was amazing including Aliens as well. A little trivia on Alien 3. Cyberpunk author, William Gibson wrote a screenplay which sadly was never used as his idea was to add cyberpunk, Cold War elements, USSR and some other things. Now you can get a graphic novel of Gibson's Alien 3 which I like to check out.
What makes Alien great is the less is more effect, you get glimpses of the Alien until the end the fear and tension ramp up, watching it in 79 for the first time where their crawling around the air vent it was very scary.
OK monsters den people I can’t wait for your review of alien Romulus. Great movie starts a little slow, but it certainly picks up steam and takes you all the way to the end. Excellent movie.
I may be one of the few that rates Prometheus and covenant highly, just because of the longevity factor of trying to get my head around the background of the Alien creatures origin and it's connection to ancient Earth etc. Having said that, the further unrealised films could have really tied it all together and made the whole premise a lot more satisfying. The big gap between films did them no favours as well, just like you guy's mentioned. But, at the end of the day of course, the first 2 are still the best, but I have gotten enjoyment out of all the rest of them to varying degrees.
Jamie - if you have Shudder there is an Alien documentary that explores the origins of the Alien movie and it basically came from a script in the early 70s before Jaws came out.
they had to kill off Newt because the original child actress aged too much. I personally don't care that they killed them off. Alien is Ripley's story, no one else matters
Here in the UK, I remember seeing a guy wearing one of those alien chest burst t-shirts years ago. I always wanted one, but my practical side won out. Not really made for day to day use.
The Bishop is a descendant of the Bishop from Alien Vs Predator. Bishop is his middle name. Weyland is his last name. Also, the 60 year gap is between Alien and Aliens. She was adrift for 57 years. Their is no huge gap between Aliens and 3. I think if Aliens did not exist, Alien 3 would be considered a better sequel.
1. Aliens 2. Alien 3. Alien Resurrection 4. Alien: Covenant 5. Prometheus 6. Alien 3 "District 9" is really good. Now you all need to watch the new "Jurassic Park" and rank those.
22:19 - The reason for the "Love the One Your With" is because they are stranded in space. Two people who are millions of miles from the ones they probably love. I mean, if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with. It's 1000% appropriate for that scene. Come on, guys. It's so obvious it's almost ham fisted. How can you not see that?
But the point we were trying to make is that most people under 30 seeing that film would NEVER get that analogy...it's fairly random unless you are of a certain age.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Is it though? It seems like there are a few points being made about this gag. Jaime said "why would you throw that in there?" Pretty sure he asks this question, and that is the question I am addressing. The question of who under 30 would know that song is absolutely valid, but the Love the One You're With gag is an obvious joke/reference to those in the know. Idris is making a play for Weyland's daughter in a playful, whimsical way. It's a nice build up to the punchline of the melody played on the accordion. And it's pretty clearly intentionally a joke for the olds (me included). Jaime even says "and he plays love the one you're with" after you make the salient point that under-thirty somethings wouldn't know the song.
Jamie, the reason you're not hearing some of the music in that original issue soundtrack LP when watching the movie, is because it's not there. Scott cut a lot of the music that Goldsmith wrote and substituted music from his own temp track, which was made up of cues from Goldsmith's score for "Freud" (1962). Go listed to the "Freud" ST and see what I mean!
With regards to Alien 3 I'm surprised none of you mentioned that it was the directorial debut of acclaimed Hollywood director David Fincher and that the cast was largely made up of British character actors who in my opinion do a great job, Charles Dance is criminally underused and lets be honest there was never any real scope for plot development.
Covenant made me feel quite sick when some of the aliens burst out, not because it was gory, some of those fast CGI effects make me feel dizzy - anyone else get that?
The Alien series are the most re-watched movies I have. My first date with my wife-to-be was to go see Alien. I got my Alien Quadrilogy BluRay from best buy for $15. The DVDs I had were in such bad shape, they went straight to the trash. In order Aliens, Alien Resurrection, Alien, Prometheus, Alien3, and for the only hated one, Covenant. The blow out moment in Resurrection came in the lab scene where all the failed Ripley clones are revealed.
I rank them pretty much in order of release, from best to worse. "Prometheus" and "Covenant" were terrible disappointments, with idiotic characters and plot holes big enough to drive the Nostromo through. I thought "Ressurection" was a decent enough film....not great but but bad. I've always thought 3 was a bit underrated and a solid film overall. The first two are fantastic and very different, with "Alien" being a classic pot boiler and "Aliens" being a balls-to-the-wall action flick of very high order. But barring any huge gap in quality, I usually go with the original.
Where did it say Alien3 was supposed to take place 61 years after Aliens? I think you'll find it was supposed to take part virtually straight after as the Sulaco wasn't drifting like the Nostromo lifeboat was
Saw ALIEN in 1980 on HBO (few months after its theatre run). ALIENS opening night, packed house, heart pounding through much of it. ALIEN 3 7pm opening night...shaking my head at the 10pm crowd lined up. Hey, they were looking at us. We exited like we were marching in a funeral. We left the theatre after ALIENS like a sporting event...like an OT goal in a Game 7. Saw RESURRECTION in the theatre... many comments about the franchise being done & dead. I really wanna watch PROMETHEUS again. I thought COVENANT was OK.
In terms of the TV series coming out, it'd be interesting to do something related to the "Alien Isolation" video game that came out a few years ago. You could build off the story of Ripley's daughter, and explore a part of the Alien story that's never really been touched upon; something new so to speak. In terms of my ranking... it's Alien, Aliens, and the rest I really don't care about to be perfectly honest.
