18:03 - Fun fact: in this scene, in order to make everything look bigger, Ridley Scott put his kids in miniature space suits. Also, Meg: "...that looks like raw chicken..." That's exactly what they used.
@@zammmerjammer The “weird webbing” is caul fat, which is used in some cooking techniques to hold stuff together until it firms up while the fat and membrane melts away. They also used sheep intestines and other real biological bits.
The thing about the word "xenomorph" is that, diegetically, it's just what they call any alien life that has yet to be given a more specific name. ("xeno" - alien, "morph" - shape or form) The critters they ran into in "Prometheus" and "Requiem," The Engineers, and if the Predators are part of the same universe, they too would ALL be referred to as "xenomorphs" until a xenobiologist can come up with a more descriptive and specific term.
@@mmxxiii9503 Sure, but until it is identified as such it’s just another “strange form” or “alien creature” - i.e. the literal meaning of “xenomorph”, which is not specific to the creatures in the Alien movies. It’s kind of like how an unidentified aircraft on radar is designated as “bogey” or as “bandit” if it is known to be hostile but its specific type is still not known; but for some reason the Alien xenomorphs are never given a proper, specific designation, so now many people think “xenomorph” means just the Alien monsters.
@@markhamstra1083 true, my guess is they never give a name bc it's a bio weapon that needs a host to thrive and reproduce so giving a designated name is kind of difficult also due to the ones who created it didn't give one either
That's actually interesting. I guess I thought the name xenomorph was used because it was an alien (xeno) that would change (morph) based on the host it was gestating within.
57:32 The Xenomorph adapts to its host. The cat is too small to be of any use, which is why the Xenomorph doesn't care about it. The face-hugger version would most likely kill the cat while attempting to attach, which would be a waste. The Xenomorphs are very intelligent, but ultimately 100% sociopaths. All they care about is resources for the hive. If they can use you, they do, in whatever manner best help the hive. If you are not of use, they don't mess with you, unless you mess with them.
This a near perfect movie. Every performance, set design, practical effects, story and atmosphere are all so unique. I also love the idea, that at some point we as society, in the future will accept smoking indoors again 😂😂
Where would we be without this movie’s existence? Metroid, Dead Space, and a few other sci-fi series owe so much to Alien. Sigourney Weaver rocketed to stardom and absolutely slays in this one. Love this film, and it’s great to see you react to it. Also, Jaws is an absolute must watch!
They were being woken from an extended hypersleep, posited as the means by which space farers could handle the very large interstellar distances. And, yes, "Mother" is the name by which they know the computer system - the A.I. - used to manage things on the ship.
I feel like this movie really captures sex horror in a way I haven’t seen in any other media. The facehugger was literally designed to look like a vagina with a phallic appendage it forces down your throat and forces you to give birth to something that kills you. Unfortunately even more topical today than the last few decades.
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Thanks to Meg and Caleb! 👾 Happy belated birthday, Caleb. 🍰 Since y'all wondered, MU/TH/UR 6000, commonly referred to simply as "Mother", was a model 282 artificial intelligence computer mainframe used aboard Weyland-Yutani Corporation's space vessels. 💻
3:42 "Look at that Arial font!" I can tolerate a lot of things, but this is beyond the pale. This is Helvetica. The font Arial aspires to be when it grows up. Pshaw! The font they used for the ALIEN reveal is a slightly modified Helvetica Black.
The Alien, particularly the Facehugger stage, was made in design and concept as an allegory for r&pe. The writer of the movie, Dan O'Bannon, has expressly stated this.
It always came across to me as a horrifying combination of part Spider, part Scorpian, and part Octopus! And from the first I took it as forced face rape!
Jones, also referred to as Jonesy, was a cat kept aboard the USCSS Nostromo as Ellen Ripley's pet. While the cat's official purpose was to control rodents aboard the ship, he also served as a source of relaxation and entertainment for the crew like a theory animal. So, this was the reason why a cat was brought into outer space. Yeah, see the difference between them and me I'll pass up my paycheck I'll go get a new job I'm not putting my life at risk for exploring an unknown world and secondly as soon as I saw that face hugger on that guy's face, I would have been gone I would have stolen the shuttle and left with a cat. The Spaceship gets explained in Prometheus which is the origin and the start of all of these movies. Alien Movies in (Chronological) Order AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) ... Aliens' vs Predator: Requiem (2007) ... Prometheus (2012) ... Alien: Covenant (2017) ... Alien (1979) ... Aliens (1986) ... Alien 3 (1992) ... Alien Resurrection (1997) And now they've added the new one that just came out.
