@@ShanWatchesMovies She was also in Titanic and did a vampire film (Near Dark) with Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen (Bishop) directed by Cameron's ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow.
@@lara314 Again, I had no idea! you seem to know quite a lot of film trivia! It's really fun to read comments like this because it's actually fun to learn the behind the scenes stuff!
The nuke explosion at the end was in fact simply made with coton clouds lightened from below by a powerful lamp. I give the Oscar for "Best cost/effective practical effect ever"! The result is amazing IMO.
@@patrickgogan3517 hmm, when did henrikson play in a terminator movie? also, i don't count his predator encounter because avp was such a goddamn piece of shit, it makes alien 3 and 4 look like masterpieces.. 😜
Your comment "this has got to be one of the best action thriller films I've ever seen" was right on the mark. Many people including me consider Alien the best sci-fi horror movie and Aliens the best sci-fi action movie ever made. I never get tired of watching them! Great reaction by the way 😊
@@ShanWatchesMovies Because Hollywood is too concerned in waving a flag, which is 100% political and 0% based on reality. The female protagonists nowadays are perfect ppl with 0 flaws and "stronger" or "more powerful" than anything to the point where they don't even face challenges. They also consciously try to not associate women with motherhood due to some backwards logic that caring for another human being somehow makes a woman weaker.
But... But... If this film came out today, wouldn't people cry about Ripley being a Mary Sue? I mean, she keeps her head better than the trained marines. She kills more aliens than the trained marines. She not only survives, she marches into the nest alone and kicks ass, when all the marines are dead or nearly dead.
Cameron directed ALL of the best movies ever... In a Box office Mojo, on Top Lifetime Grosses, you can see that of the first three top gross movies, two of them is by Cameron...
@@gorankopcic7827 Grosses are bullshit. The metric that matters is asses in seats. But Hollywood doesn't want to ever let that cat out of the bag, because then none of your 'top' movies would be beating things like 'Gone With the Wind' when you could get into a theater for a quarter.
Also this shows how a sequel really should be shot. Make a whole new story with new cast and a new production behind the camera, not desperately trying to recreate what we already saw.
A few years ago I flew to London (from my home country Sweden) to see this movie playing on a huge screen at the Royal Albert Hall, with the music performed live by the London Symphonic Orchestra. I had seen it dozens of times before that, and besides the awesomeness of that entire experience, one thing still surprised me... And that was during the scenes where the marines first enter the facilities on LV426 (just about where you said that there is no music). There's this weird echoing clicking sound every now and again, and I always assumed that it was an "artificial" sound effect of some sort. But as the movie played on that enormous screen, above the head of the symphony orchestra, and it got to that very moment, I noticed that the clicking sound was made by the cellists! They had one hand covering the strings on their cellos, and with the other struck the strings with the bow, in an echoing fashion, deliberately out of sync with each other to create a more eerie sound. It was totally captivating to notice how it was an organic orchestral sound making that artificial sounding noise.
"That's exactly what James Cameron tried to put in my subconscious in the beginning of the film" 😁👍 Excellent commentary! That's pretty much my favorite scene in the entire film 'cause it shows that Riley has to fight the Queen Xenomorph in that heavy duty large armor which was perfectly added in the finale.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Right there with you. Since I was a kid, I was always into diggers and other mechanical type devices. I have a clear recollection of a Popular Science magazine cover story from the 60s dealing with those sort of contraptions. At the time, the military was involved and working on a four-legged travel vehicle version also. A decade before that my favorite sci-fi writer, Robert Heinlein, had penned a story about much sleeker versions of the loader in Starship Troopers. Best. Leo.
I like the way that the Power Loader is set up long before you see it; Burke refers to Ripley "driving loaders and forklifts" before she even agrees to return to LV-426.
21:00 - "What are you doing?" She was demonstrating to the Queen what she could if the Queen doesn't tell her troops to back off. Then when an egg opens, she thinks "That's not part of the deal. Time to dance."
And they never made any more movies. You'd think that after these were so well received that they would continue the story, but they never did, they never made any more Alien movies after this one. Weird. Maybe it's for the better.
A couple of things. I think that Ripley's best characteristics are the ability to access a situation, determine the best course of action, and execute it. If you're gonna have traits, those are the ones to have. Some people question why she destroyed the egg chamber when the queen was apparently letting her take Newt and leave. I think it's pretty simple. They have a truce that was 5 seconds old. The very moment she and Newt turned tail to run that truce would end. There was no way Ripley and Newt would have made the journey back to the landing area to meet the ship with dozens of xenomorphs on their tail. By destroying the egg chamber she created chaos. If you've ever moved a rock or log and noticed you've upset a colony of ants you'll notice a few things. The first thing the ants do is grab any eggs or larvae in order to protect them. The soldiers look for a threat in the immediate area. Their job is to kill the intruder while the others make a hasty retreat. Also, it's getting a little payback for all the humans killed earlier. That little head cocked to the side movement right before she blows the eggs to smithereens says a lot.
Thank you so much for your compliments and kind words. Comments like yours really reinforce and encourage me to keep going! Thank you again! Look out for Close Encounters of the Third Kind this week followed by The Thing (1982) in the next couple of days!
He's really my favorite reactor because of his technical analysis and appreciation for all aspects of film. Some people only concentrate on certain aspects which probably relates to their specific discipline of filmmaking whether it be camera work or editing or sound design but Shaun definitely seems to demonstrate a love for the total package of what a good film is and I enjoy every reaction.
Agreed, I was very impressed with the number of production processes you named off that it seemed like the production paid attention to. Well done sir, keep it up! 😀
Sigourney Weaver was Academy award nominated for this movie and I think it was one of the first times a woman was nominated for like an action roll like this
You are an exceptional reactor. We get not only your immediate, emotional reaction, but also your very observant and knowledgeable comments. I truly appreciate your intelligence and your obvious passion for film. Wonderful job. You have a new subscriber!
Margaret Smith Yeah, I just discovered this guy. Just subbed & I’m digging his reaction. It’s so disappointing when you find someone reacting to good movies, but their reaction style just doesn’t work. This gentleman seems to know what he’s doing.
Thank you both for your wonderful words and for your subscription! I really didn't expect more than a dozen views since I started last month and reading comments like yours really reinforces and encourages me to continue! Thank you again!
totally agree never liked when critics would just totally disregard a total genre if they do not like it.. critique the quality of the work filming plot effects as a complete
everyone who watches this movie loves Vasquez, including Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek. when they were getting ready to begin his new series Star Trek: The Next Generation, he modeled Tasha Yar, the Enterprise's first security officer, after Vasquez. when she needlessly died in the first season, Worf took over as security chief.
Agreed. Alien 3 is fine as a standalone, but not as part of the series. It went through so much development hell that the results include some questionable decisions.
As much as I truly do enjoy the directors cut of three, it broke my heart that they did what they did story wise. It was just so unnecessary, and basically had the complete perfect setup for continuity. I would agree overall, the two are a wonderfully satisfying adventure with a lot of cohesion.
@@johnashley327 Four is fun for very different reasons compared to the rest on the franchise. I enjoyed the cinematography and practical effects, but it just felt like a very immature representation of what started as a very serious look at alien life and human struggles. The fourth film seemed like it was just cashing in on as much nostalgia as possible. I have to admit, though, I did enjoy watching it when I had the Alien Quadrilogy.
I just can't decide between the two honestly! To me, it's different approaches to the same situation. Once as a phycological thriller, the other as an action thriller. Both done masterfully. I guess I have to give it time to marinate inside my head before I make up my mind.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Which one you prefer says a lot about your sensibility. Aliens is definitely more "entertaining" & rewatchable. It's like a rollercoaster ride. But I'm not necessarily just into film for a rollercoaster [which is why I despise most of the Marvel films] - so for me, the cold, calculating, considered atmosphere & aesthetic of Alien wins. The craft of that film is unmatched by Aliens - Aliens feels very 80s to em, whereas Alien is timeless.
@@domcoke I can't disagree with you there. The sequel was definitely more on the corporate side where they wanted to cash in on the first film. They did end up making a fantastic film but I do see your point!
I remember several film critics saying that it wasn't often, that a sequel was as good as.....if not better....than the original. 'Aliens' lived up to it.
This film got nominated for 7 academy awards! 1. Best Actress 2. Best Editing 3. Best Art Direction 4. Best Original Score 5. Best Sound Effects 6. Best Sound 7. Best Visual Effects.... It won for best visual effects, and sound effects!
A nice sci-fi classic (in two different ways) is "Enemy Mine" (1985), directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Airforce One, The Neverending Story, etcetera). It's a double classic because a) it has a very different message compared to a lot of 80's sci-fi, and also because it's based on a novella by Barry Longyear (who, IIRC, is also the author behind the story the movie "Silent Running" was based on, which is a movie that's very apt in today's environmental crisis era). The stars of the movie are amazing, the effects are very 80's but also surprisingly good, and the make-up and worldbuilding is top-notch.
I have not watched Enemy Mine (1985) yet! Thanks a bunch for the recommendation! I'm somewhat familiar with Peterson's work since The Neverending story was one of my favorite films before my teens! Adding Enemy Mine (1985) to the list!
I’m so glad a reactor is watching the Director’s Cut. It makes the stuff with Newt that much more potent later, with the info about her daughter added back in.
The director's edition has all the extra stuff about Ripley's daughter and her interactions with Newt plus the low key flirting between "Dwayne and Ellen" so you really get a much stronger sense that they are a family unit at the end so your emotional investment is much greater. However, the inclusion of scenes of the colony before it is overrun by aliens was a mistake. The marines arrival on LV426 would be so much more tense if the viewer had as little knowledge as the marines. A version of the film half way between the theatrical release and the director's edition would be perfection.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Alien 3 is worth a watch but that's just my opinion. Many people hate it because they were expecting another action movie like Aliens and instead it returns to the slower, more suspenseful formula of the first movie.
100% agree. ngl i like all the movies bc im a sucker for sci fi but even i can easily say the overall story/character writing after this film just isnt....uh all that top tier lol
There is actually a Deleted Scene from "ALIENS" where towards the end when Ripley is running through the Alien Nest searching for Newt, she suddenly is grabbed by Burke who is still alive but has been cocooned. He immediately asks Ripley to help him and that he can feel the Alien inside of him and she then responds by handing him a grenade (she actually never says a word to him) and then moving on to continue searching for Newt and leaving him behind still cocooned and with the grenade. Then literally 1 second into the very next shot, we hear a very quick and short bang sound (we don't see it though) happen behind Ripley. The scene itself is actually on TH-cam. If you want to see it then just type in the Search Box above "Aliens deleted scene Burke" and then click Enter and then it should show up.
I always gathered that the explosion that keeps them from getting out after she gets Newt was him setting off that grenade, so him doing so is what trapped them with the queen (though he may not have realized that would happen)
@@djstuntfox Ripley didn't kill him, he was dead anyways. She gave him the grenade to end his own life with minimal pain, if he chose to do so. It actually showed compassion for the person that put them in that situation to begin with.
