# Alien or Alien's **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491 "2004-10-10T18:17:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuthbert\_Allgood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Cuthbert\_Allgood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuthbert_Allgood)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/1 "2004-10-10T18:17:08Z")
Just wanted to know what you guys thought was the best film and why. Although I thought the first one was brilliant i have to say i prefered the sequel ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/2 "2004-10-10T18:26:20Z")
I thought _Aliens_ was better, solely because it introduced the Colonial Marines. That sort of thing kind of gave the story a new direction anyway. Tripler I’ll happily take a pulsed-plasma rifle to a queen any day. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/3 "2004-10-10T18:28:57Z")
There was a sequel? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/4 "2004-10-10T18:45:22Z")
While I thought _Aliens_ was an excellent movie that can stand in its own right even apart from being a good sequal I don’t think it equalled the original. _Alien_ got its terror from what you though was beind the door and that anticipation can be a hell of a lot more scary than seeing the actual monster. The othe sequels had ther “suck” knob turned to 11. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/5 "2004-10-10T18:48:47Z")
_Aliens: Rambo in Outer Space_. The first one was better. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/6 "2004-10-10T18:50:38Z")
I’m torn between the two. _Alien_ was a masterful use of suspense. _Aliens_ was damn good fun. Both were highly creative. Hmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/7 "2004-10-10T19:01:35Z")
They’re very different movies, so it’s tough to compare them in any sense other than which one you like better. I love a good horror film, so I’m going with the first. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/8 "2004-10-10T21:23:00Z")
That’s like asking me if Godfather 1 or 2 was better. Both the original and the sequel were great and I just can’t decide which I liked better. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/9 "2004-10-10T21:47:42Z")
I’ll be the brave one to say it: While I was greatly impressed with the original _Alien_, it hasn’t aged nearly as well as _Aliens_. There are too many moments in the first that are just ridiculously cheesy, too many significant plot holes (like how did the alien grow to adulthood so fast, without any food source?). _Aliens_, on the other hand, is a crafted masterpiece, excellent pacing, no goddamned subplot about the fucking cat, and awesome, awesome, AWESOME scenery, sets, and props. I even liked _Alien 3_, despite its stuttered and jilted presentation. Hmm… I wonder if anyone will make an _Alien 4_? Because there certainly hasn’t been an _Alien 4_ yet. Nope. Not at all. Non. Existent. ---
**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/10 "2004-10-10T22:04:20Z")
I’m voting for the (non-extended) Aliens due to it standing the test of time much better than Alien (as already mentioned). The Colonial Marines are widely regarded as the most kickass soldiers in movie history and to see them torn apart by near-invisible monsters a major attraction. I know a lot of people say Alien is better because bacause you never see the Alien, but you don’t really see one fully in Aliens until the very end; the only scenes where we see the Aliens beforehand are the first encounter where it’s mostly fuzzy video links and the Aliens attacking where we see a few glimpses but not much more. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/11 "2004-10-10T23:03:21Z")
One’s a horror film, the other’s an action movie, both are at the very top of their respective genres. Your preference is based on what kind of flick you like best. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/12 "2004-10-10T23:14:53Z")
It’s a good point Alessan makes. Right. **Aliens** is my favourite film, _ever_. I’ve seen it upwards of 150 times, quite simply because it’s a film that never lets me down. I know it literally off by heart, and I still get a buzz from watching it, because for its genre, its the best film ever made. Nothing comes close for sheer suspense, all out action, build up, acting or quotable lines, plus the innovation building from the previous film (which I also really like). It’s one of the few films where there’s not a wasted second, and due to the fact CGI wasn’t about in 1986, it’s not dated badly at all, similar to the original Star Wars (non SE) And tell me ‘I say we nuke the site from orbit’ isn’t one of the best lines in a film ever Oh, and the extended Directors Cut is better than the Theatrical release Pauly T, proud owner of the 9 disc DVD boxset ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/13 "2004-10-11T00:16:15Z")
I like the one without the apostrophe the best. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/14 "2004-10-11T01:47:51Z")
I liked both. Alien was a really creepy space horror movie that defined the genre while Aliens was kind of a futuristic war movie that really expanded the Alien ‘universe’. Alien3 was kind of dull. It wasn’t terrible and it did kind of continue the story, Unfortunately, it felt very watered down after Camerons epic sequal. One alien instead of many. No weapons. No hair. No Hicks or Newt. Just Riply, Bishops head, and Charles S Dutton with a cast of identical bald English dudes. Alien Resurection was entertaining but didn’t really add much to the series (or the genre). Reckless arrogant scientists, corrupt military types, space pirates, robots with human emotions, bunvh of misfits trapped on a massive claustrophobic ship with Aliens. Seen it all before but better. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/15 "2004-10-11T02:12:27Z")
