ALIEN....the prequel?

Zombie_61 · Sep 15, 2026

Edward said:
III is one of my favourites. On a rewatch in isolation I always enjoy Aliens more than I remember, but if I watch Alien and III alongside it, I'm always reminded of how disappointing it is that when it came to making the first sequel to such a beautiful piece of sci-fi gothic horror as Alien, they decided to make an action picture...

They knew what they were doing. Alien (1979) was mostly a slow moving snoozefest with a couple of decent "boo" jump scares, so they brought in James Cameron to jazz Aliens (1986) up a bit, and it worked. Then, to follow that up they hired David Fincher for Alien 3, and he used it to hone his skills for movies like Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and...oh, you know. I can still watch Alien and Aliens, but after that I'm out.

Judgmentalist · Sep 15, 2026

Edward said:
III is one of my favourites. On a rewatch in isolation I always enjoy Aliens more than I remember, but if I watch Alien and III alongside it, I'm always reminded of how disappointing it is that when it came to making the first sequel to such a beautiful piece of sci-fi gothic horror as Alien, they decided to make an action picture... III is much more in tune with what I enjoyed about the first one.

That’s interesting. I think of Alien and Aliens as equally perfect examples of two different genres.

I don’t see how they could have followed Alien with a similar slow-burn horror movie after all the creature has been revealed.

I always thought the approach taken with Aliens was an inspired choice.

Of course I was 1 and 8 when they came out so… they were both Canon by the time I saw them.

Trenchfriend · Sep 15, 2026

Zombie_61 said:
Who says the Aliens in the movie franchise need oxygen to survive?

What to replace oxygen? And liquid?

Trenchfriend · Sep 15, 2026

When I get the chance, I will watch Alien 3 Assembly Cut! I think, it will work better for me.

Zombie_61 · Sep 16, 2026

Trenchfriend said:
What to replace oxygen? And liquid?

Oh, I don't know. Hydrogen and wood? Natural gas and chewing gum? There are probably any number of gases and liquids in our universe that we aren't even aware of simply because the universe is so vast, but "alien" beings that are also out there need them to survive.

Edward · Sep 29, 2026

Zombie_61 said:
They knew what they were doing. Alien (1979) was mostly a slow moving snoozefest with a couple of decent "boo" jump scares, so they brought in James Cameron to jazz Aliens (1986) up a bit, and it worked. Then, to follow that up they hired David Fincher for Alien 3, and he used it to hone his skills for movies like Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and...oh, you know. I can still watch Alien and Aliens, but after that I'm out.

Commercially, I can't argue against it being a sound move. III is still my preference, though. IV had some interesting ideas to it, but it felt too "made for mainstream sales" to me, if you see what I mean.

The worst one, though, was probably the most recent - was it Romulus? Something like that. I think I'd have enjoyed it if I was eighteen and hadn't seen the others, but it just felt a bit... flat to me. That and the constant, over-flagged callbacks to the original films (almost always Aliens) just felt too laboured to me. But, y'know... just one opinion. I think the best the franchise has produced in recent years was the streaming series last year. Hoping we'll see more of that if they can keep that standard up.

Judgmentalist said:
That’s interesting. I think of Alien and Aliens as equally perfect examples of two different genres.

I don’t see how they could have followed Alien with a similar slow-burn horror movie after all the creature has been revealed.

I always thought the approach taken with Aliens was an inspired choice.

Of course I was 1 and 8 when they came out so… they were both Canon by the time I saw them.

To be entirely fair, I do, on a rewatch, enjoy Aliens more than I remember, but I'm still a little bit disappointed it's more of an action picture.

Trenchfriend · Sep 29, 2026

Another logic question on Alien 3.

Could Ripley survive the crash on Fiorina 161's coast in reality?? I guess not, huh?

Edward · Sep 29, 2026

Trenchfriend said:
Another logic question on Alien 3.

Could Ripley survive the crash on Fiorina 161's coast in reality?? I guess not, huh?

Much shorter picture if she hadn't....

I didn't find it implausible, though I'd put it down to story mechanics more than anything else.

Trenchfriend · Sep 29, 2026

See you later, now hopping on my scooter, getting an "last minute Blue-Ray player", HDMI cable AND the "Alien - 6 movie collection box". Alien 3 Assembly Cut is included.

Trenchfriend · Sep 29, 2026

Right now watching Alien 3 Assembly Cut/Special Eition (145 minutes). This Blue-ray edition also has the remastered Assembly Cut.

Trenchfriend · Sep 29, 2026

Right now Alien - 2003 Director's Cut on Blue-ray DVD. Yes, it's a lovely detail, althought this 2012s TV is not Full-HD.

Trenchfriend · Sep 30, 2026

Right now Aliens - 1990 Extended Cut/Special Edition Blue-ray DVD. Let's see, how it holds up!

Trenchfriend · Sep 30, 2026

Right now watching Alien: Covenant for the first time! Original tone, at first.

Trenchfriend · Oct 2, 2026

What's the backstory between Alien 3's Dr. Clemens and Superintendent Andrews? Why they hated each other? Was there ever an explanation?

Trenchfriend · Oct 5, 2026

Another bug in Alien 3 Theatrical Cut.

The crane heaves the EEV ashore. But how can the crane reach the EEV that far in the water??

That's another thing, the Assembly Cut corrected.

ALIEN....the prequel?

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