@@k1productions87 In the deleted scene there is actually an extra soft bang as she picks up the tracker that is not in the final movie. So the sound was added to the scene for that purpose. That Burke would prevent them from escaping the easy way is a better scenario though. =D
Normally, I am a completist, but with this franchise I have to say you could just pinch it off right here. Aliens was such a good sequel, so rare, that everything that comes after it is just a let down.
Great reaction! Do you see similarities between Alien to Aliens, and Terminator to T2? Besides style and budget what also stands out is the character development of Sarah Connor and Ripley. In the sequels they became 2 of the best female action heroes of all time!
I saw "Aliens 3" in the theater. I remember it being slow, ponderous, and badly-lit. There also wasn't enough of the alien in it for me. BUT it wasn't cornball or cheesy. That would start with the fourth film "Alien Resurrection," which I also saw in theaters and hated. In conclusion, 3 might be worth a watch but go in with lowered expectations and definitely stop there.
I've always thought Alien 3 was actually a decent movie. The story made no sense but the set design and actors were very good. The "Assembly Cut" of the movie is better than the theatrical version.
Fincher obsesses over details and atmosphere. I read that Fox was going crazy, because Fincher wasn’t happy about such details like the blood effects. Fox re-edited and re-shit scenes, leading to Fincher’s attitude about the film that leads to this day. The script was also an amalgamation of two concepts. Still. The movie adds some more lore to alien mythos. Which future movies screw up.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Don't do it. Fincher was screwed by the studio and won't talk about the movie to this day. It also retroactively screws over Aliens.
11:00 You basically got it right about them using humans as nutrition. In the extended version of 'Alien' Ripley comes across Dallas when he was cocooned. Half his body was literally being morphed into an egg and all of that biological structure you see all over the walls. Same happened to these people. That's almost, if not more, scary than having an alien burst through your chest imo. Feeling your body slowly disintegrate and turn into something else is quite terrifying.
1:49 The "express elevator to Hell" begins. Good, you're watching the "Director's Cut/Extended" version with the deleted-from-the-original "family scenes" adding depth to an already iconic movie. 10:00 When "Aliens" was reviewed, there was talk of "sisterhood," but with the "Amy Ripley" scene restored, it is crystal clear that "Lt. Ripley" connects with "Newt" at the mother & child level. 11:37 When you are surrounded, it is wise to clear the enemy away as soon as possible, with "short, controlled bursts," which Vasquez is doing. 12:32 One of the best lines in this movie.) 12:40 This kind of oversight will be repeated.14:13 I wonder if the "Bioweapons division" of Weyland-Yutani would be able to handle their "billion dollar monster"? 19:01 "Duane and Ellen," I wonder how many kids got named by this scene? 23:12 Continuing jeopardy! 23:56 Mom vs. Mom. 25:12 "Not bad for a Human." When I saw "Alien3," I thought: "The European Arty" version. I've only seen the "excessive exposition, of sound and fury, signifying nothing" version, which is a "Zero stars" thing to me.
Thank you for another time-stamped comment. Comments like yours make the interesting trivia you provide much easier to follow! Im sorry I cant reply in detail to every single time-stamp but rest assured I've read and watched every single one! Thank you again for taking the time to write all of this!
I watched The Abyss when I was 13 or 14 so I didn't recognize him. All I remember from this film is the beautiful water CGI. Maybe it's worth a rewatch on the channel since I don't remember the plot?
The joke near the start about Vasquez that Hudson makes about "illegal aliens" is a true story from Goldstein's audition for this film. She thought the film was about immigrants not actually aliens and turned up dressed as such.
Yeah, somehow she got the idea that it was for Flamenco dancers and showed up in heels and a dress! When she saw all the other actresses in fatigues and combat boots she burst into tears and left.
Sergeant Apone was played by Vietnam veteran Marine Sergeant Al Mathews. The first actor to play Hicks, who was replaced by Bien, was handling the shotgun when he blasted a hole through the set into the set next door for Little Shop of Horrors. Mathews turned to him and yelled "how the FUCK did you get live ammo?!?"
The late Bill Paxton's character (Pvt. Hudson) is the team's intelligence & electronics specialist. As a former US Army intel guy, I can tell you that his portrayal is spot on: bravado and humor during down time on the ship, followed by an utter breakdown when confronted by something as powerful & deadly as the xenomorphs. Any one of us would've done exactly the same. 😆
Love watching your reactions. Thanks for being entertaining, and knowledgeable. Count me in the minority that I LOVED Alien 3. I feel bad when people come to a channel about genuine reactions and plants the seed in your head that the movie sucks or that it isn't worth your time to watch. Luckily, I saw it in the theater, before the internet. LOL. As Aliens was different in tone from Alien. Alien 3 has a different tone as well. There are some great performances and seeing Ripley's continuing journey was well worth it for me. Either way, I look forward to whatever you choose to watch.
Thank you for your compliments and your insights! The initial comments were so much against me watching it but a lot of comments like yours are asking me to make up my mind. Honestly I'm probably going to end up watching it because I want to watch all of Fincher's work. I just don't know whether I should watch it on my own time or the channel...
Don’t know if someone’s already said this. But in a deleted scene, Burke isn’t killed, simply taken to the nest, where he gets an embryo implanted in him. Ripley would encounter him while searching for Newt, and would hand him a grenade. This however is the explosion that forces them to then detour in to the Queen’s lair. The scene was cut because it was noted not enough time would have passed for Burke to be impregnated and then be conscious afterwards.
Took a girl on a first date to this one...there wasn't a second date. 😂 Aliens and The Thing (1982) are my favorite action/suspense/thriller/horror movies. Highly recommend The Thing (1982) if you haven't seen it and enjoy that type of movie.
Hahahaha thanks is for sharing that 😂 Fortunately I haven't watched The Thing yet, but I plan to in the next week or two for sure! Got a lot of requests for it!
@@ShanWatchesMovies have you watched Gremlins(1984)? It's one my childhood movies that I used to watch all the time when I was a kid. It's a fun little Horror Comedy directed by Joe Dante & produced by Steven Spielberg.
@@redviper6805 I'm going to watch The Thing in the next week or so. There are so so many comments with this request! I'm actually looking forward to it!
True story, the guy who played Bishop didn't know how to read until he was 30 years old! Bishop managed to be useful after being torn in half, unlike a certain gold droid in Empire Strikes Back. He was one of those supporting characters that you don’t whether you trust at first especially after what happened in Alien but comes through for Ripley in the climax. Was excited when the movie was mentioned in Avengers Infinity War!
Speaking of Bishop the stuff he spits out when he was cut in half by the queen near the end is actually cups of milk and yogurt which by the way the crew kept forgetting to put in the fridge to keep fresh so after a few days the stuff went bad and gave Bishop's actor food poisoning so after that they made sure to remember to keep the dairy mixture refrigerated after each day so that it didn't go bad
You might want to search the fate of Burke. He actually died later. Also, the first film had one alien, which practically dictates a more slower pace, and creating more atmosphere. Remember, the first film came out in 1979, and there was effort to distance the look of the whole movie from Star Wars. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress.
Thank goodness she was at least nominated! I wouldn't have been surprised if she had won. And you're absolutely right about first film! Very interesting observation!
@@fday1964 She probably is a great actress. The only thing I've actually seen her in is The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen or something. I remember her being very funny!
I try to see all the films nominated, for each category. It was easier when films were limited to five. One thing to consider, is watching Best Picture winners.
Not sure if it’s been mentioned but James Cameron had issues with the English crew. They considered him a brash no name director (as his one major movie - Terminator - hadn’t been released yet in England) taking over from Ridley Scott. If you liked Alien & Aliens try out the survival horror game Alien Isolation it looks exactly like the original Alien movies 70’s futuristic setting. It takes place between the two movies and you play as Amanda Ripley trying to find out what happened to her mother.
Also, Cameron came from making films furiously and cheap with Roger Corman. Cameron thought that the English crew would work 18 hour days. Instead, English film crews are unionized and follow a certain daily schedule. Cameron cancelled the crew’s tea break once, and they went on strike. Cameron never cancelled a tea break again.
To each his own, but I drew the line at the AVP movies. Just awful imo. Alien Resurrection had good points but I didn't like the goriness or the story, they ruined Ripley's character.
@ricardo demetrio alonso rojas you want to tell me that the first avp is good? i mean yeah, requiem was a horribly lit piece of shit but at least it was so bad and cheesy that i can somewhat enjoy watching it, avp on the other hand is just bland, boring, badly acted, badly written and an utterly joyless watch
The use of colour (or rather lack of it) is marvellous. Nearly everything is in shades of grey, but occasional highlights of red, yellow and blue. And that's it!
Bill Paxton was also in The Terminator. "you don't see the aliens f'ing themselves over for a profit..." Burke was definitely worse than the xenomorphs.
You’re reacting to the directors cut. This was not the actual theatrical release. The theater version you don’t see the girl until they land on the planet.
Yeah, another comment pointed it out. Next time I'm going to rewatch the film (which I will inevitably do since it was amazing), I'll watch the theatrical cut just out of curiosity!
@@ShanWatchesMovies The Directors cut is the best one. In the Theatrical cut you never learn that Ripley had a Daughter so her relationship with Newt becomes more forced. And the first attack with the sentry guns is cut completely.
Shan Watches Movies I prefer the original instead of the directors cut. It’s nice to see but there is a reason for those early scenes that were cut out. A lot of it is pacing. The purpose of the original version is it’s about the marines and Ripley going back to this planet to find out what happened to the colony. The movie is not about the colony... it’s what happened to them. We really didn’t need to know that Ripley had a child because that was not even mentioned in the first movie. You can bond with a child like she did without ever having a dead child. The movie is great. The directors cut made it different but not better.
@@ShanWatchesMovies My perfect version of this movie would be the theatrical cut that included the scene of Ripley learning about her daughter. That's really the only big narrative element that's missing from the theatrical cut. Other than that, I actually find the "TC" to be the superior version. In that version you don't see the colony until the Colonial Marines arrive, and it heightens the mystery because you're seeing and discovering everything along with the characters. I also feel like they too heavily foreshadowed the Queen Alien in the special edition. In the TC they simply leave the discussion at, "It must be something we haven't seen yet." Again, it heightens the mystery. Watching this as a kid, I remember putting the pieces together myself during the big reveal and realizing that they were structured like an ant hive. I don't think that moment is quite as much fun when you basically had it spelled out to you earlier in the movie. And as cool as the sentry guns are ... the point of that scene is to show that the characters are hunkered down in a position of relative safety for the moment. But the previous scenes shows them planning and setting up fortifications, so that point has already been made, in my opinion.
People say the first two films are different in style, One is horror and two is action, yada yada yada, but there are far more similarities in style than differences I think. The biggest difference is simply the scale and that we already know about the monsters so keeping them in the shadows wouldn’t have been satisfying this time around. Both films start slow and peaceful and conclude fast and violent in a bath of steam and sweat and flashing lights and clanging alarms. The sound design of both films is not often commented on (well done for picking up on it) it is amazing. Just the sound of those pulse rifles is iconic, and then there’s the motion detectors, the bleeping computer communications, the howl of the storm, the roar of a flamethrower ... the gasping hiss of the xenomorph. Cameron didn’t change much of the tone from Alien, but he turned it all up to 11! Good review. Welcome to the Alien fandom. Yes, watch Alien 3.