The Company does have a name, which does get revealed. I always though of it as a future version of the various East India Companies of the colonial era.
not sure if somebody mentioned it before so might as well: the Alien/Xenomorph ignores Jones the cat because Jones isn't a threat to it. Xenomorphs are very smart, not mindless, so they only hunt and attack creatures that are either useful/suitable as hosts for their eggs or are a threat for the survival of the Xenomorph or the hive, which is why the Xenomorph only targets the humans. Jones the cat is neither useful/suitable as a host for eggs nor is he any real threat to a Xenomorph, let alone the hive.
always 💜y'all for bringing a queer, neurodivergent, and feminist take to your movie discussions, especially in the current political climate. also hbd to caleb!!
The way I understand it, Ripley is third in command, she's in charge of engineering, and Brett and Parker report to her. Dallas and Kane were #1 and #2. Dallas is the captain, but The Company said he wasn't allowed to overrule Ash.
She's said to be the warrant officer in the next film. Which means what she does and oversees depends on whats specifically outlined in her warrant description. I think she by default handles communications, hence why she was the one to contact traffic control. Also why she took a stab at decoding the message/warning. In the 'command' hierarchy/authority she does indeed seems to rank third, behind Dallas (captain) and Kane (XO) - Though I doubt that means anything unless shes being delegated by one of those two and/or in an unique/emergency situation. I don't think anyone exactly 'reports' to her in any event. Parker's the chief engineer, Brett is his mate. Lambert's the navigator. And with Ash as said he has overriding authority only in scientific and I'd assume medical matters, similar to say McCoy on Star Trek.
The fully grown Xenomorph’s performance was provided here by Balaji Badejo a 6 foot 10 Nigerian actor and visual artist, discovered by the casting team in a pub in Soho (in the West End of London in Westminster Borough/City.) After his work on the original movie he moved back to Nigeria and set up his own Art Gallery, unfortunately he died in 1992 from Sickle Cell Disease.
This came out after Star Wars but while we were waiting for Empire Strikes Back (still one more year away) This movie had as big an impact on science fiction as much as any film. The plot of a monster in space had not been explored since the 1950s and this movie revived an epic sic-fi trope, the space-horror. Not to mention an art department that was as stellar a collection of avant-garde artist ever assembled to work on a film and together produced a groundbreaking look and feel to a film that has never been rivaled.
STRONGLY agree with everything you said about practical effects. I'm happy they've been making somewhat of a comeback in recent years (Beau is Afraid, The Substance, etc). It's crazy what they can still do! 😎
Great reaction and discussion! I’m very curious to see how _Aliens_ might alter your view of some aspects of xenomorphs, what they do, and why. I’m not saying you’re necessarily wrong about it all (in fact, you’re quite astute on a number of things), but I’ll just say that the subject has been up for debate for a long time now. What I am reasonably sure of is that it will be interesting. 👍
The Alien's sluggishness aboard the shuttle puzzles many viewers. In STARLOG Magazine, way back in 1979/1980, Ridley Scott stated that the Xenomorph's whole life-span was only a few days, and it was actually starting to die at the end. Its function was to start a new colony as quickly as possible, which entailed catching host bodies relatively intact. IIRC, in early versions of the script the captured humans could be cocooned and transformed INTO eggs if there were no eggs (and Facehuggers) available. On a related note, I always thought the Alien was sizing up Jonesy for a Facehugger and decided he was just too small.
8:30 I mean, it depends on what is the goal of the art direction. There's things that don't really look right if you utilize practical effects, and CGI has the power to capture a new perspective, the point of sci-fi is to also push a modern look so there's not really a "problem" in this aspect.
I think the idea behind the self destruct system is that all the coolant for the engines is vented; which means it will overheat, eventually reach critical mass, and detonate. So the process will take 10 mins to go critical, but after 5 mins, enough coolant has already been vented that the process can't be stopped. That's why there's only a certain amount of time for the crew to change their minds. It's a great showcase of the evils/dangers of something that is uncaring and devoid of any kind of morality. Just like the alien, MOTHER has no sense of remorse or humanity. It's just a machine. The computer knows that there's a 5-min override window, and Ripley was 3-secs late. Someone/something with a conscience would give Ripley some leeway and shut down the self destruct. But MOTHER only knows the cold math and has no conception of compassion/empathy/morality. You were 3-seconds past the deadline so my programming says to vent the rest of the coolant and carry out my protocol.