The alien in Alien 3 is an alien/dog hybrid. I didn't like the last 2 at all. Totally forgettable. I only like the 1st 4. 01-Aliens 02-Alien Resurrection. Really underrated. Great story and great acting throughout the movie. I loved it on the big screen. I bought the DVD before it was available in the USA from someone in China. 03-Alien 04-Alien3
The first one is by far the best for many reasons. The tension and atmosphere is organic and real. Its over an hour before we see the Alien and by then the fear and dread are at a crescendo. Aliens, imho, succumbed to a lot of 80s macho males tropes. Its a GREAT sequal, and it looks as good as the original. And Segourney weaver emerges as a full blown heroin in Aliens. It has some of that 80s "might makes right" tropes with the space marines etc. To Camerons credit he probably felt like he couldnt top the dread atmisphere of the first one. 3 is trash and resurrection i liked. Prometheus was the 3rd best. Covenant has some good action but the story is a snarled mess when trying to fit it in to the alien universe. Overall I really enjoy these and would see another one.
@@chrisalo2989 why kill off Hicks/Newt, she could've grown into Ripley's replacement after Resurrection, what a waste! On top of it, how does James Cameron & Tim Miller create 1 of the worst movies, Terminator Dark Fate! Dark Fate is probably the worst movie I've seen in 20 years!
@@metalmelodies6718 Yep, definitely! That unproduced script I have for ALIEN 3 features an adult Newt and an older Hicks. Oh God, yeah, I HATED Dark Fate myself.
I can't quite believe the amount of plot lines and characters that you (primarily Rich) didn't get. ??? Maybe watch the bloody films again before you review and rate them. I have to say more than anything else (and i may be in the minority here or simply called a lunatic) but Bishop in Alien 3 IS AN ANDROID. The whole point of his ear hanging off apart from mimicking Ash was to show he was. I don't get how you don't see that. They are all utter utter shite apart from the first 3. I love Alien 3. Loved it when it came out. The extended cut is so much more character driven and they catch the bloody Alien!! It looks amazing (apart from the creature sure) and the whole point for me is that Ripley CANNOT WIN. She's been through hell twice and now she has to make the ultimate sacrifice to end it. It would have been nice to have a third film with Hicks sure but it wasnt and i think its awesome and the sound track for Alien 3 is in my top 5 soundtracks of all time. Prometheus is one of the worst films ive ever seen and Covenant is even worse. Ridley Scott should have been banned from directing after Prom was shat out. So ner!!! Love you guys, you loser nerds x
Gotta admire Chris' patience handling Rich's shenanigans ;-) Although I LOVE District 9 (District 13 is a French action flick) , I don't think Neill Blomkamp would have done a good job with the franchise, anything he did after that got worse & worse. Go check "Demonic" it's abysmal !
@@seaoftranquilityprog Neill Blomkamp seems to me to be one of those directors who have a great first movie and that's about it, same goes for Nicolas Winding Refn (director of Drive 2011).
@@andrewcarr5923 You are correct, I was talking about his first big hit, actually as a non writer too. Realizing he had just ripped off "Driver", which I saw year after Drive.
untouchable two: 1. Aliens (top action/adventure ever) 2. Alien (one of the best horror pics) the rest: 3. Prometheus (amazing looking) 4 Ressurection (comicbook fun) 5/6 tie for 3 and Covenant
I adore Aliens (1986), a total sci-fi action classic but beware of that terrible messed up version Cameron released a while back graded all blue and overall drab looking, I'm keeping the old original. Of the other sequels, I'm honestly not a big fan of any of them but I do enjoy the one with Lance Henriksen Alien vs. Predator (2004) quite a bit there's at least some great sets and some exciting thrills in that one.
this is a no-brainer - starting with #1, just go down the list in the order they were released. i actually cannot stand the rebooted prequels at all for the simple reason that one o' the things that made the first SO f'n good was that it didn't try and explain everything. the space jockey was this absolutely inspired carcass/relic that created way more questions than answers when i saw it in the theatre in '79. there is something to be said about leaving a little goddamn mystery to a story. 'alien resurrection' - despite how much i loved 'city o' lost children' - was by far the worst o' the big 4. i loved the kinetic brilliance o' 'aliens' and i really appreciated the mood and adaptive dna aspect they brought in for 'aliens 3'. F the reboots - lipstick on pigs...
Prometheus is one of those guilty pleasure movies for me. Some parts are genuinely good, like the 'alien abortion' scene, but there are so many silly moments I can't take it seriously.
Just a thought: For me, this franchise lost its' way completely. Alien 1 did it for me: Just one alien, that had the predatorial genetics from birth to parasitically implant itself within biology, then their ship (transportation vessel) with the inate overarching survival instinct to gain species propagation elsewhere. Perhaps just one chance in a thousand years! Developing at an astounding rate, with all the internal resources to take on a shipload of adult humans - that monster was profound. What it didn't bargain for was an equally resourceful lady! No surprise for me there though ;) Alien 2 - just a fun-packed Doom-style shoot 'em up? The franchise just gets weirder, cheaper and more dysfunctional there on in. I would've liked it to have the plot twisted where we see it from the alien's perspective, perhaps, where the species of bipedal vertebrate omnivorous predators - humans (equally dangerous), are its' alien!
Excellent show, chaps. Here are a couple of debatable comments: 1 - "Alien" is not just a great genre movie. It is a great movie. 2 - With "Alien" and "Blade Runner", Ridley Scott made two of the most influential movies of all time (I am not saying that there are not other influential movies, but these are two powerhouse movies from the same director.) 3 - How many actors have a scene named after them, like "The John Hurt Moment". 4 - There is no bad acting in "Alien" but Ian Holm gives a great performance. (f you can track down his performance as J.M. Barrie in the TV show “The Lost Boys” from 1978, you may find it rewarding) 5 - I heard Ridley Scott say in an interview that he suffers from claustrophobia. I think that fact has a very interesting impact on how you watch “Alien”.
