Alien is the better movie I think. Aliens is fun but I find the Xenomorph thing more effective in a horror movie than an action movie. And it does get points for coming out first, as all original movies do in my book.
Poll: Alien or Aliens?
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I prefer the tense psychological horror of Alien way over the gun toting, adrenaline overloaded action of Aliens.
Definitely the first film for me.
Definitely the first film for me.
Alien. I saw both movies as a kid, in order.
Aliens was a great action movie. Really fun and smart and quotable and interesting.
Alien destroyed my feeble mind. Holy shitfuck. That chestburster scene. Terrifying and sickening--I had to stop the movie for a while to recompose myself because I thought I was going to both puke and cry. SO YEAH. Pretty impactful! (I did insist on finishing it that night though, even though it scared the shit out of me the whole way through.)
Also hey, it isn't just video games that turn their best survival horror into action shooters! /snark
Edit: Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen either movie since then either. Totally gonna watch Alien right now, thanks OP.
Aliens was a great action movie. Really fun and smart and quotable and interesting.
Alien destroyed my feeble mind. Holy shitfuck. That chestburster scene. Terrifying and sickening--I had to stop the movie for a while to recompose myself because I thought I was going to both puke and cry. SO YEAH. Pretty impactful! (I did insist on finishing it that night though, even though it scared the shit out of me the whole way through.)
Also hey, it isn't just video games that turn their best survival horror into action shooters! /snark
Edit: Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen either movie since then either. Totally gonna watch Alien right now, thanks OP.
Funny, i was going to listen to the Alien soundtrack yesterday but then i stopped procrastinating
I mostly prefer Aliens ... mostly.
But seriously while they're both great, Aliens way just a much more fun film for me as it has so many epic moments and iconic lines.
Favorite quotes:
"They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls!"
"Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"
"That's it man, game over man, game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?"
And is it a coincidence that they're all Hudson's lines?
But seriously while they're both great, Aliens way just a much more fun film for me as it has so many epic moments and iconic lines.
Favorite quotes:
"They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls!"
"Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"
"That's it man, game over man, game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?"
And is it a coincidence that they're all Hudson's lines?
I enjoy watching Aliens a little more due to the tension and great action scenes although I feel that Alien is also slightly better. It contains surprises such as hidden company agendas, an android being on board and has fairly realistic acting. There's a scene where a crew member has the alien on him and quarantine is brought into question. It's one of several emotional scenes and I like it for that reason.
I'd say Aliens. Of course because of those whacky space marines, but also for what I like to call "Predator Syndrome". It's something I noticed with horror movie franchises such as Predator. The reason everyone says that the first Predator movie was the best is because when you're seeing it for the very first time, it's a mystery. You don't know if it's a person with high-tech gear, a monster, an alien, you don't know what's going on. Hell, the first half of the movie only shows very seldom heat-vision shots from the Predator's viewpoint as he stalks the team that are going to take out some rebels or something. Half the movie goes by you don't don't even catch a whiff of the monster.
It was impossible for Predator 2 to match the atmosphere and suspense because all of a sudden you're dealing with a known quantity. Assuming you saw the first movie, you already know what's out there and what it's capable of. This almost demands a shift from "suspenseful horror" to more a more action-oriented story, which Predator 2 most certainly was.
It's the same with Alien and Aliens. The first time you see the first movie, EVERYTHING'S a surprise. From the facehugger to the chestbuster (I don't care who you are, the first time you see that scene you pee yourself a little
) to the vent-shaft hunt and everything else. In Aliens, all the mystery is removed, you already know what these creatures are and what they do and how deadly they are, meaning it had to go for a more action-oriented story.
Sooooooo how does this equate to me actually voting for Aliens after suggesting that the mystery and suspense of Alien make it superior? Simple...I've already seen both movies. There's no more mystery or suspense for me in Alien. I still love the movie and consider it one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time. But all things considered, with they mystery removed the playing field becomes even. At which point I have to go with the movie with the wise-crackin' space marines. I mean come on, there's just WAY too many quoteable lines in that movie!
"This little girl surivived all on her own for 2 weeks and she didn't even have military training!"
"WELL FUCKING PUT HER IN CHARGE!"
"I say call the dropship, get back to the Sulaco, and nuke the site from orbit."
"Fuckin' A!"
And for the record, I do still think that the first Predator movie is better than the sequel...though not by much.
It was impossible for Predator 2 to match the atmosphere and suspense because all of a sudden you're dealing with a known quantity. Assuming you saw the first movie, you already know what's out there and what it's capable of. This almost demands a shift from "suspenseful horror" to more a more action-oriented story, which Predator 2 most certainly was.
It's the same with Alien and Aliens. The first time you see the first movie, EVERYTHING'S a surprise. From the facehugger to the chestbuster (I don't care who you are, the first time you see that scene you pee yourself a little
) to the vent-shaft hunt and everything else. In Aliens, all the mystery is removed, you already know what these creatures are and what they do and how deadly they are, meaning it had to go for a more action-oriented story.Sooooooo how does this equate to me actually voting for Aliens after suggesting that the mystery and suspense of Alien make it superior? Simple...I've already seen both movies. There's no more mystery or suspense for me in Alien. I still love the movie and consider it one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time. But all things considered, with they mystery removed the playing field becomes even. At which point I have to go with the movie with the wise-crackin' space marines. I mean come on, there's just WAY too many quoteable lines in that movie!
"This little girl surivived all on her own for 2 weeks and she didn't even have military training!"
"WELL FUCKING PUT HER IN CHARGE!"
"I say call the dropship, get back to the Sulaco, and nuke the site from orbit."
"Fuckin' A!"
And for the record, I do still think that the first Predator movie is better than the sequel...though not by much.
Alien is like listening to a solo: it's pretty cool how one person can do all the work and still sound fantastic.
Aliens is like listening to the rest of the orchestra play. I'm going Aliens.
Aliens is like listening to the rest of the orchestra play. I'm going Aliens.
I've always been more partial to the horror and survival aspect of the universe, so Alien is my favorite.
Correct me if I'm wrong (I could be), but there is NO CGI in Aliens. In fact, the Alien Queen scene stands as the greatest testament to the power of practical effects over CGI in the history of cinema.Lazy said:
I have to agree with people who say that they're both perfect examples of their respective genres: Alien is a sci-fi horror movie, Aliens is a sci-fi action flick. It's like an even more extreme version of the difference between The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. While there's at least SOME basis for comparison, it's like asking us to choose between apples and oranges- they're both fruit, but are totally different types of fruit.
I vote Aliens.
I'm not a big fan of horror films. However, I love sci-fi movies, particularly ones with good action. Aliens is a fun, actiony ride with a good female protagonist who manages to be interesting, complex, and competent in the face of deadly Xenomorphs. Thus Aliens is the obvious winner.
If one liked horror movies, I could see why one would prefer Alien, so it really comes down to personal preference.
I'm not a big fan of horror films. However, I love sci-fi movies, particularly ones with good action. Aliens is a fun, actiony ride with a good female protagonist who manages to be interesting, complex, and competent in the face of deadly Xenomorphs. Thus Aliens is the obvious winner.
If one liked horror movies, I could see why one would prefer Alien, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Definitely Aliens, since Alien just manages to anger me.
It took me a long time to understand why they had a cat aboard the ship, but I eventually realised that that cat is by far one of the smartest members of the Nostromo's crew. The majority of crew deaths were their own fault for being so painfully idiotic.
It took me a long time to understand why they had a cat aboard the ship, but I eventually realised that that cat is by far one of the smartest members of the Nostromo's crew. The majority of crew deaths were their own fault for being so painfully idiotic.