This is one of the best sequels ever made! I'm glad you saw the Special Edition version. The future Ripley inhabits is implied to be a dystopic corporatocracy with the Weyland-Yutani Company being the most pervasive and powerful corporate entity. It is a 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- through 19th-centuries. It is a multinational conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar transportation and terraforming with a stake in every colony world. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of the Alien universe. Ash and Burke were both following a corporate mandate to obtain a xenomorph specimen in order to profit from research and weaponization. In the AvP films, you actually meet the company founders before their merger, Mr. Weyland and Ms. Yutani. Some trivia: The picture of Ripley's elderly daughter in the Special Edition is actually Sigourney Weaver's real-life mother! The late Al Matthews, who played Sgt. Apone, was a true-blue Marine who was the first black man to be promoted to Sergeant in the Corps during his service in Vietnam! The knife-trick scene was originally supposed to be performed by Lance Henriksen alone but he convinced director James Cameron to surprise Bill Paxton by involving him as they shot the scene! Paxton's wide-eyed terror is completely real! Fan favorite Vasquez is played by non-Hispanic Jenette Goldstein! I like that her death enables Gorman to reclaim his honor. Ms. Goldstein now is the proprietress of a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in bespoke large-size bras! The motto of her company is, "At Jenette's, the alphabet begins with 'D'."! Bishop's programming to not harm humans or allow them to come to harm through inaction is ripped straight from Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics! You called it, sir! The late Bill Paxton, who has the distinction of being killed on screen by an Alien, a Terminator and a Predator, will NEVER be forgotten for his reading of the line, "Why don't you put HER in charge?", referring to little Newt in her oversized helmet. Lol.
I still remember it well when I saw this in 1985 on opening weekend some 36 years ago. the theater was completely packed and when I say everybody was on the edge of their seats it was true. And towards the end the movie stopped the house lights went up apparently somebody was having a medical issue, we thought it might have been a heart attack. A very memorable experience and one of my all-time favorite movies
James Cameron actually had already made 2 Movies before he made "ALIENS". The First Movie that he made was "PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING" and the 2nd Movie that he made was "THE TERMINATOR".
I like how everyone, except Burke, gets a redemption moment. Lt Gorman starts off not eating with his enlisted troops, and being immature and arrogant. However, at the end, he goes back to take care of Vasquez and keeps her from dying alone. Hudson is a coward who breaks under stress, but at the end he holds his ground and keeps firing at the aliens until they swarm him. Different from today’s films where everyone is selfish, cynical and a creep.
David Fincher was right in this owning the film. The truth of the matter is that you only need to watch the 1st and 2nd films of the franchise. Both Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection can be discarded.I saw both of the 1st 2 Alien movies in the theaters in my younger years. I was completely blown away from the 1st film, and I was literally cheering out loud during the 2nd. You can be confident that you have seen the 2 essential Alien films. And yes, Sigourney Weaver was, in fact, nominated for best actress by the Academy Awards. She should have won.
Glad you enjoyed it and that you watched the extended cut which I believe is superior. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for best actress at the academy awards. I’d stop at this point. “Alien 3” and “Alien Resurrection” are disappointing and a letdown after the first two fantastic films. The Ridley Scott prequels I also find disappointing. You’ve seen the best films in the Alien series for sure.
First off thank you for the comment! I've read a lot of comments discouraging me to watch it, some to make up my own mind and one to definitely watch it. I think I'll at least watch Aliens 3 on my own time and not on the channel because it's a Fincher film and I don't want to miss out on his work, good or bad...
Shan Watches Movies Let us know what you thought in a post one day of the third film. The opening of “Alien 3” is such a betrayal of the previous film that it might actually make you mad, it did with me. I think you’ll love “The Thing” which is one of John Carpenter’s best.
Here's a fun piece of trivia - the term "Nuke it from orbit" that computer technicians jokingly use to refer to completely wiping a computer and re-installing its operating system when it has a problem that is too difficult/time consuming to troubleshoot came from this movie.
"I think before this, he made, like, one film." Two. The first Terminator movie, of course. Before that, there was Piranha II, which I only know by reputation, though some critics said of it: "You'd have to be psychic to spot any talent in James Cameron from this movie."
I'm amazed at the passion you're defending the first two! I respect that! I may not watch it anytime soon but sooner or later I have to get to it because I want to watch all of David Fincher's films, good and bad. Same goes for other great directors like Tarantino, Spielberg, Cameron, Scorsese etc
@@ShanWatchesMovies Just be forewarned, the opening of Alien 3 can't use all of the same actors as in Aliens. So those not used are unceremoniously disposed of in the very beginning, so he can get on with HIS story without encumbrances. It just completely "voids" Aliens.
Thank you thank you thank you Lara! I haven't decided which one I like better quite yet, I'll give it some time to actually form a proper opinion. Both were fantastic!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Great news, Shan. As far as I know, there is no Reaction Mandate extant requiring you to make a Sophie's Choice between two great movies. I still think one of the smartest things Cameron did with this film was to go in a totally different direction stylistically and thematically. Best. Leo.
@Leo Gallagher You're probably correct. I can appreciate both since they were basically a different approaches on same genre, (phycological vs action) thriller
Shan Watches Movies Actually since you want to watch it, I think it’ll be pretty fun to see your reaction to some of the interesting choices they made in this film.
It makes me so happy to see these films having not lost a step. Like I've seen Aliens probably a hundred times so it's great to live vicariously through someone else's first-time excitement.
Do NOT watch Alien 3. It's pointless. There will be Alien 3 apologists telling you to watch the assembly cut. Don't listen. The whole enterprise was totally flawed. It has a dank, depressing, and hopeless atmosphere. And it features a cast of totally unlikeable characters. I saw it at the cinema when it came out. I hated it. And I think "Se7en" is pretty much a masterpiece, which I saw 3 times when it came out.
@@ShanWatchesMovies It's only really worth watching to be able to speak with authority about why it's bad. But my vote is to cut out the middle man, and just don't bother. It was a false start for Fincher's feature film career, and so I consider he first feature as "Se7en" [and remains his best IMO] - and I'm sure he feels the same way. Though, I am rather partial to the opening credits. I like the way they're cut - and the nihilism of them. And the score. So if you wanna watch those, it'll give you an idea about why you shouldn't bother with the rest
It may sound a bit snobbish but I kind of want to watch it to complete watching ALL of Fincher's film (I'll probably end up watching it on my own time to satisfy my curiosity). I'm already done with Tarantino and Nolan. Almost done with Lucas, Spielberg and Scorsese. I want to watch these great directors at their best and their worst. I hope that makes sense...
Aliens is one of my all time favorite films ever. It is one of a handful of films I can quote from beginning to end, either version. I'm so glad you watched the Special Edition, because James Cameron was forced for screenings to cut the film down for the theatrical cut. The biggest loss there was the scene between Burke and Ripley where she learns about her daughter. Weaver was furious that it was cut because it informed a lot of her character's motivation throughout the film. 22:48 My favorite story about the explosion. It was cotton balls and a lightbulb. They pushed it up through a layer of cotton balls and turned it on. That's it. So simple. 29:23 Actually the board we see at the beginning of the film is often mistaken for being "The Company." They were actually the ICC. Interstellar Commerce Commission. In a way, they would be the good guys if Burke had managed to smuggle specimens aboard Sulaco. They would have been the ones putting him on the coals and ultimately getting him a prison sentence. This is something about the lore that I appreciate in the first two films. Although we know in the first film there was something bigger going on, my interpretation was always that Alien was the result of how automated deep space travel was. between Ash's Special Order, the reassignment of crew, the redirecting of the Nostromo... I always took that as simply being an automated process, which is why 57 years later nobody knows what Ripley is talking about. Remember, strictly speaking from the POV of when Aliens was made, Burke was acting alone. Strictly of his own greed. Nobody at Weyland-Yutani was aware of what he was doing. He's a character of the film's era. A corporate yuppy looking to score big. That's actually one of the things I love about Aliens is that the big bad corporation really isn't the big bad corporation. They're just there. Burke is the real villain of the piece. His greed is what gets everybody killed. Alien 3 is the murder of everything you love about Aliens, and Alien. They started filming a movie without fully realizing a script. Which is ironic because between 1986 and 1990 when production initially started they created dozens and dozens of scripts. Including a script written by David Twohy who would later go on to create Pitch Black based on some of the ideas in his unused script. All manner of ideas were explored, from going to the Alien's homeworld, to having the aliens reach Earth (which to me is the logical place to go after Aliens, the finale, the last fear Ripley has yet to face by that point, etc...) One of the scripts from this time was recently adapted into a graphic novel and audio book with Michael Biehn and Lance Hendrickson reprising their roles. Alien III by William Gibson. If you get a chance to listen to it I'd highly recommend it. Listen to Lance Hendrickson narrate the comic is amazing. Alien 3 is ultimately best described as a beautiful mess. The opening simply cannot be made sense of, the editing is actually quite terrible when you realize that certain characters, depending on which version of the film you watch, will die and then be seen again in another scene, accents change for certain characters. Depending on which cut you watch, certain characters simply disappear from the movie with no explanation... I'd say the final act of the film is very strong, the film finally starts to work, but before that you're slogging through a lot of beautifully shot nonsense. If you want to know just how bad Alien 3's production is... Just look up the Alien 3 Teaser trailer features this line "In 1979 we discovered in space no one can hear you scream... In 1992, we will discover that on Earth, everyone can hear you scream." The teaser itself is chilling and really exciting... Has absolutely nothing to do with the film they made.
"There's no way that facehugger is letting go of... that face." made me laugh for some reason, like yeah those facehuggers sure do love hugging faces XD great review :D
During the queen scene you may have misinterpreted what was happening. When Ripley stumbled in there and the queen noticed her, the guards began to move in on Ripley from the sides. Knowing she's not fast enough, nor has enough ammo to take on all the remaining aliens she chooses to use a "show of force" blowing the flamethrower in a safe direction then aiming it at the queen in a way of saying "touch me, and I'll destroy your babies". The queen then signals and the guards seem to retreat. As Ripley prepares to leave the queen betrays their agreement of "leave me alone, i leave you alone" by having a face hugger hatch right in front of her. Thats why Ripley makes the "really?" face, then ignites the eggs and blows her hatchery. Because now, there is no options left.
Michael Bein and Bill Paxton (space marines) both in Cameron's Terminator. Paxton was the punk that Arnie killed at the beginning and Bein was Kyle Reese. Bein was also in The Abyss.
In the novelization and in a deleted scene, Ripley finds Burke cocooned in the queen’s hive. He has been infected with a xenomorph and is in agony as it begins to move through his chest. Ripley gives him a grenade and moves on toward newt. There is a distant explosion heard as Ripley reaches the egg chamber. That is Burke either detonating the grenade or dropping it as he dies.
Didn't know about Xenogenesis but definitely knew about Piranha II. I think there is an interview somewhere where Cameron laughs at the movie and tells the audience not to watch it lol
I saw this when it was released in a big, packed house with an increasingly excited audience. Right after Ripley's famous line ("Get away from her, you BITCH!"), the roar of approval and applause was so loud it actually drowned out the soundtrack for about five seconds.