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One more thing that most people missing in the original Alien film is the fact that we don't really know who is our protagonist. Cast has almost equal screen time and Ripley never seems like main focus of the story up to the last 15 min or so. Such a genius move to not cast someone famous (at the time) to play Ripley.
Chris Alo cracks me up whenever he says that he is a big fan of something and then proceeds to bash like half the series.
I purchased Alien 3 as VoD a couple of years ago and only recently found out it also featured the Assembly Cut.
At first I thought 30ish minutes more movie wouldn't make a big difference but it managed to change pretty much everything.
The prison colony has a whole different feel to it, it's more like a monastery now with some weird end of days type religion.
Almost every inmate got it's own story arc. There is a whole new sub plot about the Alien actually getting caught and escaping again.
Suddenly the whole movie oozes lore and atmosphere like never before.
I never really liked the 3rd movie before and I'm still sad they didn't follow the first script, jumped producers and directors and killed Newt and Hicks off screen. BUT the Assembly Cut completely changed my perception of the movie. For me the whole thing is now the final chapter for the trilogy, not the one I wanted, but still a good one.
As usual, Chris Alo had the best line of the night, "Is Dan Brown still talking?"
Revisiting Alien3
Alien3 is infamous for it's production problems. Numerous directors left in preproduction claiming issues with the script and lack of control. When Fox opted for the David Fincher, they felt they could steer a promising talent towards ensuring everything was done to maximise the film’s commercial viability. The issue was not that it was a young director, the previous films helmed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron were testament to that but, Fox were now on unknown terra firma, they had a powerful franchise in their hands with a expectant hungry audience.
Fincher was constantly undermined in filming, the studio would relentlessly critic the dailies, demand rewrites, threaten alterations in budget etc. Many of the cast and crew have stated the toxicity of the set as a result of all the uncertainty. Things got so bad, Fincher left after shooting, before the editing process had even started. He even demanded his name be taken off the credits, which was bold as this was his first feature film. Fox refused. The director went on to become one of cinema's most influential modern visionaries (Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, Panic Room and many more).
We will never see Fincher's true vision but perhaps the closest to it is the Special Edition (not the Assembly cut as marketed by the studio). It is far superior to the poorly edited and therefore confusing and aloof theatrical release. It does flesh out the characters more, provides more authentic world building and doesn’t compromise the strong religious undertone. No version will appease those looking for a sci-fi action film (Aliens part 2). That was never the director’s intention as Cameron’s Vietnam satire Aliens is a very different tonally to Scott’s haunted house horror Alien, but it is improved and truer to the storyteller's intention.
For Fincher devotees, there is much to enjoy here; the now caracteristic colour pallet, striking camera work, the painfully beautiful imagery of suffering, and the foreboding atmosphere of helplessness. It also benefits from an outstanding cast of superb character actors including Charles Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover and Pete Postlethwaite.
Much has been said about the lack of technology in the film, it's primal basic approach almost being a rebuke of Cameron's earlier actionfest. This disconnect from the previous film would explain much of the disappointment felt by mainstream audiences on release. The killing of characters who audiences had already invested in was very much a statement that this would be a very different animal. Alien3 with Prometheus (a topic for another day) are the most misunderstood of films. The film is bathed in religious elements; Weaver as the virgin mother, the hellfire of the tunnel ducts of the compound, the environment of eternal damnation, the acceptance of one's fate, the baptising effect of water and the self sacrifice of the finale. At its core, it is about faith. And blind faith is devoid of materialism, technology, abundance and resisting the overwhelming tide of reason. Many would state, the film is devoid of entertainment or merit, I would strongly disagree. It is unquestionably flawed but my devotion is so strong, I would persecute these heretics and ...in space no-one would hear them scream.
Stellar job by entire cast. I ENJOYED it. The “ live chat “ had the same vibe. Thank you all 👍💯
Another great episode from my favorite show from SOT. Awesome to have Jamie back on with the OG trio.
1. Alien
2. Aliens
3. Prometheus
4. Alien Covenant
5. Alien Resurrection
6. Alien 3
Thanks for the great content Pete. SOT IS THE BEST CHANNEL ON RUclips
1. Alien - My favorite horror film of all-time! Love everything about it. It's perfect!
2. Aliens - An absolute thrill ride. It never lets up.
3. Alien 3 . Very underrated. This is a film that grows on you after multiple watches. Watch the assembly cut.
Yeah, don't care about the rest.
As Pete said in his conclusion, that was fun! And Chris gets a special shout out for adding "star trek" as a verb in my vocabulary going forward with his statement "you just Star Trek that $hit!" But just a perfect fivesome panel for this show and the ensuring discussion. Everyone's distinct personalities shone through like a beacon and you the fun each had with the other always makes for good entertainment. Can't rank them all but will say that watch Aliens more often than Alien so probably should rank that as number 1. It took quite a while for me to go see Aliens - at the insistence of my older brother - as just couldn't imagine it being better than Alien even though he kept telling me that. But the night after watching Aliens, remember distinctly having a memorable nightmare for what seemed like all night fighting the aliens in my dream. So real I was exhausted the entire next day. Again, thanks, gents, for taking your time to entertain us and each other and looking forward to next week's episode.
1:39:35 I always found 'Leviathan' enjoyable. Yes it was an 'Alien' and 'The Thing' rip off set underwater. But it was a decent film and had a strong cast that included Peter Weller, Ernie Hudson, Daniel Stern and Richard Crenna
21:32 - There is a young Guy Pierce in the original cut. Those scenes were cut. They ended up using them as "viral" promotional material.