I agree that they’re such different movies that it’s difficult to compare them, but I’ll go with Aliens just because there are a few bits in Alien that seem to drag, and I hate that female crew member who isn’t Ripley. As mentioned above, Aliens has aged extremely well; the only parts of it that scream “80’s!” to me are the space marines, who irritate me because they’re just so ridiculous in, as was also mentioned above, a Rambo-esque way (the fact that they’re all torn to bits makes them easier to take). On the other hand, Alien has some terrifying scenes, and I think the android-subplot is excellent, so it’s not an easy decision. I think Alien looks way more dated than Aliens, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/16 "2004-10-11T02:15:24Z")
I’m more a SF fan than a horror fan, so I prefer Aliens, as it’s a SF movie while Alien is more of a horror flick. It’s also directed by James Cameron, who’s responsible for some of my favorite movies (excluding Titanic). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/17 "2004-10-11T02:36:55Z")
**Aliens** – no question. I didn’t like **Alien**. Cute set-up, and it was absolutely inspired to get H.R. Giger to design the various Alien stuff. If anyone else had done so, I don’t think this film would be on anyone’s good film list. Bt the damned Alien doesn’t make any sense (where the hell did it get all the bulk to go from the chest-burster to the full-size thing?), and the crew acts ike the epitome of bad monster-movie dumb. “There’s a monster loose on this ship. _We’ll_ go over here. _You_ go over there, where it’s dark.” In a situation where staying close together is essential and you want someone to watch your back, thy split up multiple times for no good reason. They invent a tracking device to watch for the thing, then don’t use it. When they’re keeping tabs on its motion through the ducts while Captain Dallas is going through it, they just tell him to run – and not in which direction. As in lots of Badfilm, after something fails once they never even bring it up again. They’ve got the Spring-Loaded Cat for cheap thrills. And, jst when you thought you knw how things were go9ing, they bring in Ash the Android/Robot Thing for 'way out in Left Field. (And what’s with the trying to choke Ripley with the magazine, anyway?) The flaws show up the fragmented history of the film. Aparently originally they wanted to have the ship’s computer siding with the Alien, it being the superior Beast, but later this got switched to Ash himself doing it for the same reasons (this is why you have to pay close attention in your android-programming classes. Have them obey the Three Laws, even if it violates copyright! The Ass you save may be your own!) I lost any empathy with this crew of losers long before they bought it. And I’m not even going to bring in the whole ripped-off-from-It! thing again. I’v said it too many times. **Aliens** , on the other hand, had a unity of vision from the start. Cameron knows and appreciates good SF, and the astonishing ability to get it funded and put into production. Rare that you get those qualities together in one place. He tried to be faithful to the original (even so far as copying Ridley Scott’s love of steam-filled sets, an other such trademarks), while at the same time trying to be logically consistent. is Aliens don’t grow up on a Breatharian diet, his androids obey hree Laws, His Alien Queen answers the question of where those damned eggs come from (the full version of Alien seems to elimnate the need for them), while setting up the climactic sequence. I felt ceated by Scott’s version – he left out too much and they seemed to make t iup as they went along. I loved Cameron’s version. He didn’t use those monster-detectors for cheap shots, but actually used them consistently to build suspense (also a good way to save production costs). I know Cameron is listed in another thread as a vastly overrated director, but in my book he gets high marks for producing, writing, and directing Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, and - yes – the Abyss. (He still has to answer for True Lies and for writing Rambo, but I’ll give him break for Titanic.) ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/18 "2004-10-11T02:48:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I know Cameron is listed in another thread as a vastly overrated director, but in my book he gets high marks for producing, writing, and directing Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, and - yes – the Abyss. (He still has to answer for True Lies and for writing Rambo, but I’ll give him break for Titanic.) True Lies was a very entertaining film…I don’t think he has anything to apologize for with that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/19 "2004-10-11T03:08:49Z")
Different movies. Alien was horror, Aliens was action/adventure with horror elements thrown in. It’s hard to compare movies across genres. One thing I liked about Aliens was that the scene with the marines on the ship was lifted right out of _Starship Troopers_, including much of the dialog. That one five minute scene got across more of the book than did Verhoeven’s long dreck of a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491/20 "2004-10-11T03:28:30Z")
‘I say we nuke the site from orbit’ isn’t one of the best lines in a film ever [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-or-aliens/268491.md?page=2)