I was in a packed house down south on opening night. When BIshop was ripped in half, a good old boy in a cowboy hat three rows behind my family jumped up from his seat and yelled, "Jeezus Christ! Jeezus Christ! I ain't never seen nothing like this!" LOL. One of my favorite memories about this movie.
A list of, in my opinion, extremely underrated films (with the possible exception being Dances With Wolves which won numerous awards). I highly recommend them even if just on your own time. In no particular order: 1. River's Edge starring Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, and Dennis Hopper...it centers on a group of teenage friends and a dark secret. 2. Dark City (Director's Cut) starring Rufus Sewell and Keifer Sutherland is a psychological type thriller that is hard to describe without giving away too much...kind of Inception meets The Matrix but not. 3. Sleepers starring Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, and Jason Patric is an amazing film that tackles some dark subjects. It is supposedly based partially on true events from the author's life. 4. Frank Miller's Sin City starring Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rutger Haur, Elijah Wood, Clive Owens, and Michael Clarke Duncan is a graphic novel come to life with multiple interweaving storylines. 5. Dances With Wolves (Extended Version) is an epic film directed by, and starring, Kevin Cosner. Written by a friend of Cosners who was living with the actor and his new wife at the time and he would read it to them at night while they lie in bed. They were so blown away by the tale, Cosner made it his mission to see it made into a movie. He fought with the studios until he was given complete control over it including final edit. The extended version is 4-ish hours long so be forewarned. 6. Repo: The Genetic Opera stars Anthony Head, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, and (believe it or not) Paris Hilton. It's a proper musical as in there is no spoken dialogue. 7. Near Dark is an often overlooked vampire film that stars Bill Paxton and Lance Henrickson (both in Aliens) that shows a more realistic, gritty perspective than most movies about bloodsuckers. It was directed by James Cameron's ex-wife if I'm not mistaken. 8. Watchmen (Director's Cut) is a somewhat dark more adult-oriented adaptation of superheroes. 9. The Abyss (Extended Cut) stars Mary Elizabeth Masterantonio, Ed Harris, and Michael Biehn (Terminator & Aliens). It tackles the subject of humanity's destructive nature and its' repercussions with a sci-fi twist. Directed by James Cameron. 10.Snatch stars Brad Pitt, the guy who played The Transporter and The Mechanic (whose name conveniently escapes me presently lol), Dennis Farina, Benecio Del Toro, and was directed by Guy Richie. It's about a giant diamond, gypsies, mobsters, and illegal boxing. 11. Raising Arizona is a classic (in my eyes anyway) comedy starring Nicolas Cage and John Goodman. Convict meets cop, they fall in love, and hilarity ensues. Really enjoy your channel! Hope this helps...keep on rockin', man! 🤘
The odd thing is, in the first movie the "Nostromo" stops because of this so called SOS, and it is stated that they are only HALF way to their trip home. So why, even over 50 years later, would humanity choose this barren moon to even settle? That far away? Oh and that comment about the previous Android that 'malfunctioned'. It did not malfunctioned, it did exactly what the Company wanted.
"I like Vasquez, but I don't think she'll be alive by the end of the movie." Action movies do this trope a lot! See: Damn near every role played by Michelle Rodriguez
FYI; and apologies if already said. In a deleted scene, when Ripley re-enters the alien nest to rescue Newt. She encounters Burke who already has a Chesburster inside him. Ripley however hands him a grenade and moves on. This is however the explosion that forces them to take the detour that sends them in to the Queens lair. James Cameron cut the bit because he felt not enough time had passed for he Facehugger to have done its job and detach from Burke.
Another deleted scene had after learning who nute was there was a scene after where she tried to run and was grabbed by Ripley as she tried that and also in behind the scenes both Sigourney and Vasquez actress hate guns that and the plot to this movie was very different before on the dvd and Blu-ray of the alien quadrilogy there was a tough draft of the original plot from beginning to end including parts of the script as well and this movie's original name alien II also did u know that the queen is controlled by 3 people with one floating in the middle controlling the two middle arms
It's cool you actually watched the director's cut. The theatrical cut removed the scene of the two colonists finding the derelict "Space Engineer" starship, the scenes were Riply is told her daughter died when she was 66 years old, and the scences with the automated machine guns in the hallways way also cut. What you called a "collection of satellites" is called a Space Station lol It sucks that Ripley's daughter died at 66 and never got to see her mother again... :( so Ripley loosing her daughter was hard hit on her, so she didn't really want to get involved with any other "mission" The company is the "Wayland-Yutani Company", they want the xenomoph or a face hugger (which has a xenomorph zygote inside) to develop them into a Biological Weapon that they are in control of. This movie was the main inspiration for the Metroid game series as well as the Metroid Prime series... as well as a huge inspiration for many other 8-bit and 16-Bit games, like the Contra series, and others.... Don't bother with ALIEN 3, it pisses all over the ending of ALIENS, best to pretend it doesn't exist....
I have to say how much I enjoy watching with you Shan. You’re technical observations are at my level and I look forward to your emotional reactions to surprises I know are coming.
Ripely blew the torch near the eggs in order to threaten the queen. That’s why the queen has the other zenomorphs back off and let Ripley pass unharmed. But then Ripley torches the eggs anyway, which then pissed off the queen as you can imagine.
Did you know Vasquez in this movie was John Connors foster mother in Terminator 2.
YOU JUST BLEW MY MIND! Just as I read your comment, my mind made the connection instantly! thank you so much for this comment!
@@ShanWatchesMovies She was also in Titanic and did a vampire film (Near Dark) with Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen (Bishop) directed by Cameron's ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow.
@@lara314 Again, I had no idea! you seem to know quite a lot of film trivia! It's really fun to read comments like this because it's actually fun to learn the behind the scenes stuff!
Goldstein was also the Irish mother in Titanic and the science officer in Star Trek Generations. Best. Leo.
BlazinBeats And the mother comforting her children in Titanic as the ship sinks.
The nuke explosion at the end was in fact simply made with coton clouds lightened from below by a powerful lamp. I give the Oscar for "Best cost/effective practical effect ever"! The result is amazing IMO.
You: "Should I watch Alien 3?"
Us: "NO! It ends HERE. Hicks and Ripley got married, adopted Newt, bought a farm and used Bishop as their scarecrow"
I hunted down the Dark Horse Comics sequel miniseries ALIENS (1989). Newt and Hicks are the main characters. Let's stop there.
Hahaha and Newt became dorothy from Wizard of Oz lol
LOL love that.
i Loved Alien 3, was it as good as the first no, but definetely shouldn't have missed out on it.
3 is garbage
Bill Paxton actually said that he improvised “game over man game over”
wow! Had no clue! A lot of famous film lines are improvised like when Han Solo says "I Know"!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Bill Paxton was also the punk with blue spiked hair that Arnold kills in Terminator.
@@edgarcia4794 him and Lance Henrikson are the only 2 that could boast that they encountered Alien, predator and terminator
Except Paxton was killed in all 3. Bishop survives his encounter, so it doesn’t count.
@@patrickgogan3517 hmm, when did henrikson play in a terminator movie? also, i don't count his predator encounter because avp was such a goddamn piece of shit, it makes alien 3 and 4 look like masterpieces.. 😜
She was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress for this role.
She deserved it! I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd won!
Always remember that she was robbed of it.
Your comment "this has got to be one of the best action thriller films I've ever seen" was right on the mark. Many people including me consider Alien the best sci-fi horror movie and Aliens the best sci-fi action movie ever made. I never get tired of watching them! Great reaction by the way 😊
Thanks for the comment and your compliments and yes, BOTH were fantastic!
Ripley is the gold standard of strong believable female protagonist.
She was amazing in her role and I don't get why modern films can't portray a strong female character like her! Hollywood has changed!
But you're still a Nazi Misogynist if you don't love Rey Palpatine and Ghostbusters 2016.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Because Hollywood is too concerned in waving a flag, which is 100% political and 0% based on reality. The female protagonists nowadays are perfect ppl with 0 flaws and "stronger" or "more powerful" than anything to the point where they don't even face challenges.
They also consciously try to not associate women with motherhood due to some backwards logic that caring for another human being somehow makes a woman weaker.
But... But...
If this film came out today, wouldn't people cry about Ripley being a Mary Sue? I mean, she keeps her head better than the trained marines. She kills more aliens than the trained marines. She not only survives, she marches into the nest alone and kicks ass, when all the marines are dead or nearly dead.
Never even saw her as a woman when I first watched the movie. She was just a tough-as-nails human being, kicking ass!
Also, one of the best chess moves hidden in a film. Queen takes Bishop!
Cameron directed 2 of my top 10 favorite action movies. This and T2 are masterpieces. Both are examples of sequels done right.
You're absolutely right. All 4 films are masterpieces in their own right!
Cameron directed ALL of the best movies ever... In a Box office Mojo, on Top Lifetime Grosses, you can see that of the first three top gross movies, two of them is by Cameron...
@@gorankopcic7827 Grosses are bullshit. The metric that matters is asses in seats. But Hollywood doesn't want to ever let that cat out of the bag, because then none of your 'top' movies would be beating things like 'Gone With the Wind' when you could get into a theater for a quarter.
Also this shows how a sequel really should be shot. Make a whole new story with new cast and a new production behind the camera, not desperately trying to recreate what we already saw.
A few years ago I flew to London (from my home country Sweden) to see this movie playing on a huge screen at the Royal Albert Hall, with the music performed live by the London Symphonic Orchestra.
I had seen it dozens of times before that, and besides the awesomeness of that entire experience, one thing still surprised me... And that was during the scenes where the marines first enter the facilities on LV426 (just about where you said that there is no music). There's this weird echoing clicking sound every now and again, and I always assumed that it was an "artificial" sound effect of some sort. But as the movie played on that enormous screen, above the head of the symphony orchestra, and it got to that very moment, I noticed that the clicking sound was made by the cellists! They had one hand covering the strings on their cellos, and with the other struck the strings with the bow, in an echoing fashion, deliberately out of sync with each other to create a more eerie sound.
It was totally captivating to notice how it was an organic orchestral sound making that artificial sounding noise.
shan: "ohh exoskeleton. I hope that gets used later".
me: *grins like a child* "you could say that".
"That's exactly what James Cameron tried to put in my subconscious in the beginning of the film" 😁👍 Excellent commentary! That's pretty much my favorite scene in the entire film 'cause it shows that Riley has to fight the Queen Xenomorph in that heavy duty large armor which was perfectly added in the finale.
"I hope that comes into play later in the movie." Chekhov's Power Loader. Best. Leo.
I was so happy to see the power loader! I just screamed YES!! The final fight was masterfully done!
Thanks for the comment Leo!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Right there with you. Since I was a kid, I was always into diggers and other mechanical type devices. I have a clear recollection of a Popular Science magazine cover story from the 60s dealing with those sort of contraptions. At the time, the military was involved and working on a four-legged travel vehicle version also. A decade before that my favorite sci-fi writer, Robert Heinlein, had penned a story about much sleeker versions of the loader in Starship Troopers. Best. Leo.