I just love you guys. This movie (despite working very well as a popcorn horror film) has so many resonances and is ultimately about so many things worthy of discussion- and I love the great conversation you two had after the movie..There’s a documentary about this movie’s themes of motherhood capitalism misogyny sexuality etc- called “memory the origins of alien” that deep dives into these topics and it’s pretty good. Kind of a thesis paper turned into a movie. Anyway. Love this film and you guys.
Meg, on the Superman lore, the super computers of the New Gods (from Apokolips and New Genesis) are called Mother Boxes. Mother Boxes are sentient, autonomous, super intelligent computers, that access the energy of the Source for various effects. They are usually used for creating or reshaping life.
When Ash talks makes the reference to the Xenomorph as "Cain's Son".., its a biblical reference... Cain's son is Enoch.., In the Book of Enoch it is written : “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Basically Cain, whom escaped from the land of Nod & fathered 4 sons, Enoch being the eldest.., is describing how Cain's corrupt descendants are responsible for spreading evil on earth. - hence the reference to the Newly born Xenomorph in this case is indeed quite clever writing, & justified.. That & the fact that they also named the character whom ' births ' the evil into the world Kane..., completes the metaphor perfectly
Interesting tidbit bit, they never told the actors just how much blood they were going to use in that scene with kain. So most of those reactions from the actors are genuine 😂
Saw this movie in the theater when it first came out. People were literally getting sick. The place smelled like vomit. My knees were shaking when we left to go home. Loved it!
The cat survives because it's totally useless for alien, it's just too small for its purposes. Both the facehugger and chestburster are as big or bigger than the cat.
You guys should look into deleted scenes. One of them is very, very important going forward. You were actively and pointedly asking questions that would have been answered. In other words, the lifecycle of this creature is illustrated to a greater degree in the primary deleted scene. Looking forward to more!
4:20 interesting that you mention that because it was because of the success of Star Wars that this movie was green lit as it was lingering for a while as a script, after Star Wars became a hit at the box office immediately other movie studios wanted to cash in on the success and make space movies which led to other like Star Trek the motion picture among other movies. This movie also has had a huge cultural impact on science fiction and has influenced many franchises including video games like the halo games.
3:15 The title reveal is meant to look like hashtags (##)- each vertical or diagonal stroke represents each of the seven crew members. So they are being counted (or "counted off" ) as the Alien gets them.
To me, what is most terrifying about this movie is that xenomorphs reproduce by literally SAing other beings, then are born as a physically superior version of the host in a terrifying bastardization of birth that kills the parents in a very painful and violent way
The victim is not a parent but a host whose body is used to finish developing the Alien embryo which needs certain specific nutrients along with an highly acidic environment to complete the developmental process, hence the deliberate placing of the Alien embryo in the victims stomach, a highly acidic organ!
Did you know that before Sigourney Weaver was born, everyone had to weave their own Sigourneys? . . . Recently, I've been catching up with both Predator and Alien franchises, these are some amazing movies, I can't believe I've waited for so long to actually commit to them, these are amazing movies, these practical effects have aged so awesomely!! I'm looking forward to get to Romulus tho (that's the only one I'm missing)
Then there's me 1/2 my suspense it from watching the movie.... the other 1/2 is from waiting for Meg & Caleb to recognise Bilbo Baggins !! 🙃 The suspense is killing me ....🤣🥰
Not sure if you’re looking for another fandom to explore, but I think Transformers One would be a movie you would absolutely love. It also requires zero previous Transformers knowledge!
Great reaction to a classic movie 😊😊😊😊😊if you read the novel which is more detailed than the movie Ash said that the company analysts fully deciphered the transmission which described the alien as extremely hostile hence Ash was put on board to reprogram the spaceship and ensure the crew find the alien
Not enough talk about H.R. Giger's contribution to the movie via all the weird psychosexual biomechanical designs of the Big Chap, Facehugger, Space Jockey, Derelict etc etc. Or H.R. Giger in general, who had the mischievous personality of a six-year-old boy with a slingshot when he was working on this, there's a story about how he designed the egg to have one big slit and was asked to make it less obscene, so he made it a cross "to be doubly obscene, especially for Catholic countries". Absolute legend, please look up some photos of him riding his tiny nightmare train around his garden.
