Fun Stuff > ENJOY

Alien

<< < (2/10) > >>

ackblom12:
Well, I actually like like Alien 3, but you have to take it as much on it's own as you possibly can. Resurrection was... it was close to not being terrible.

Edit: also, Jinx!

ackblom12:
I will also say that one of the more impressive things about Aliens is how well Cameron handled the character of Ripley, hence her being one of the best characters of all time.

Rather than keep her role genderless (which is also impressive considering the time period) as Ridley Scott did, Cameron managed to make her gender a very important part of the core thesis of the movie and managed to do it in a non exploitative and non-sexist manner. The fact this was done in 1986 and in the action genre is... just kind of fucking sad looking at the following 26 years.

TheEvilDog:
Damn jinx!

I quite liked the concept of Alien 3; a handful of people, in a prison, with no real way to defend themselves against a vicious alien. But then, its the same concept as the first film, with only the setting being different. Which is why I really liked Aliens. It didn't want to repeat what Alien did, it went its own way, with what was actually a cool idea.

And you have a good point about Ripley. Her evolution over the films is really the benchmark to which protagonists should be held. Not meek or cowardly, but someone out of their depth, repeatedly thrown into situations and forced to struggle to survive. And getting stronger and a little colder after each situation, but also retaining some of their humanity. The most interesting thing about Ripley is that this happens across 4 films, not the last twenty minutes of a film as is usually the case.

ackblom12:
Well, 3 isn't just about that, it has a slightly different thesis than the first film, but wrapped up in the same style of package. It's just that it's not as well done in the areas it does retread and doesn't hold up to the earlier film's quality. Also it actually works better if you don't consider it part of the Alien franchise, which is kind of bizarre.

Edit: One of my favorite things about Aliens is also how Cameron did the genre shift. The movie is certainly an action film, though it borders on horror a lot. What keeps it from being horror though is entirely centered around Ripley herself. Unlike in the first film, Ripley never has that moment where she is powerless and broken. In the first film, it was when she confronted Seth and found out about their current mission, when she was overcome with the reality of what was going on. In the 2nd film, the way they kept it out of the horror genre is because Ripley is always in control. She's regularly terrified, she's never in a situation where it's looking good and she knows it. But she accepts it and instead refuses to break because she knows that the moment she does everyone will die, and it is a beautiful thing to behold.

ackblom12:
If you analyze Aliens, I actually wonder if it has more to say about motherhood, PTSD or Survivor's Guilt. Motherhood is definitely the one that has the most obvious and central message.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page