I like the way that the Power Loader is set up long before you see it; Burke refers to Ripley "driving loaders and forklifts" before she even agrees to return to LV-426.
21:00 - "What are you doing?"
She was demonstrating to the Queen what she could if the Queen doesn't tell her troops to back off. Then when an egg opens, she thinks "That's not part of the deal. Time to dance."
And they never made any more movies. You'd think that after these were so well received that they would continue the story, but they never did, they never made any more Alien movies after this one. Weird. Maybe it's for the better.
hahahah I love this comment!
We all wish....we all wish.
Thank God. If they had made more I’m sure the quality would only go down. Whew! Dodged a bullet by stopping at this one...
I have to agree, I don't even want to think about how they could have tarnished the legacy of these two movies.
@ricardo demetrio alonso rojas Some things should be hated.
A couple of things. I think that Ripley's best characteristics are the ability to access a situation, determine the best course of action, and execute it. If you're gonna have traits, those are the ones to have. Some people question why she destroyed the egg chamber when the queen was apparently letting her take Newt and leave. I think it's pretty simple. They have a truce that was 5 seconds old. The very moment she and Newt turned tail to run that truce would end. There was no way Ripley and Newt would have made the journey back to the landing area to meet the ship with dozens of xenomorphs on their tail. By destroying the egg chamber she created chaos. If you've ever moved a rock or log and noticed you've upset a colony of ants you'll notice a few things. The first thing the ants do is grab any eggs or larvae in order to protect them. The soldiers look for a threat in the immediate area. Their job is to kill the intruder while the others make a hasty retreat.
Also, it's getting a little payback for all the humans killed earlier.
That little head cocked to the side movement right before she blows the eggs to smithereens says a lot.
This might be the best analysis I've ever seen during a 1st time reaction - very astute, kudos! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for your compliments and kind words. Comments like yours really reinforce and encourage me to keep going! Thank you again!
Look out for Close Encounters of the Third Kind this week followed by The Thing (1982) in the next couple of days!
He's really my favorite reactor because of his technical analysis and appreciation for all aspects of film. Some people only concentrate on certain aspects which probably relates to their specific discipline of filmmaking whether it be camera work or editing or sound design but Shaun definitely seems to demonstrate a love for the total package of what a good film is and I enjoy every reaction.
@@JoshuaC0rbit Well said. He's certainly kept up his high level of analysis as well as enthusiasm since I posted my comment last year.
@@ShanWatchesMovies - Agreed. Really enjoying your film reactions also, and your critiques are spot on. Cheers, mate! 👌😁
Agreed, I was very impressed with the number of production processes you named off that it seemed like the production paid attention to. Well done sir, keep it up! 😀
Alien: horror. Aliens: Action. Both amazing in their own right!
Couldn't agree more. The only genre overlap they have are that are both thrillers!
Except aliens while more action oriented kept a lot of the terror that the original film had imo
To me both are terror, the action of the second does not take away the atmosphere of terror of the film
@@m.a.pivotproductions9735 In its own way I think it adds to the terror because of the fact that you what a threat the xenomorphs can be given time
Alien3: Drama.- the great David Fincher with his signature style) Alien Resurrection: indie (written by Joss Wheaton)
“Bishop should survive. So should Hicks.”
You’d think that...
Sigourney Weaver was Academy award nominated for this movie and I think it was one of the first times a woman was nominated for like an action roll like this
You are an exceptional reactor. We get not only your immediate, emotional reaction, but also your very observant and knowledgeable comments. I truly appreciate your intelligence and your obvious passion for film. Wonderful job. You have a new subscriber!
Margaret Smith Yeah, I just discovered this guy. Just subbed & I’m digging his reaction. It’s so disappointing when you find someone reacting to good movies, but their reaction style just doesn’t work. This gentleman seems to know what he’s doing.
Thank you both for your wonderful words and for your subscription! I really didn't expect more than a dozen views since I started last month and reading comments like yours really reinforces and encourages me to continue! Thank you again!
totally agree never liked when critics would just totally disregard a total genre if they do not like it.. critique the quality of the work filming plot effects as a complete
everyone who watches this movie loves Vasquez, including Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek. when they were getting ready to begin his new series Star Trek: The Next Generation, he modeled Tasha Yar, the Enterprise's first security officer, after Vasquez. when she needlessly died in the first season, Worf took over as security chief.
Watch The Thing (1982) , it's similar to Alien (the first Alien movie)
oh I got at least 10 requests to watch The Thing. Fortunately I haven't watched it but surely will in the next week or two! keep an eye out!
That's a GREAT movie !!!! Kurt Russell ........ yeah man !!! ♡♡😘
Watch the original (1951) version of The Thing (From Another World). Classic '50s sci-fi!
In my not so humble opinion, Alien and Aliens were perfect as a set. Let the rest go... Just saying. But it is up to you...
Agreed. Alien 3 is fine as a standalone, but not as part of the series. It went through so much development hell that the results include some questionable decisions.
4 is good.
As much as I truly do enjoy the directors cut of three, it broke my heart that they did what they did story wise. It was just so unnecessary, and basically had the complete perfect setup for continuity. I would agree overall, the two are a wonderfully satisfying adventure with a lot of cohesion.
@@johnashley327 Four is fun for very different reasons compared to the rest on the franchise. I enjoyed the cinematography and practical effects, but it just felt like a very immature representation of what started as a very serious look at alien life and human struggles. The fourth film seemed like it was just cashing in on as much nostalgia as possible. I have to admit, though, I did enjoy watching it when I had the Alien Quadrilogy.
@@heyimgoingtoplaysomegames No, it's disgracefully bad.
I like Michael Biehn's character in this film and in The Terminator.
I even liked him in the Abyss.
Also loved his acting in the rock. That shower scene
@@01bigtrev - forgot that one. Good catch.
One of my favorite Sci-Fi films. As much as I liked Alien, I thought this one blew it away.
I just can't decide between the two honestly! To me, it's different approaches to the same situation. Once as a phycological thriller, the other as an action thriller. Both done masterfully. I guess I have to give it time to marinate inside my head before I make up my mind.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Which one you prefer says a lot about your sensibility. Aliens is definitely more "entertaining" & rewatchable. It's like a rollercoaster ride. But I'm not necessarily just into film for a rollercoaster [which is why I despise most of the Marvel films] - so for me, the cold, calculating, considered atmosphere & aesthetic of Alien wins. The craft of that film is unmatched by Aliens - Aliens feels very 80s to em, whereas Alien is timeless.
Best sequel of all time in my opinion. Die Hard 3 and T2 come close.
@@domcoke I can't disagree with you there. The sequel was definitely more on the corporate side where they wanted to cash in on the first film. They did end up making a fantastic film but I do see your point!
@@jainelson8840 It definitely is a close call!
I remember several film critics saying that it wasn't often, that a sequel was as good as.....if not better....than the original. 'Aliens' lived up to it.
Both are masterpieces in their own right. The perfect sequel!
This film got nominated for 7 academy awards! 1. Best Actress 2. Best Editing 3. Best Art Direction 4. Best Original Score 5. Best Sound Effects 6. Best Sound 7. Best Visual Effects.... It won for best visual effects, and sound effects!
It should have been nominated for Best Movie surely?!
A nice sci-fi classic (in two different ways) is "Enemy Mine" (1985), directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Airforce One, The Neverending Story, etcetera). It's a double classic because a) it has a very different message compared to a lot of 80's sci-fi, and also because it's based on a novella by Barry Longyear (who, IIRC, is also the author behind the story the movie "Silent Running" was based on, which is a movie that's very apt in today's environmental crisis era).
The stars of the movie are amazing, the effects are very 80's but also surprisingly good, and the make-up and worldbuilding is top-notch.
I have not watched Enemy Mine (1985) yet! Thanks a bunch for the recommendation! I'm somewhat familiar with Peterson's work since The Neverending story was one of my favorite films before my teens! Adding Enemy Mine (1985) to the list!
I love Barry, but he had nothing to do with "Silent Running". Like "Ender's Game" the movies are pretty good but the short stories are much better.
I’m so glad a reactor is watching the Director’s Cut. It makes the stuff with Newt that much more potent later, with the info about her daughter added back in.
Revealing that Ripley was another really did make her connection with Newt more meaningful especially when she calls her Mommy at the end :')
The director's edition has all the extra stuff about Ripley's daughter and her interactions with Newt plus the low key flirting between "Dwayne and Ellen" so you really get a much stronger sense that they are a family unit at the end so your emotional investment is much greater.
However, the inclusion of scenes of the colony before it is overrun by aliens was a mistake. The marines arrival on LV426 would be so much more tense if the viewer had as little knowledge as the marines.
A version of the film half way between the theatrical release and the director's edition would be perfection.
All the stuff with the sentry guns wasn't in the Theatrical Cut either.
I think everything after Aliens ruins the story/mythos. & yes Aliens is one of the best action movies ever.
5 No's and 1 Yes. I think I'll save my time for something better!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Alien 3 is worth a watch but that's just my opinion. Many people hate it because they were expecting another action movie like Aliens and instead it returns to the slower, more suspenseful formula of the first movie.
100% agree. ngl i like all the movies bc im a sucker for sci fi but even i can easily say the overall story/character writing after this film just isnt....uh all that top tier lol
The splendid computer game Alien: Isolation is the only worthy additional Alien entry.
I haven't played it yet, will look out for it in steam or the PS Store! Thank you for the recommendation!
Alien Isolation is a terrifying game. Really good, but truly scary. I loved it
@@SpectreNUT Indeed. I consider myself pretty jaded, but it scared me. I don't think I could play it in VR.
@@nickmitsialis Yes. Just Yes.
@@FanFanBessie2 I'd buy that for a dollar, but since my kid's in college, I can only afford a 'thumbs up' for your comment.
There is actually a Deleted Scene from "ALIENS" where towards the end when Ripley is running through the Alien Nest searching for Newt, she suddenly is grabbed by Burke who is still alive but has been cocooned.
He immediately asks Ripley to help him and that he can feel the Alien inside of him and she then responds by handing him a grenade (she actually never says a word to him) and then moving on to continue searching for Newt and leaving him behind still cocooned and with the grenade. Then literally 1 second into the very next shot, we hear a very quick and short bang sound (we don't see it though) happen behind Ripley.
The scene itself is actually on TH-cam. If you want to see it then just type in the Search Box above "Aliens deleted scene Burke" and then click Enter and then it should show up.
WOW! WATCHING IT NOW! THANK YOU!
I always gathered that the explosion that keeps them from getting out after she gets Newt was him setting off that grenade, so him doing so is what trapped them with the queen (though he may not have realized that would happen)
It needed to be deleted. It would hurt Ripley's character ark and what she's been through. She's not a killer.
@@djstuntfox Ripley didn't kill him, he was dead anyways. She gave him the grenade to end his own life with minimal pain, if he chose to do so. It actually showed compassion for the person that put them in that situation to begin with.
@@k1productions87 In the deleted scene there is actually an extra soft bang as she picks up the tracker that is not in the final movie. So the sound was added to the scene for that purpose.