I don’t think ripping off is a fair description, more like inspired and they then went off and did their own thing. The authors of Expanse have openly talked about how much they loved Parker and Brett and wanted to know more about their characters (ie blue collar workers/unions in space). That’s how some initial ideas of the Expanse started (can really see this in the culture of Belters, the politics of colonializing the system, the Belt laboring for Earth/Mars and receiving no benefits) but the world/story of the Expanse very much went on to have its own identity.
9:43 "No I'd want to be paid for it" Miniatures are still used today, just nowhere near as much because CGI is just *cheaper* Miniatures are time consuming and expensive. Materials, workspace, and labor piles up. They want to be paid too. As much as they may love their job, love doesn't pay the bills.
And, it is entirely possible to get extremely high-quality results with CGI, and with mixtures of CGI and miniatures... but most Hollywood productions don't give CGI studios anywhere near the budget or time to get those kinds of results, and good work isn't cheap or quick. It's why you often see fan-made animations looking better than commercial ones: a labour of love isn't constrained by schedule and budget in the same way as work for hire.
The original screenplay was definitely concieved (Pun not intended) as an allagory for SA and forced pregnancy and corporate ownership over bodies and reproduction. Note the scene where ash tries to kill Ripley with a porno mag.
Not sure if you've already watched the sequel by now - but if not I want to make a quick pitch for the Director's Cut. Which I wasn't necessarily going to do, because I actually like both versions. In fact, Aliens is a unique instance where I find the editing of both versions feels totally complete and satisfactory. The Director's Cut adds story in ways that are meaningful and don't drag, while the Theatrical tells a more concise story that still feels complete. **BUT** In this case, specifically because you've talked a lot about the theme of motherhood... the Director's Cut definitely has more to offer that conversation. Btw, I have the opposite feeling about Alien. Now that I've seen the Director's Cut I'll never be happy again, because both versions feel like they're missing qualities I like about the other. There is a theoretical perfect cut of Alien that hasn't been made yet.
Alien is great mix of Science Fiction and Horror it's an awesome jump scare movie at least It was for me. I really like listening to y'all talking before the movie thanks for cheering me up thank you Meg and Caleb.💮🐕💓
@Spottedfeather are you serious? Alien is literally one of the most iconic horror movies of all time that influenced countless future films in the genre. In what way is it NOT horror?
That is such an incredibly shallow definition of what horror is. Horror films don’t specifically require having a supernatural element in them. Horror is an incredibly broad genre with a lot of avenues to explore. The idea that you draw the line so arbitrarily is silly, especially since Alien frankly has far more basis in physical reality than a lot of the supernatural horror stuff. It has plenty of horror elements and it literally redefined the horror genre, even boasting many of the tropes that come to define those types of movies down the line. It’s basically a slasher flick set in space. Yes, Alien is sci-fi. But that doesn’t preclude it from also being a horror movie. Sci-fi is just a label or a descriptor of the setting. There are hundreds of sci-fi movies that are completely different in terms of tone from one another. You wouldn’t say that Alien is just like Star Wars because there’s spaceships in it. Something can be science fiction while also being a horror movie (case in point, Alien). Frankly I’m just sort of confused as to what metrics or qualities define something as horror for you? Your definition seems kind of contradictory. It has to have things that can’t possibly happen in real life like the undead, but also things that can happen, like murder and slitting throats? How are Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers the undead zombie men, or Freddy Krueger a dream-walking serial killer, more or less believable than an alien from outer space? Is the killer being specifically supernatural the requirement for you? That seems like a pretty shallow determiner. Or is it the fact that Godzilla and the Xenomorph are specifically creatures is what excludes them? The original Godzilla movie is all about horror of a different kind, that of nuclear war and the devastation it can cause, as well as the dangers of unchecked power being released into the world. Godzilla as a character is an allegory for those things, and the story surrounding him is built and based on that premise and directed by a man specifically trying to showcase the horror of nuclear power to people who’d experienced it as a reminder to them and the world. I wouldn’t say that the original Gojira movie is even attempting to be a horror film in the traditional sense, but Alien absolutely is. Its atmosphere, aesthetic, tension, gore, and even the limited jump scares clearly establish it as a staple horror movie. Again, this film literally redefined horror for decades to come. It is essential to that genre’s development in film. I really don’t know how you could say it’s not horror.