So, yes, there was a purpose, but that purpose ended up on the cutting room floor.
FWIW
The problem w old man makeup is that characters don't MOVE like old people. They either exaggerate the movements or just move like they're actual age. One of the best old man performances is when Peter Cushing portrayed an 80 year old (approximately) Dr Who while Cushing was only in his early 50s. He had minimal makeup and what really sold it was his old-man body movements which were just right.
1:21:25 When l was 8 there were only 2 films playing at my local 2 screen cinema in 1985 and all we had to go by was the posters. The films were Back To The Future and The Goonies. I really wanted to see BTTF but my mother said let's go in and see the Goonies as BTTF doesn't look or sound all that good. I went into the Goonies so disappointed, but came out loving it. The following week I harped on to see BTTF and my mother went with me not expecting much. Turns out we both loved BTTF as well. I now own these 2 classic films on Blu Ray along with BTTF 2 and 3 of course. The 80s had loads of great films!
"Isn't Dan Brown still talking?" - I shit my pants laughing. Damn, when does that Chris Alo action figure (with phrases) come out? LOL.
Maybe one day! :)
I've rewatched that line about 10 times
"Isn't Dan Brown still talking?"
🤣
Chris ALO/ “king of one liners “. Lol
"Jaws in Space" is absolutely a thing! There's even a book of the same title because that was allegedly the phrase they used to pitch the movie to the studio. Jamie Laszlo wasn't off at all with that one.
1. Alien
2. Aliens
3. Alien 3 (underrated, there are things in both the assembly cut and theatrical cut that I enjoy so my ultimate cut would take elements from both)
4. Prometheus (it has problems, but I would still mark it as a good movie. It's been 10 years, I've gotten over the thing with the engineers being pale jacked guys and just wearing helmets. The sets look good, it's shot beautifully, and has some interesting ideas)
5. Alien Covenant (there are things it does better than Prometheus. Some scenes are very memorable, but ultimately it isnt as interesting as Prometheus. I find the first half really good, but once they meet David the movie dips a bit. I am also not a fan of David being the mastermind behind the Xenomorphs that we know. Sure it could be that he stole the ideas from the engineers as he saw the mural in the vat room in Prometheus, but I'm not sure if that's what Scott was getting at)
6. Alien Resurrection (a complete abomination. Nearly unwatchable in my mind. It doesnt know what it wants to be. Sometimes its a bad comedy, sometimes it's a terrible action movie, sometimes it's a mediocre thriller. Pick a lane. The dialogue is garbage, the characters are all one note each with a dumb trait, the guns on his arms guy, the wheelchair man who talks funny. Theres more, but that's the short version)
The funniest thing I remember from seeing Alien Resurrection at the theater was the entire crowd laughing and cheering when Brad Dourif had his head bitten off. He was very annoying throughout the movie
A great character actor sadly underused by mainstream Hollywood two of his finest roles being Billy Bibbit in A One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Hazel Moats In Wise Blood.
23:26 - Bishop II, as he is known as in Alien 3, is a synthetic modeled after and created by the human Michael Bishop who played a large role in sending the team in "Aliens" to investigate the disappearance of the families of that tera-formed planet to be impregnated by the Xenomorph and brought back to be weaponized and sold to the military.
I've only seen the first four films, I was done after '97. That being said here's my list.
1. Aliens (1986).
2. Alien (1979).
3. Resurrection (1997).
4. Alien 3 (1992).
The Monster's Den is always great but this week was fantastic. Many thanks to the star-studded panel, you're all well worth my attention and the time of this hangout flew by in half an hour, or that's how it seemed to me. Wonderful stuff.
The extended cut of "Aliens" blows the theatrical cut out of the water.
1. First two films kick ass.
2. I have a soft spot for Alien3 because of all the Brit actors like Paul McGann and Brian Glover (the PE teacher in Ken Loach’s Kes).
3. Aliens and the first two Terminator films are the only two James Cameron films I can watch.
4. Jamie, I get your point about Gotham. Although there is no Batman until the final scenes, Alfred and Jim Gordon are both prototype Batman for the young Bruce. Yes, I need to get out more.
The problem with the prequels for me is that after seeing them I realized that I was happier with the mystery. I liked not knowing anything about the space jockeys and the origin of the Alien more then the explanation were given. Sometimes a little mystery is better. I've only watched each one once and I'll never watch them again
I agree. I set up the back story in my mind the way I preferred it to be.
Yeah I had this same issue with the Alien prequels. I preferred seeing the Alien as a mysterious space creature who biologically evolved somewhere in the deepest reaches of space. Knowing this backstory from the prequels that a race of humanoids created them makes them less interesting in my opinion.
I'm wondering that nobody is mentioning the real creator of Alien; H.R.Giger
true!! should have been mentioned, an oversight for sure.
Thanks Pete and everyone for discussing the Alien series! Great discussion gentlemen! It's similar to Jurassic Park for me in that while I only consider the first two movies to be actually good, I find moments to enjoy in the others and like discussing them as a whole.
I first got into the Alien franchise when I was 13 in Fall 1997. This was when Alien Resurrection was about to be released and in anticipation, I rented the first three films on VHS from Blockbuster. I also got the Starlog issue covering AR's making of and the Darkhorse comics adaption of AR.
The alien creature is one of the coolest movie monsters ever. To me it's up there with the classic Universal Monsters from the 30's and 40's. I love H.R. Giger's entire design and how they added the Queen concept in the sequel to expand on Giger's original.
Alien & Aliens are like Godfather I&II for me in that they're both very good movies and feel like one complete story that complement each other beautifully. Hard for me to rank, but for now, Aliens then Alien.