That Burke would prevent them from escaping the easy way is a better scenario though. =D
Normally, I am a completist, but with this franchise I have to say you could just pinch it off right here. Aliens was such a good sequel, so rare, that everything that comes after it is just a let down.
Great reaction!! Sigourney Weaver did indeed receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Aliens.
Thanks for the comment and I wouldn't have been surprised if she had won. She was really amazing in both the films!
Great reaction! Do you see similarities between Alien to Aliens, and Terminator to T2? Besides style and budget what also stands out is the character development of Sarah Connor and Ripley. In the sequels they became 2 of the best female action heroes of all time!
Thank you for the compliments and for pointing out that wonderful parallel! It goes to show how well Cameron can direct a great Female lead!
Sarah Connor in T2 scared me spitless: a magnificent bit of character development!
I saw "Aliens 3" in the theater. I remember it being slow, ponderous, and badly-lit. There also wasn't enough of the alien in it for me. BUT it wasn't cornball or cheesy. That would start with the fourth film "Alien Resurrection," which I also saw in theaters and hated. In conclusion, 3 might be worth a watch but go in with lowered expectations and definitely stop there.
I've always thought Alien 3 was actually a decent movie. The story made no sense but the set design and actors were very good. The "Assembly Cut" of the movie is better than the theatrical version.
I'll probably end up watching Aliens 3 at least just because its Fincher!
Fincher obsesses over details and atmosphere. I read that Fox was going crazy, because Fincher wasn’t happy about such details like the blood effects. Fox re-edited and re-shit scenes, leading to Fincher’s attitude about the film that leads to this day. The script was also an amalgamation of two concepts. Still. The movie adds some more lore to alien mythos. Which future movies screw up.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Don't do it. Fincher was screwed by the studio and won't talk about the movie to this day. It also retroactively screws over Aliens.
I don't like Alien 3, but I do respect it. It definitely was a bold direction where they went with the story.
11:00 You basically got it right about them using humans as nutrition. In the extended version of 'Alien' Ripley comes across Dallas when he was cocooned. Half his body was literally being morphed into an egg and all of that biological structure you see all over the walls. Same happened to these people. That's almost, if not more, scary than having an alien burst through your chest imo. Feeling your body slowly disintegrate and turn into something else is quite terrifying.
1:49 The "express elevator to Hell" begins. Good, you're watching the "Director's Cut/Extended" version with the deleted-from-the-original "family scenes" adding depth to an already iconic movie. 10:00 When "Aliens" was reviewed, there was talk of "sisterhood," but with the "Amy Ripley" scene restored, it is crystal clear that "Lt. Ripley" connects with "Newt" at the mother & child level. 11:37 When you are surrounded, it is wise to clear the enemy away as soon as possible, with "short, controlled bursts," which Vasquez is doing. 12:32 One of the best lines in this movie.) 12:40 This kind of oversight will be repeated.14:13 I wonder if the "Bioweapons division" of Weyland-Yutani would be able to handle their "billion dollar monster"? 19:01 "Duane and Ellen," I wonder how many kids got named by this scene? 23:12 Continuing jeopardy! 23:56 Mom vs. Mom. 25:12 "Not bad for a Human." When I saw "Alien3," I thought: "The European Arty" version. I've only seen the "excessive exposition, of sound and fury, signifying nothing" version, which is a "Zero stars" thing to me.
Thank you for another time-stamped comment. Comments like yours make the interesting trivia you provide much easier to follow! Im sorry I cant reply in detail to every single time-stamp but rest assured I've read and watched every single one! Thank you again for taking the time to write all of this!
Michael Biehn was also in The Abyss by James Cameron.
I watched The Abyss when I was 13 or 14 so I didn't recognize him. All I remember from this film is the beautiful water CGI. Maybe it's worth a rewatch on the channel since I don't remember the plot?
He also gets bit on the hand in all three James Cameron films.
The joke near the start about Vasquez that Hudson makes about "illegal aliens" is a true story from Goldstein's audition for this film. She thought the film was about immigrants not actually aliens and turned up dressed as such.
I had no idea about this bit of trivia, thank you so much for that! I love the behind the scenes stuff as much as the onscreen stuff!
Yeah, somehow she got the idea that it was for Flamenco dancers and showed up in heels and a dress! When she saw all the other actresses in fatigues and combat boots she burst into tears and left.
Sergeant Apone was played by Vietnam veteran Marine Sergeant Al Mathews. The first actor to play Hicks, who was replaced by Bien, was handling the shotgun when he blasted a hole through the set into the set next door for Little Shop of Horrors. Mathews turned to him and yelled "how the FUCK did you get live ammo?!?"
Great Video. I love how you talk about the visuals, as well as where you think the story is going. Good stuff!
Thank you so much for your compliments. I really really appreciate it! Watch out for Close Encounters of the Third Kind coming later this week!
The late Bill Paxton's character (Pvt. Hudson) is the team's intelligence & electronics specialist. As a former US Army intel guy, I can tell you that his portrayal is spot on: bravado and humor during down time on the ship, followed by an utter breakdown when confronted by something as powerful & deadly as the xenomorphs. Any one of us would've done exactly the same. 😆
Love watching your reactions. Thanks for being entertaining, and knowledgeable. Count me in the minority that I LOVED Alien 3. I feel bad when people come to a channel about genuine reactions and plants the seed in your head that the movie sucks or that it isn't worth your time to watch. Luckily, I saw it in the theater, before the internet. LOL. As Aliens was different in tone from Alien. Alien 3 has a different tone as well. There are some great performances and seeing Ripley's continuing journey was well worth it for me. Either way, I look forward to whatever you choose to watch.
Thank you for your compliments and your insights! The initial comments were so much against me watching it but a lot of comments like yours are asking me to make up my mind. Honestly I'm probably going to end up watching it because I want to watch all of Fincher's work. I just don't know whether I should watch it on my own time or the channel...
My second favorite is Aliens 4. Also a minority opinion. :))
@@ScarlettM In my view no opinion is a bad opinion, since by definition they are opinions and everyone has theirs!
Don’t know if someone’s already said this. But in a deleted scene, Burke isn’t killed, simply taken to the nest, where he gets an embryo implanted in him. Ripley would encounter him while searching for Newt, and would hand him a grenade. This however is the explosion that forces them to then detour in to the Queen’s lair.
The scene was cut because it was noted not enough time would have passed for Burke to be impregnated and then be conscious afterwards.
Took a girl on a first date to this one...there wasn't a second date. 😂
Aliens and The Thing (1982) are my favorite action/suspense/thriller/horror movies. Highly recommend The Thing (1982) if you haven't seen it and enjoy that type of movie.
Hahahaha thanks is for sharing that 😂
Fortunately I haven't watched The Thing yet, but I plan to in the next week or two for sure! Got a lot of requests for it!
@@ShanWatchesMovies have you watched Gremlins(1984)? It's one my childhood movies that I used to watch all the time when I was a kid. It's a fun little Horror Comedy directed by Joe Dante & produced by Steven Spielberg.
@@adalester9 nope I haven't but I've heard it's a cult classic! Thanks for the suggestion, adding it to my list :)
Granted The Thing was brilliantly suspenseful and quite a nail-biting thriller.
Unfortunately it was MORE MORE gruesome than Aliens.😝 Yuck!
@@redviper6805 I'm going to watch The Thing in the next week or so. There are so so many comments with this request! I'm actually looking forward to it!
True story, the guy who played Bishop didn't know how to read until he was 30 years old!
Bishop managed to be useful after being torn in half, unlike a certain gold droid in Empire Strikes Back. He was one of those supporting characters that you don’t whether you trust at first especially after what happened in Alien but comes through for Ripley in the climax.
Was excited when the movie was mentioned in Avengers Infinity War!
Wow! Didn't know that bit of trivia! Bishop really kept me in suspense whether he was good or bad. Great acting on the actor's part!
Speaking of Bishop the stuff he spits out when he was cut in half by the queen near the end is actually cups of milk and yogurt which by the way the crew kept forgetting to put in the fridge to keep fresh so after a few days the stuff went bad and gave Bishop's actor food poisoning so after that they made sure to remember to keep the dairy mixture refrigerated after each day so that it didn't go bad
@@michaelpopowich5095 I heard that story on the special features disc. That was an ordeal
You might want to search the fate of Burke. He actually died later.
Also, the first film had one alien, which practically dictates a more slower pace, and creating more atmosphere. Remember, the first film came out in 1979, and there was effort to distance the look of the whole movie from Star Wars.
Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress.
Thank goodness she was at least nominated! I wouldn't have been surprised if she had won. And you're absolutely right about first film! Very interesting observation!
Best Actress for 1986 went to Marlee Matlin, a deaf actress who won for Children Of A Lesser God.
@@fday1964 She probably is a great actress. The only thing I've actually seen her in is The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen or something. I remember her being very funny!
I try to see all the films nominated, for each category. It was easier when films were limited to five. One thing to consider, is watching Best Picture winners.
That is a great idea! I can go year by year and make it a 'series' on the channel! Thank you so much for this!
I first saw Aliens when I was around 11 years old. At the time, it was the single most awesome film I had seen in my life.
Not sure if it’s been mentioned but James Cameron had issues with the English crew. They considered him a brash no name director (as his one major movie - Terminator - hadn’t been released yet in England) taking over from Ridley Scott.
If you liked Alien & Aliens try out the survival horror game Alien Isolation it looks exactly like the original Alien movies 70’s futuristic setting. It takes place between the two movies and you play as Amanda Ripley trying to find out what happened to her mother.
I didn't know that! Thanks for that bit of trivia! I'm going to be watching the Making Of Aliens soon (the off screen stuff are fascinating)!
Also, Cameron came from making films furiously and cheap with Roger Corman. Cameron thought that the English crew would work 18 hour days. Instead, English film crews are unionized and follow a certain daily schedule. Cameron cancelled the crew’s tea break once, and they went on strike. Cameron never cancelled a tea break again.
Another actor was supposed to play Hicks, but got sick. Michael Biehn stepped in at the last minute.
This is one of my favorite films and your wonderful reaction made me so happy. Thank you for sharing it.
I like all these movies ,, anytime there’s xenomorphs I watch ,Even the last alien vs predator requiem , loved it all
Every franchise has hardcore fans and you my friend, are one of them! That's awesome!
To each his own, but I drew the line at the AVP movies. Just awful imo. Alien Resurrection had good points but I didn't like the goriness or the story, they ruined Ripley's character.
@ricardo demetrio alonso rojas you want to tell me that the first avp is good? i mean yeah, requiem was a horribly lit piece of shit but at least it was so bad and cheesy that i can somewhat enjoy watching it, avp on the other hand is just bland, boring, badly acted, badly written and an utterly joyless watch
The use of colour (or rather lack of it) is marvellous. Nearly everything is in shades of grey, but occasional highlights of red, yellow and blue. And that's it!
Great reaction, sir! Cannot wait for The Thing!
Thank you so much for the compliments! Yup, I can't wait to watch it either! In the mean time Close Encounters of the Third Kind is coming up next!
Bill Paxton was also in The Terminator.