@@Spottedfeather I'm not sure what you're quoting, but even the wikipedia page slaps Alien down in the horror category. More specifically, sci fi horror. Feel free to call it whatever you want but understand your weird categorization has nothing to do with how the rest of humanity classifies Alien.
If you want to simplify it, yes. Although I think the more accurate descriptor would be Corporatism. The bigger picture to me is that it's about what happens when science and advancement (be it personal or societal) take precedence over the people whom it is meant to serve. When the perceived "next step" in the evolution of the human race destroys and violates the very essence of what it is to be human. The xenomorph is incapable of remorse and critical thinking, and it suffers no "delusions of morality" as Ash puts it. It is a lethal killing machine with its singular purpose being to propagate its species by essentially r*ping other organisms. And Ash (representing Weyland-Yutani) relates to and aligns more with the alien than with his creators. It's scientific inquiry and human greed run amok. Essentially, it's no different than most other sci-fi or cyberpunk works in its messaging and tone. It just also happens to be a killer horror film. Pun fully intended.
1:08:55 Just take note, the thrusters of the shuttle didn't vaporise the Alien, didn't even appear to burn it. It merely pushed it away. If a spaceship thruster couldn't incinerate it, how could a flamethrower?
The Alien has an exoskeleton like a hornet. But given itʻs size would make it much thicker, denser, and stronger! So the ships thrusters would take a little longer to incinerate it, but they definately would! What would happen first however, because of that hard outer exoskeleton itʻs inner guts would get boiled first, pretty quickly then the whole slowly incinerated! They actually did a good job with that as you can see when the ships thrusters are turned on the Alien loses body control/grip, then starts slowly curling up as his guts are boiling in itʻs shell as it floats away in space!
Yeah, the one thing I wish they'd done in this film is cut the xenomorph reaching for Dallas a fraction of a second earlier. Don't leave the jazz hands.
Nah, it was perfect at the time and for a long time after! You only feel that way because of the advance in technology and cgi special effects being so common now and in so many movies! I still like it, I wouldnʻt change a thing! Itʻs a perfect sci fi horror film as is and timeless!
@RandySilva-j8m my minor quibble has nothing to do with digital vs CG. I think this movie looks fantastic. It's entirely that little bit of editing. A fraction of a second earlier and it wouldn't look like a parent play-scaring their toddler for giggles. It's a miniscule little thing in a true masterpiece.
0:02 hi Caleb 😃 17:38 and we will fail, I mean the previous ones did 54:10 this was way before that stuff so....the idea is the experimentation on others.
One the baddest sci fi women, even inspired others like Samus Aran. Fun fact : The other actors had no idea the chest burst would b that, they genuinely were panicking
Must have been a real surprise for John Hurt! But seriously, they did know _something_ was going to happen to him, but exactly what was left out to keep their reactions genuine.
As usual, Meg is 100% correct. The xenomorph is designed to look phallic as a way to show the movie is about r*pe, forced pregnancy, and forced birth. The character Ripley is written without a gender, but it is so fitting that Sigourney is the one who was cast, making this a perfect feminist movie.
Caleb if you look closely at the start of the film Ash is in the sleep pod next to Kane, also Ian Holm who played Ash starred as Bilbo Baggins in the LOTR films.
18:03 - Fun fact: in this scene, in order to make everything look bigger, Ridley Scott put his kids in miniature space suits.
Also, Meg: "...that looks like raw chicken..." That's exactly what they used.
@@zammmerjammer The “weird webbing” is caul fat, which is used in some cooking techniques to hold stuff together until it firms up while the fat and membrane melts away. They also used sheep intestines and other real biological bits.
The thing about the word "xenomorph" is that, diegetically, it's just what they call any alien life that has yet to be given a more specific name. ("xeno" - alien, "morph" - shape or form) The critters they ran into in "Prometheus" and "Requiem," The Engineers, and if the Predators are part of the same universe, they too would ALL be referred to as "xenomorphs" until a xenobiologist can come up with a more descriptive and specific term.
Predators have a designated name
@@mmxxiii9503 Sure, but until it is identified as such it’s just another “strange form” or “alien creature” - i.e. the literal meaning of “xenomorph”, which is not specific to the creatures in the Alien movies. It’s kind of like how an unidentified aircraft on radar is designated as “bogey” or as “bandit” if it is known to be hostile but its specific type is still not known; but for some reason the Alien xenomorphs are never given a proper, specific designation, so now many people think “xenomorph” means just the Alien monsters.