Alien Resurrection - Not a fan of the comedic vibe that runs throughout and they waste Michael Wincott, but I like Sigourney Weaver's new cloned Ripley enjoying her new alien-spliced abilities. Also love Ron Perlman and the bit where they go in the room with the failed clones.
Alien 3 - I appreciate what they were trying to do with the film and respect that it's gotten a reappraisal in the past 20 years, but I still can't get over the phony way they write out Hicks, Newt and Bishop. I also feel the supporting cast all look too much alike and its hard to tell them apart when they're running around at the end of the film. The alien FX aren't very good either. It's watchable and has some good moments, yet remains a conflicted film for me.
Alien Covenant - I take issue with the way they execute the alien's origin and a lot of the supporting cast are forgettable, but Michael Fassbinder continues to do a good job and there's some good moments like the massacre of the engineers and the alien playing along to the music. A mixed bag.
Prometheus - One of my biggest theatrical disappointments and remains a major letdown a decade later. I was eagerly looking forward to Ridley Scott returning to the franchise and exploring the story of the Space Jockey from the original and what we got was....a lame retread of Alien with stupid characters behaving illogically, nonsensical plot contrivances, a lame origin for the Engineers and a waste of a great cast. At the least Michael Fassbinder is excellent as David (I also think Noomi Rapace does what she can as Shaw) and the film's visuals & locations look beautiful. A nice looking mess is an apt description.
I welcome an Alien 5 set after Resurrection, but hope it will have a good script. Same deal with a third Alien prequel.
Great episode. I'll join Chris Alo with Aliens #1 and Alien #2. I love them both, but I'm definitely more of an action sci-fi guy than a horror-haunted-house-sci-fi guy.
Same here
i used to have that tee when i was a teen Chris - i had to roll up and stuff it with paper towels to keep it from going impotent while walking. i was afraid o' it getting mauled in the wash so i rarely wore it. unfortunately i lost it years ago - however i did come across a 2D reprint not too long ago that is pretty f'n faithful to how the 3D version looked head on................so i got that going for me...
For me:
1. Aliens
2. Alien
3. Alien: Resurrection
4. Prometheus
5. Alien 3
6. Alien: Covenant
Great episode, I loved that your bottom four movies were so different.
I've seen all these films, but Alien 3 and Resurrection I probably watched 20 years ago and I honestly can't remember anything from them. Thought I'd seen both the two newest ones, but apparently I haven't rated Prometheus on Letterboxd and when watching the trailer just now I couldn't remember any of it, so I guess not. Covenant is a 6/10. I remember it as okay, but not great.
The original is my clear favorite. Just a perfect movie. Aliens is awesome as well, though it has a couple of characters I dislike.
Excellent show guys, wish I could have been there for the live chat. The Alien Franchise is the best Horror Sci-fi in film for me. Nothing even comes close. The first two are the best but over the years Alien 3 and Resurrection have really grown on me. The Scott sequels leaves a lot to be desired.
One of my favorite parts of this episode was the opining on how movies are completely ruined by the endless previews that give the movie away and how much better it was going into a movie not knowing anything about it. Not only did I get that with Alien (and even Aliens), but actually got it with Prometheus believe it or not. I don't watch coming attractions on the internet. I don't go to "sci-fi geek" websites at all. If a movie looks interesting enough and well-made, I don't bother reading reviews before watching it. So, I put it in my Blockbuster queue way back when (I preferred it over Netflix for mail rentals) and, when it showed up, I popped it in having no idea what it was about. Around halfway through I started saying, "Wait a minute...this is blatantly ripping off Alien." It wasn't until near the end that I actually put it all together and figured out it was a prequel. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it a little more than most of the guys here.
1,Aliens
2 Alien
3,Alien Resurrection. 👍Great job.
Alien 3 actually has very little to no CGI. The alien in that film is a puppet in front of a green screen. They even tried dressing a dog up in an alien costume... and you can imagine how that went.
Yes, I was just about to comment that until I saw yours. It’s optically composited with a computer but filmed as basically stick puppets.
A-L-I-E-N
It's all about the classic first film for me. "Alien" is a brilliant horror movie of the 1970s, while "Aliens" is still good, but a bit of a goofy action film of the 80s.
There's just no comparison for me. The first film is a frightening, well acted, mature/adult, wildly cool film.
I dunno, just imagine sticking Paul Reiser or Paxton ("We're screwwwed, dude!") or that screaming, annoying Newt in the original movie. I'd be more into the Alien staying on, while I kick those three the hell out of the ship!
So....ALIEN is indeed like JAWS. Where it's all about the first great film. The follow up is still good, and then....
But make no mistake. This is about the era as well. The 1970s was cool, intelligent and thought provoking. The 80s was fun, (and at times really interesting), but also goofy and completely immature.
*Btw, I love Chris Alo's point about PROPHECY & ALIEN, both having the egg poster. Prophecy was my first date. Took Marcy to see it in June of '79. I remember Alien later in the year, but those two, although very different, are always connected for me.
--if only the Alien had made to earth and been able to tree-slam some helpless campers in yellow sleeping bags.
1. Alien
2. Aliens (extended cut)
3. Aliens (theatrical cut)
4. Alien (director's cut)
5. Alien 3 (assembly cut)
6. Alien 3 (theatrical cut)
7. Alien Resurrection (theatrical cut)
8. Alien Resurrection (extended cut)
9. Prometheus
10. Alien: Covenant
The first time I was introduced to Alien was the comic book adaption of Alien by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson.
Still have it.
Great intro Pete IDK if ever mentioned on show I just watched The House that Jack built was awesome
Alien Covenant. Captain, when we land on an unknown alien planet, helmets or no helmets? Err...lets try it without helmets for a change, shall we?