"you don't see the aliens f'ing themselves over for a profit..." Burke was definitely worse than the xenomorphs.
You’re reacting to the directors cut. This was not the actual theatrical release. The theater version you don’t see the girl until they land on the planet.
Yeah, another comment pointed it out. Next time I'm going to rewatch the film (which I will inevitably do since it was amazing), I'll watch the theatrical cut just out of curiosity!
@@ShanWatchesMovies The Directors cut is the best one. In the Theatrical cut you never learn that Ripley had a Daughter so her relationship with Newt becomes more forced. And the first attack with the sentry guns is cut completely.
@@QuayNemSorr I'm just curious how much narrative sense the theatrical version made. Whether it took too much away from the director's cut...
Shan Watches Movies I prefer the original instead of the directors cut. It’s nice to see but there is a reason for those early scenes that were cut out. A lot of it is pacing. The purpose of the original version is it’s about the marines and Ripley going back to this planet to find out what happened to the colony. The movie is not about the colony... it’s what happened to them. We really didn’t need to know that Ripley had a child because that was not even mentioned in the first movie. You can bond with a child like she did without ever having a dead child. The movie is great. The directors cut made it different but not better.
@@ShanWatchesMovies My perfect version of this movie would be the theatrical cut that included the scene of Ripley learning about her daughter. That's really the only big narrative element that's missing from the theatrical cut. Other than that, I actually find the "TC" to be the superior version. In that version you don't see the colony until the Colonial Marines arrive, and it heightens the mystery because you're seeing and discovering everything along with the characters. I also feel like they too heavily foreshadowed the Queen Alien in the special edition. In the TC they simply leave the discussion at, "It must be something we haven't seen yet." Again, it heightens the mystery. Watching this as a kid, I remember putting the pieces together myself during the big reveal and realizing that they were structured like an ant hive. I don't think that moment is quite as much fun when you basically had it spelled out to you earlier in the movie. And as cool as the sentry guns are ... the point of that scene is to show that the characters are hunkered down in a position of relative safety for the moment. But the previous scenes shows them planning and setting up fortifications, so that point has already been made, in my opinion.
People say the first two films are different in style, One is horror and two is action, yada yada yada, but there are far more similarities in style than differences I think. The biggest difference is simply the scale and that we already know about the monsters so keeping them in the shadows wouldn’t have been satisfying this time around.
Both films start slow and peaceful and conclude fast and violent in a bath of steam and sweat and flashing lights and clanging alarms.
The sound design of both films is not often commented on (well done for picking up on it) it is amazing. Just the sound of those pulse rifles is iconic, and then there’s the motion detectors, the bleeping computer communications, the howl of the storm, the roar of a flamethrower ... the gasping hiss of the xenomorph.
Cameron didn’t change much of the tone from Alien, but he turned it all up to 11!
Good review. Welcome to the Alien fandom.
Yes, watch Alien 3.
This is one of the best sequels ever made!
I'm glad you saw the Special Edition version.
The future Ripley inhabits is implied to be a dystopic corporatocracy with the Weyland-Yutani Company being the most pervasive and powerful corporate entity. It is a 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- through 19th-centuries. It is a multinational conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar transportation and terraforming with a stake in every colony world. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of the Alien universe. Ash and Burke were both following a corporate mandate to obtain a xenomorph specimen in order to profit from research and weaponization. In the AvP films, you actually meet the company founders before their merger, Mr. Weyland and Ms. Yutani.
Some trivia:
The picture of Ripley's elderly daughter in the Special Edition is actually Sigourney Weaver's real-life mother!
The late Al Matthews, who played Sgt. Apone, was a true-blue Marine who was the first black man to be promoted to Sergeant in the Corps during his service in Vietnam!
The knife-trick scene was originally supposed to be performed by Lance Henriksen alone but he convinced director James Cameron to surprise Bill Paxton by involving him as they shot the scene! Paxton's wide-eyed terror is completely real!
Fan favorite Vasquez is played by non-Hispanic Jenette Goldstein! I like that her death enables Gorman to reclaim his honor.
Ms. Goldstein now is the proprietress of a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in bespoke large-size bras! The motto of her company is, "At Jenette's, the alphabet begins with 'D'."!
Bishop's programming to not harm humans or allow them to come to harm through inaction is ripped straight from Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics!
You called it, sir!
The late Bill Paxton, who has the distinction of being killed on screen by an Alien, a Terminator and a Predator, will NEVER be forgotten for his reading of the line, "Why don't you put HER in charge?", referring to little Newt in her oversized helmet. Lol.
One of the greatest action movies of all time. And Sigourney Weaver is an awesome heroine.
what a great reaction
Thank you so much for your comment!
I still remember it well when I saw this in 1985 on opening weekend some 36 years ago. the theater was completely packed and when I say everybody was on the edge of their seats it was true. And towards the end the movie stopped the house lights went up apparently somebody was having a medical issue, we thought it might have been a heart attack. A very memorable experience and one of my all-time favorite movies
Fun Fact: The actress who plays Vasquez, she is Jewish, not Hispanic.
You can be both. :-)
James Cameron actually had already made 2 Movies before he made "ALIENS".
The First Movie that he made was "PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING" and the 2nd Movie that he made was "THE TERMINATOR".
Thanks for pointing that out. I think I saw an interview of Cameron laughing about it and telling the audience not to watch the film 😂
Piranha 2 was AWESOME. I still remember the guy trying to beat the flying piranha with a bat. HAHAHA
I like how everyone, except Burke, gets a redemption moment. Lt Gorman starts off not eating with his enlisted troops, and being immature and arrogant. However, at the end, he goes back to take care of Vasquez and keeps her from dying alone. Hudson is a coward who breaks under stress, but at the end he holds his ground and keeps firing at the aliens until they swarm him. Different from today’s films where everyone is selfish, cynical and a creep.
Don't forget that in today's movies, many are simply stupid==or at least written that way.
David Fincher was right in this owning the film. The truth of the matter is that you only need to watch the 1st and 2nd films of the franchise. Both Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection can be discarded.I saw both of the 1st 2 Alien movies in the theaters in my younger years. I was completely blown away from the 1st film, and I was literally cheering out loud during the 2nd. You can be confident that you have seen the 2 essential Alien films. And yes, Sigourney Weaver was, in fact, nominated for best actress by the Academy Awards. She should have won.
When you watch Alien 3, make sure it is the Assembly cut/version that lasts almost 2 and a half hours, please.
Yeah, I'll probably end up watching it since its Fincher. And yes, the Assembly cut since I heard the studio butchered the film after Fincher left!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Very good choice, just do not expect it to be as good as the first 2 movies.
The "Marine" content was spot on. I was still serving when this came out. I was really impressed.
Glad you enjoyed it and that you watched the extended cut which I believe is superior. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for best actress at the academy awards. I’d stop at this point. “Alien 3” and “Alien Resurrection” are disappointing and a letdown after the first two fantastic films. The Ridley Scott prequels I also find disappointing. You’ve seen the best films in the Alien series for sure.
First off thank you for the comment! I've read a lot of comments discouraging me to watch it, some to make up my own mind and one to definitely watch it. I think I'll at least watch Aliens 3 on my own time and not on the channel because it's a Fincher film and I don't want to miss out on his work, good or bad...
Shan Watches Movies Let us know what you thought in a post one day of the third film. The opening of “Alien 3” is such a betrayal of the previous film that it might actually make you mad, it did with me. I think you’ll love “The Thing” which is one of John Carpenter’s best.
@@CR41489 this I will definitely can and will do!
Here's a fun piece of trivia - the term "Nuke it from orbit" that computer technicians jokingly use to refer to completely wiping a computer and re-installing its operating system when it has a problem that is too difficult/time consuming to troubleshoot came from this movie.
Do Alien 3,
it has it's faults but it's worth seeing Ripleys conclusion.
"I think before this, he made, like, one film." Two. The first Terminator movie, of course. Before that, there was Piranha II, which I only know by reputation, though some critics said of it: "You'd have to be psychic to spot any talent in James Cameron from this movie."
NO! Do NOT watch Alien 3. It has a very illogical setup, and "undoes" everything good about this movie.
I'm amazed at the passion you're defending the first two! I respect that! I may not watch it anytime soon but sooner or later I have to get to it because I want to watch all of David Fincher's films, good and bad. Same goes for other great directors like Tarantino, Spielberg, Cameron, Scorsese etc
@@ShanWatchesMovies Just be forewarned, the opening of Alien 3 can't use all of the same actors as in Aliens. So those not used are unceremoniously disposed of in the very beginning, so he can get on with HIS story without encumbrances. It just completely "voids" Aliens.
@BLOODY FACE i really liked 4 with the genetic combo effects
@BLOODY FACE agree but i was still entertained and liked the story arc
Stan Winston and his crew were legendary practical effects masters. They also did the practical dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
More awesome commentary. Alien is still my fave tho. 😊
Thank you thank you thank you Lara! I haven't decided which one I like better quite yet, I'll give it some time to actually form a proper opinion. Both were fantastic!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Great news, Shan. As far as I know, there is no Reaction Mandate extant requiring you to make a Sophie's Choice between two great movies. I still think one of the smartest things Cameron did with this film was to go in a totally different direction stylistically and thematically. Best. Leo.
@Leo Gallagher You're probably correct. I can appreciate both since they were basically a different approaches on same genre, (phycological vs action) thriller
Jeanette Goldstein, who played Vasquez, also played John Connor's foster mother in Terminator 2.
Alien 3 kind of ruins this film and the universe to an extent so I suggest skip.
I'll probably watch it in my own time since it's David Fincher... But probably not on my channel lol
Shan Watches Movies Actually since you want to watch it, I think it’ll be pretty fun to see your reaction to some of the interesting choices they made in this film.
I'll keep that in mind before watching :)
It makes me so happy to see these films having not lost a step. Like I've seen Aliens probably a hundred times so it's great to live vicariously through someone else's first-time excitement.
Do NOT watch Alien 3. It's pointless. There will be Alien 3 apologists telling you to watch the assembly cut. Don't listen. The whole enterprise was totally flawed. It has a dank, depressing, and hopeless atmosphere. And it features a cast of totally unlikeable characters. I saw it at the cinema when it came out. I hated it. And I think "Se7en" is pretty much a masterpiece, which I saw 3 times when it came out.
so far I got 1 vote yes and 5 votes no. so I can see a clear majority here! and se7en has got one of the best twists in cinema history IMO
@@ShanWatchesMovies It's only really worth watching to be able to speak with authority about why it's bad. But my vote is to cut out the middle man, and just don't bother. It was a false start for Fincher's feature film career, and so I consider he first feature as "Se7en" [and remains his best IMO] - and I'm sure he feels the same way. Though, I am rather partial to the opening credits. I like the way they're cut - and the nihilism of them. And the score. So if you wanna watch those, it'll give you an idea about why you shouldn't bother with the rest
It may sound a bit snobbish but I kind of want to watch it to complete watching ALL of Fincher's film (I'll probably end up watching it on my own time to satisfy my curiosity). I'm already done with Tarantino and Nolan. Almost done with Lucas, Spielberg and Scorsese. I want to watch these great directors at their best and their worst. I hope that makes sense...