YESSSS!!
really enjoying these ranking vids..Petes room resembles the man cave I've got with all the music, blu ray topped off with les paul and sg. ha! Think you guys should continue with these for a lot of franchises. out of interest how do you guys rate 'event horizon'? in my opinion one of the most underrated horrors
I sincerely lost track of this franchise after the third movie, but Sigourney (at her 72 years), I'm sure has at least one more Alien movie in which she could totally kick anybody's ass. She did "Defenders" a few years back and was one of the few good things about that show.
Great show, as always, thanks! 🍺🍺
The Deacon was not the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph was the result of black goo experimentation by David. I don't get the confusion over the plot of Prometheus. It's pretty straightforward. Finally, Scott was pretty adamant that PM wasn't an "Alien" prequel.
1. Aliens
2. Alien
3. Prometheus
4. Resurrections
5. Covenant
6. 3
EDIT: Still watching the video. Yikes! There were several horseshoe ships at that facility. David deciphered the alien language which is how he revived and communicated with he Engineers.
Great video Pete! Looking forward to that Predator one next week!
For me their is only two Alien films I like, Alien & Aliens. The rest of them I couldn't care less for them as I really disliked Alien 3 for how boring and depressing it was. However, after hearing how good Alien Resurrection was I'm thinking of watching it again as I only got halfway through the movie then shut it off after not enjoying it.
Their a lot of interesting history on how the whole Alien film was created and the many ideas, early drafts and concept art then went into it was amazing including Aliens as well. A little trivia on Alien 3. Cyberpunk author, William Gibson wrote a screenplay which sadly was never used as his idea was to add cyberpunk, Cold War elements, USSR and some other things. Now you can get a graphic novel of Gibson's Alien 3 which I like to check out.
What makes Alien great is the less is more effect, you get glimpses of the Alien until the end the fear and tension ramp up, watching it in 79 for the first time where their crawling around the air vent it was very scary.
For me, Alien is one of the best movies of all time, Sir Ridley made a master piece for all times!
OK monsters den people I can’t wait for your review of alien Romulus. Great movie starts a little slow, but it certainly picks up steam and takes you all the way to the end. Excellent movie.
I may be one of the few that rates Prometheus and covenant highly, just because of the longevity factor of trying to get my head around the background of the Alien creatures origin and it's connection to ancient Earth etc. Having said that, the further unrealised films could have really tied it all together and made the whole premise a lot more satisfying. The big gap between films did them no favours as well, just like you guy's mentioned. But, at the end of the day of course, the first 2 are still the best, but I have gotten enjoyment out of all the rest of them to varying degrees.
Jamie - if you have Shudder there is an Alien documentary that explores the origins of the Alien movie and it basically came from a script in the early 70s before Jaws came out.
Angela Cartright was in Lost in Space. Veronica is her older sister.
Correct, my bad, she was in The Birds though.
@@sotdude7 and The Witches Of Eastwick...........
Awesome show!
Let’s do the Halloween films!
Maybe wait until Halloween Ends comes out at the end of the year
Alien 3 is an abomination simply for killing off Newt and Hicks and rendering the epic finale of Aliens moot.
Unforgivable
It could have been so good with a trifecta holding off the alien.
they had to kill off Newt because the original child actress aged too much. I personally don't care that they killed them off. Alien is Ripley's story, no one else matters
Here in the UK, I remember seeing a guy wearing one of those alien chest burst t-shirts years ago. I always wanted one, but my practical side won out. Not really made for day to day use.
Great cast and fun as always. Would you maybe consider doing a ranking on the Resident Evil movies?
The Bishop is a descendant of the Bishop from Alien Vs Predator. Bishop is his middle name. Weyland is his last name.
Also, the 60 year gap is between Alien and Aliens. She was adrift for 57 years. Their is no huge gap between Aliens and 3.
I think if Aliens did not exist, Alien 3 would be considered a better sequel.
Alien 3 is puppet effects on blue screen not CGI. There is one CGI effect with the alien head shattering.
1. Aliens
2. Alien
3. Alien Resurrection
4. Alien: Covenant
5. Prometheus
6. Alien 3
"District 9" is really good.
Now you all need to watch the new "Jurassic Park" and rank those.
22:19 - The reason for the "Love the One Your With" is because they are stranded in space. Two people who are millions of miles from the ones they probably love. I mean, if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with. It's 1000% appropriate for that scene. Come on, guys. It's so obvious it's almost ham fisted. How can you not see that?
But the point we were trying to make is that most people under 30 seeing that film would NEVER get that analogy...it's fairly random unless you are of a certain age.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Is it though? It seems like there are a few points being made about this gag. Jaime said "why would you throw that in there?" Pretty sure he asks this question, and that is the question I am addressing.
The question of who under 30 would know that song is absolutely valid, but the Love the One You're With gag is an obvious joke/reference to those in the know. Idris is making a play for Weyland's daughter in a playful, whimsical way. It's a nice build up to the punchline of the melody played on the accordion. And it's pretty clearly intentionally a joke for the olds (me included). Jaime even says "and he plays love the one you're with" after you make the salient point that under-thirty somethings wouldn't know the song.
Just watched Alien Resurrection special edition. It has about 20 minutes of extra footage. Also, I forgot that it was written by Joss Whedon.
Jamie, the reason you're not hearing some of the music in that original issue soundtrack LP when watching the movie, is because it's not there. Scott cut a lot of the music that Goldsmith wrote and substituted music from his own temp track, which was made up of cues from Goldsmith's score for "Freud" (1962). Go listed to the "Freud" ST and see what I mean!
With regards to Alien 3 I'm surprised none of you mentioned that it was the directorial debut of acclaimed Hollywood director David Fincher and that the cast was largely made up of British character actors who in my opinion do a great job, Charles Dance is criminally underused and lets be honest there was never any real scope for plot development.
Alien is my all time favorite movie. Aliens is my all time favorite sequel. And I do love the franchise. And I can wait for the TV series.
Covenant made me feel quite sick when some of the aliens burst out, not because it was gory, some of those fast CGI effects make me feel dizzy - anyone else get that?
I think that we can all agree that there is a whole chasm separating Alien and Aliens from the rest.
The Alien series are the most re-watched movies I have. My first date with my wife-to-be was to go see Alien.
I got my Alien Quadrilogy BluRay from best buy for $15. The DVDs I had were in such bad shape, they went straight to the trash.
In order Aliens, Alien Resurrection, Alien, Prometheus, Alien3, and for the only hated one, Covenant.
The blow out moment in Resurrection came in the lab scene where all the failed Ripley clones are revealed.
3 is the only one that I don’t care to watch again
I rank them pretty much in order of release, from best to worse. "Prometheus" and "Covenant" were terrible disappointments, with idiotic characters and plot holes big enough to drive the Nostromo through. I thought "Ressurection" was a decent enough film....not great but but bad. I've always thought 3 was a bit underrated and a solid film overall. The first two are fantastic and very different, with "Alien" being a classic pot boiler and "Aliens" being a balls-to-the-wall action flick of very high order. But barring any huge gap in quality, I usually go with the original.
Weren't Prometheus and Covenant supposed to be part of a trilogy that would answer all the un- answered questions? Guess they gave up on that.
Jamie, cool shirt!! Municipal Waste or Iron Reagan, which band is doing 80's thrash better?
Municipal Waste has more albums, but I really like Iron Reagan's Crossover Ministry. They were fun live too.
@@Jamie.Laszlo Same singer and other contributing members, so it was kinda a trick question. But, glad you like both.. You have good taste!!
It wouldn't be Thursday without The Monsters Den! My rankings are 1. "Alien", 2. "Aliens", 3. "Prometheus", who cares after that.
The Abyss is coming on 4k this fall.
Where did it say Alien3 was supposed to take place 61 years after Aliens? I think you'll find it was supposed to take part virtually straight after as the Sulaco wasn't drifting like the Nostromo lifeboat was
My main issue with 3 is the kill count isn’t consistent with the number of prisoners. Neither version gets it right.
My favourite franchise of all time
Saw ALIEN in 1980 on HBO (few months after its theatre run). ALIENS opening night, packed house, heart pounding through much of it.
ALIEN 3 7pm opening night...shaking my head at the 10pm crowd lined up. Hey, they were looking at us. We exited like we were marching in a funeral. We left the theatre after ALIENS like a sporting event...like an OT goal in a Game 7.
Saw RESURRECTION in the theatre... many comments about the franchise being done & dead.
I really wanna watch PROMETHEUS again. I thought COVENANT was OK.
Give me more Michael Wincott! I saw he’s in a newer current film coming out!
Very under used actor. His voice alone is a character in itself.
Yes, he’s in NOPE the new Jordan Peele horror movie. I saw the trailer when I went to the new Jurassic World
@@TheWrongHands18 i was so excited when i saw the same trailer !!!
In terms of the TV series coming out, it'd be interesting to do something related to the "Alien Isolation" video game that came out a few years ago. You could build off the story of Ripley's daughter, and explore a part of the Alien story that's never really been touched upon; something new so to speak.
In terms of my ranking... it's Alien, Aliens, and the rest I really don't care about to be perfectly honest.
My list (worst to best):
Alien - Resurrection
Alien - Covenant
Alien - Prometheus
Alien 3
Alien
Aliens
1-aliens..2-promethius..3-alien..4-resurection..5-covenant..6-3
I enjoy Aliens the most, but highly respect the first one. The rest I very rarely rewatch.
At last The Alien collection which is a fantastic series
The alien in Alien 3 is an alien/dog hybrid.
I didn't like the last 2 at all. Totally forgettable. I only like the 1st 4.
01-Aliens
02-Alien Resurrection. Really underrated. Great story and great acting throughout the movie. I loved it on the big screen. I bought the DVD before it was available in the USA from someone in China.
03-Alien
04-Alien3
Not in the other cut… it’s an Ox
8 Alien 3
7 Alien Resurrection
6 Alien Covenant
5 Avp
4 Avp Requiem
3 Promethetheus
2 Alien
1 Aliens
The first one is by far the best for many reasons. The tension and atmosphere is organic and real. Its over an hour before we see the Alien and by then the fear and dread are at a crescendo. Aliens, imho, succumbed to a lot of 80s macho males tropes. Its a GREAT sequal, and it looks as good as the original. And Segourney weaver emerges as a full blown heroin in Aliens. It has some of that 80s "might makes right" tropes with the space marines etc. To Camerons credit he probably felt like he couldnt top the dread atmisphere of the first one. 3 is trash and resurrection i liked. Prometheus was the 3rd best. Covenant has some good action but the story is a snarled mess when trying to fit it in to the alien universe. Overall I really enjoy these and would see another one.
James Cameron criticizes Alien 3 for killing off Hicks/Newt, then he kills off John Connor in the 1st 5min of Terminator Dark Fate 🤡
wow, good point!!!!!
@@chrisalo2989 why kill off Hicks/Newt, she could've grown into Ripley's replacement after Resurrection, what a waste!
On top of it, how does James Cameron & Tim Miller create 1 of the worst movies, Terminator Dark Fate!
Dark Fate is probably the worst movie I've seen in 20 years!