@@ShanWatchesMovies Sure. You've seen "The Game"?
Not yet. Is it worth reacting to or should I watch it on my own time?
I am surprised Carrie Henn / Newt never did any other movies , but oddly enough this was the only one, then grew up to be a teacher
stop at aliens, the other sequels 3, 4, are a waste of time.
Bullshit.Alien 3 is amazing and Resurrection is fucking cool.
@@hestiatrace1852 my rating of the alien movies: Alien 10/10, Aliens 9.8/10, Alien 3 4.5/10 all others 1-2/10
Aliens is one of my all time favorite films ever. It is one of a handful of films I can quote from beginning to end, either version. I'm so glad you watched the Special Edition, because James Cameron was forced for screenings to cut the film down for the theatrical cut. The biggest loss there was the scene between Burke and Ripley where she learns about her daughter. Weaver was furious that it was cut because it informed a lot of her character's motivation throughout the film.
22:48 My favorite story about the explosion. It was cotton balls and a lightbulb. They pushed it up through a layer of cotton balls and turned it on. That's it. So simple.
29:23 Actually the board we see at the beginning of the film is often mistaken for being "The Company." They were actually the ICC. Interstellar Commerce Commission. In a way, they would be the good guys if Burke had managed to smuggle specimens aboard Sulaco. They would have been the ones putting him on the coals and ultimately getting him a prison sentence.
This is something about the lore that I appreciate in the first two films. Although we know in the first film there was something bigger going on, my interpretation was always that Alien was the result of how automated deep space travel was. between Ash's Special Order, the reassignment of crew, the redirecting of the Nostromo... I always took that as simply being an automated process, which is why 57 years later nobody knows what Ripley is talking about. Remember, strictly speaking from the POV of when Aliens was made, Burke was acting alone. Strictly of his own greed. Nobody at Weyland-Yutani was aware of what he was doing. He's a character of the film's era. A corporate yuppy looking to score big. That's actually one of the things I love about Aliens is that the big bad corporation really isn't the big bad corporation. They're just there. Burke is the real villain of the piece. His greed is what gets everybody killed.
Alien 3 is the murder of everything you love about Aliens, and Alien. They started filming a movie without fully realizing a script. Which is ironic because between 1986 and 1990 when production initially started they created dozens and dozens of scripts. Including a script written by David Twohy who would later go on to create Pitch Black based on some of the ideas in his unused script. All manner of ideas were explored, from going to the Alien's homeworld, to having the aliens reach Earth (which to me is the logical place to go after Aliens, the finale, the last fear Ripley has yet to face by that point, etc...)
One of the scripts from this time was recently adapted into a graphic novel and audio book with Michael Biehn and Lance Hendrickson reprising their roles. Alien III by William Gibson. If you get a chance to listen to it I'd highly recommend it. Listen to Lance Hendrickson narrate the comic is amazing.
Alien 3 is ultimately best described as a beautiful mess. The opening simply cannot be made sense of, the editing is actually quite terrible when you realize that certain characters, depending on which version of the film you watch, will die and then be seen again in another scene, accents change for certain characters. Depending on which cut you watch, certain characters simply disappear from the movie with no explanation... I'd say the final act of the film is very strong, the film finally starts to work, but before that you're slogging through a lot of beautifully shot nonsense.
If you want to know just how bad Alien 3's production is... Just look up the Alien 3 Teaser trailer features this line "In 1979 we discovered in space no one can hear you scream... In 1992, we will discover that on Earth, everyone can hear you scream." The teaser itself is chilling and really exciting... Has absolutely nothing to do with the film they made.
"There's no way that facehugger is letting go of... that face." made me laugh for some reason, like yeah those facehuggers sure do love hugging faces XD great review :D
During the queen scene you may have misinterpreted what was happening. When Ripley stumbled in there and the queen noticed her, the guards began to move in on Ripley from the sides. Knowing she's not fast enough, nor has enough ammo to take on all the remaining aliens she chooses to use a "show of force" blowing the flamethrower in a safe direction then aiming it at the queen in a way of saying "touch me, and I'll destroy your babies". The queen then signals and the guards seem to retreat. As Ripley prepares to leave the queen betrays their agreement of "leave me alone, i leave you alone" by having a face hugger hatch right in front of her. Thats why Ripley makes the "really?" face, then ignites the eggs and blows her hatchery. Because now, there is no options left.
Michael Bein and Bill Paxton (space marines) both in Cameron's Terminator. Paxton was the punk that Arnie killed at the beginning and Bein was Kyle Reese. Bein was also in The Abyss.
The one playing Vasquez played the stepmother in T2
Also the android "Bishop" played by Lance Henriksen, was in Terminator 1
I saw this at the cinema in 86 when it was first released. I cannot tell you how exciting and mind blowing it was.
In the novelization and in a deleted scene, Ripley finds Burke cocooned in the queen’s hive. He has been infected with a xenomorph and is in agony as it begins to move through his chest. Ripley gives him a grenade and moves on toward newt. There is a distant explosion heard as Ripley reaches the egg chamber. That is Burke either detonating the grenade or dropping it as he dies.
This was technically Cameron's 4th film.
1978 Xenogenesis (super low budget. )
1982 Piranha II: The Spawning
1984 The Terminator
1986 Aliens
Didn't know about Xenogenesis but definitely knew about Piranha II. I think there is an interview somewhere where Cameron laughs at the movie and tells the audience not to watch it lol
Cameron said in the commented version of the film, that the explosion of the atmospheric prossessor was made with a light bulb and cotton ..... crazy!
When Newt calls Ripley mommy..... geez... that has always done something to me.
I saw this when it was released in a big, packed house with an increasingly excited audience. Right after Ripley's famous line ("Get away from her, you BITCH!"), the roar of approval and applause was so loud it actually drowned out the soundtrack for about five seconds.
I was in a packed house down south on opening night. When BIshop was ripped in half, a good old boy in a cowboy hat three rows behind my family jumped up from his seat and yelled, "Jeezus Christ! Jeezus Christ! I ain't never seen nothing like this!" LOL. One of my favorite memories about this movie.
A list of, in my opinion, extremely underrated films (with the possible exception being Dances With Wolves which won numerous awards). I highly recommend them even if just on your own time.
In no particular order:
1. River's Edge starring Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, and Dennis Hopper...it centers on a group of teenage friends and a dark secret.
2. Dark City (Director's Cut) starring Rufus Sewell and Keifer Sutherland is a psychological type thriller that is hard to describe without giving away too much...kind of Inception meets The Matrix but not.
3. Sleepers starring Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, and Jason Patric is an amazing film that tackles some dark subjects. It is supposedly based partially on true events from the author's life.
4. Frank Miller's Sin City starring Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rutger Haur, Elijah Wood, Clive Owens, and Michael Clarke Duncan is a graphic novel come to life with multiple interweaving storylines.
5. Dances With Wolves (Extended Version) is an epic film directed by, and starring, Kevin Cosner. Written by a friend of Cosners who was living with the actor and his new wife at the time and he would read it to them at night while they lie in bed. They were so blown away by the tale, Cosner made it his mission to see it made into a movie. He fought with the studios until he was given complete control over it including final edit. The extended version is 4-ish hours long so be forewarned.
6. Repo: The Genetic Opera stars Anthony Head, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, and (believe it or not) Paris Hilton. It's a proper musical as in there is no spoken dialogue.
7. Near Dark is an often overlooked vampire film that stars Bill Paxton and Lance Henrickson (both in Aliens) that shows a more realistic, gritty perspective than most movies about bloodsuckers. It was directed by James Cameron's ex-wife if I'm not mistaken.
8. Watchmen (Director's Cut) is a somewhat dark more adult-oriented adaptation of superheroes.
9. The Abyss (Extended Cut) stars Mary Elizabeth Masterantonio, Ed Harris, and Michael Biehn (Terminator & Aliens). It tackles the subject of humanity's destructive nature and its' repercussions with a sci-fi twist. Directed by James Cameron.
10.Snatch stars Brad Pitt, the guy who played The Transporter and The Mechanic (whose name conveniently escapes me presently lol), Dennis Farina, Benecio Del Toro, and was directed by Guy Richie. It's about a giant diamond, gypsies, mobsters, and illegal boxing.
11. Raising Arizona is a classic (in my eyes anyway) comedy starring Nicolas Cage and John Goodman. Convict meets cop, they fall in love, and hilarity ensues.
Really enjoy your channel! Hope this helps...keep on rockin', man!
🤘
The odd thing is, in the first movie the "Nostromo" stops because of this so called SOS, and it is stated that they are only HALF way to their trip home. So why, even over 50 years later, would humanity choose this barren moon to even settle? That far away? Oh and that comment about the previous Android that 'malfunctioned'. It did not malfunctioned, it did exactly what the Company wanted.
The climactic music in this film is SO good
"I like Vasquez, but I don't think she'll be alive by the end of the movie."
Action movies do this trope a lot!
See: Damn near every role played by Michelle Rodriguez
FYI; and apologies if already said. In a deleted scene, when Ripley re-enters the alien nest to rescue Newt. She encounters Burke who already has a Chesburster inside him. Ripley however hands him a grenade and moves on.
This is however the explosion that forces them to take the detour that sends them in to the Queens lair.
James Cameron cut the bit because he felt not enough time had passed for he Facehugger to have done its job and detach from Burke.
Another deleted scene had after learning who nute was there was a scene after where she tried to run and was grabbed by Ripley as she tried that and also in behind the scenes both Sigourney and Vasquez actress hate guns that and the plot to this movie was very different before on the dvd and Blu-ray of the alien quadrilogy there was a tough draft of the original plot from beginning to end including parts of the script as well and this movie's original name alien II also did u know that the queen is controlled by 3 people with one floating in the middle controlling the two middle arms
It's cool you actually watched the director's cut. The theatrical cut removed the scene of the two colonists finding the derelict "Space Engineer" starship, the scenes were Riply is told her daughter died when she was 66 years old, and the scences with the automated machine guns in the hallways way also cut.
What you called a "collection of satellites" is called a Space Station lol
It sucks that Ripley's daughter died at 66 and never got to see her mother again... :( so Ripley loosing her daughter was hard hit on her, so she didn't really want to get involved with any other "mission"
The company is the "Wayland-Yutani Company", they want the xenomoph or a face hugger (which has a xenomorph zygote inside) to develop them into a Biological Weapon that they are in control of.
This movie was the main inspiration for the Metroid game series as well as the Metroid Prime series... as well as a huge inspiration for many other 8-bit and 16-Bit games, like the Contra series, and others....
Don't bother with ALIEN 3, it pisses all over the ending of ALIENS, best to pretend it doesn't exist....
I have to say how much I enjoy watching with you Shan. You’re technical observations are at my level and I look forward to your emotional reactions to surprises I know are coming.
Thank you so much Terry, it really means a lot to me! I'm watching 12 Monkeys today and it should be on Patreon by tonight hopefully!
Ripely blew the torch near the eggs in order to threaten the queen. That’s why the queen has the other zenomorphs back off and let Ripley pass unharmed.
But then Ripley torches the eggs anyway, which then pissed off the queen as you can imagine.