@@metalmelodies6718 Yep, definitely! That unproduced script I have for ALIEN 3 features an adult Newt and an older Hicks. Oh God, yeah, I HATED Dark Fate myself.
I can't quite believe the amount of plot lines and characters that you (primarily Rich) didn't get. ??? Maybe watch the bloody films again before you review and rate them.
I have to say more than anything else (and i may be in the minority here or simply called a lunatic) but Bishop in Alien 3 IS AN ANDROID. The whole point of his ear hanging off apart from mimicking Ash was to show he was. I don't get how you don't see that.
They are all utter utter shite apart from the first 3.
I love Alien 3. Loved it when it came out. The extended cut is so much more character driven and they catch the bloody Alien!! It looks amazing (apart from the creature sure) and the whole point for me is that Ripley CANNOT WIN. She's been through hell twice and now she has to make the ultimate sacrifice to end it. It would have been nice to have a third film with Hicks sure but it wasnt and i think its awesome and the sound track for Alien 3 is in my top 5 soundtracks of all time.
Prometheus is one of the worst films ive ever seen and Covenant is even worse. Ridley Scott should have been banned from directing after Prom was shat out. So ner!!! Love you guys, you loser nerds x
Promethius as number 6 is a sin
Gotta admire Chris' patience handling Rich's shenanigans ;-) Although I LOVE District 9 (District 13 is a French action flick) , I don't think Neill Blomkamp would have done a good job with the franchise, anything he did after that got worse & worse. Go check "Demonic" it's abysmal !
I really enjoyed District 9 on first viewing, but liked it less on 2nd watch and ultimately sold my blu-ray.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Neill Blomkamp seems to me to be one of those directors who have a great first movie and that's about it, same goes for Nicolas Winding Refn (director of Drive 2011).
@@sadekx5251 Refn did seven films before Drive, check out his Danish language films Bleeder and the Pusher trilogy there pretty good.
@@andrewcarr5923 You are correct, I was talking about his first big hit, actually as a non writer too. Realizing he had just ripped off "Driver", which I saw year after Drive.
untouchable two:
1. Aliens (top action/adventure ever)
2. Alien (one of the best horror pics)
the rest:
3. Prometheus (amazing looking)
4 Ressurection (comicbook fun)
5/6 tie for 3 and Covenant
My rankings:
1. Alien
2. Aliens
3. Prometheus
4. Alien Resurrection
5. Alien 3
6. Covenent
I adore Aliens (1986), a total sci-fi action classic but beware of that terrible messed up version Cameron released a while back graded all blue and overall drab looking, I'm keeping the old original. Of the other sequels, I'm honestly not a big fan of any of them but I do enjoy the one with Lance Henriksen Alien vs. Predator (2004) quite a bit there's at least some great sets and some exciting thrills in that one.
Alien: Isolation (video game) is the best Alien sequel that never was. Setting aside the first two films which are untouchable classics, of course.
1. Alien
2. Aliens
Love both of these films, but I like the original best, it’s like a slasher film in space.
this is a no-brainer - starting with #1, just go down the list in the order they were released. i actually cannot stand the rebooted prequels at all for the simple reason that one o' the things that made the first SO f'n good was that it didn't try and explain everything. the space jockey was this absolutely inspired carcass/relic that created way more questions than answers when i saw it in the theatre in '79. there is something to be said about leaving a little goddamn mystery to a story. 'alien resurrection' - despite how much i loved 'city o' lost children' - was by far the worst o' the big 4. i loved the kinetic brilliance o' 'aliens' and i really appreciated the mood and adaptive dna aspect they brought in for 'aliens 3'. F the reboots - lipstick on pigs...
Prometheus is one of those guilty pleasure movies for me. Some parts are genuinely good, like the 'alien abortion' scene, but there are so many silly moments I can't take it seriously.
Just a thought: For me, this franchise lost its' way completely. Alien 1 did it for me: Just one alien, that had the predatorial genetics from birth to parasitically implant itself within biology, then their ship (transportation vessel) with the inate overarching survival instinct to gain species propagation elsewhere. Perhaps just one chance in a thousand years! Developing at an astounding rate, with all the internal resources to take on a shipload of adult humans - that monster was profound. What it didn't bargain for was an equally resourceful lady! No surprise for me there though ;) Alien 2 - just a fun-packed Doom-style shoot 'em up? The franchise just gets weirder, cheaper and more dysfunctional there on in. I would've liked it to have the plot twisted where we see it from the alien's perspective, perhaps, where the species of bipedal vertebrate omnivorous predators - humans (equally dangerous), are its' alien!
Excellent show, chaps. Here are a couple of debatable comments:
1 - "Alien" is not just a great genre movie. It is a great movie.
2 - With "Alien" and "Blade Runner", Ridley Scott made two of the most influential movies of all time (I am not saying that there are not other influential movies, but these are two powerhouse movies from the same director.)
3 - How many actors have a scene named after them, like "The John Hurt Moment".
4 - There is no bad acting in "Alien" but Ian Holm gives a great performance. (f you can track down his performance as J.M. Barrie in the TV show “The Lost Boys” from 1978, you may find it rewarding)
5 - I heard Ridley Scott say in an interview that he suffers from claustrophobia. I think that fact has a very interesting impact on how you watch “Alien”.
Prometheus is actually the highest grossing Alien film and third highest rated alien film after the first two.
Alien was a legitimately great film that turned into a franchise. The first 3 were great but after that it because business over art
Chekhov’s gun. That’s Anton and not Pavel, I’m guessing😀
When they pitched the film alien they described it as jaws in space so jaime is correct
I'd like to see a movie where the Alien crash lands in Jurassic park
No. I save the Jurassic Park for a Predator crossover