@@markhamstra1083 true, my guess is they never give a name bc it's a bio weapon that needs a host to thrive and reproduce so giving a designated name is kind of difficult also due to the ones who created it didn't give one either
THANK YOU for this comment! It's always bugged me that people use xenomorph as the species name.
That's actually interesting. I guess I thought the name xenomorph was used because it was an alien (xeno) that would change (morph) based on the host it was gestating within.
Meg playing Alien Isolation… I see a it in my minds eye 👁️
Even though Star Wars went on to become a pop culture phenomenon, I'd say Alien (and Aliens) are way more influential when it comes to modern sci-fi.
57:32 The Xenomorph adapts to its host. The cat is too small to be of any use, which is why the Xenomorph doesn't care about it. The face-hugger version would most likely kill the cat while attempting to attach, which would be a waste. The Xenomorphs are very intelligent, but ultimately 100% sociopaths. All they care about is resources for the hive. If they can use you, they do, in whatever manner best help the hive. If you are not of use, they don't mess with you, unless you mess with them.
The sequel, titled, Aliens, picks up right where Alien left off to continue Ripley’s story.
This a near perfect movie. Every performance, set design, practical effects, story and atmosphere are all so unique. I also love the idea, that at some point we as society, in the future will accept smoking indoors again 😂😂
Where would we be without this movie’s existence? Metroid, Dead Space, and a few other sci-fi series owe so much to Alien. Sigourney Weaver rocketed to stardom and absolutely slays in this one. Love this film, and it’s great to see you react to it.
Also, Jaws is an absolute must watch!
They were being woken from an extended hypersleep, posited as the means by which space farers could handle the very large interstellar distances. And, yes, "Mother" is the name by which they know the computer system - the A.I. - used to manage things on the ship.
I hope this means you're going to do the whole franchise, because I would LOVE that! Also your brown flannel is super cute!
I feel like this movie really captures sex horror in a way I haven’t seen in any other media. The facehugger was literally designed to look like a vagina with a phallic appendage it forces down your throat and forces you to give birth to something that kills you. Unfortunately even more topical today than the last few decades.
The facehugger looks so real because parts from a crab and an oyster were used to make it I heard .
it's not woman's intuition. It's Ripley being reasonable and assertive, like any person of quality.
Itʻs also personal, or human intuition!
The algorithm knows how much I love watching Alien (and Aliens!) reactions. It's always a good day when it introduces me to some great reactors I haven't met before. Subscribed!
Yay!! Welcome in, we’re glad to have you!
- Caleb
In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream.
Outside, with no atmosphere yes.
But in your suit/helmet, yes you can, and whoever is listening on the receiving end can too!
omfg the "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT??" when saying Ash isn't just a robot
Ash is an Android robot!
Thanks to Meg and Caleb! 👾 Happy belated birthday, Caleb. 🍰 Since y'all wondered, MU/TH/UR 6000, commonly referred to simply as "Mother", was a model 282 artificial intelligence computer mainframe used aboard Weyland-Yutani Corporation's space vessels. 💻
Interesting I didn't know that
@@mmxxiii9503 🙂
3:42 "Look at that Arial font!"
I can tolerate a lot of things, but this is beyond the pale. This is Helvetica. The font Arial aspires to be when it grows up. Pshaw!
The font they used for the ALIEN reveal is a slightly modified Helvetica Black.
This talk at the begnning is what I love about you guys 😂❤
The Alien, particularly the Facehugger stage, was made in design and concept as an allegory for r&pe. The writer of the movie, Dan O'Bannon, has expressly stated this.
No sh1t. Who needs this explained?
@@miller-joel Quite a few people I know, actually. Bless their innocent minds.
And H.R. Giger definitely understood the assignment.
It always came across to me as a horrifying combination of part Spider, part Scorpian, and part Octopus!
And from the first I took it as forced face rape!
@@RandySilva-j8m Three of the most weird and frightening animals in real life put into one horrifying fictional monster. Not hard to see why.
'You're not a robot; you're a human.'
I laughed so hard at that...
If you had been asleep for 10 months, you'd take a while to wake up as well.
Jones, also referred to as Jonesy, was a cat kept aboard the USCSS Nostromo as Ellen Ripley's pet. While the cat's official purpose was to control rodents aboard the ship, he also served as a source of relaxation and entertainment for the crew like a theory animal. So, this was the reason why a cat was brought into outer space.
Yeah, see the difference between them and me I'll pass up my paycheck I'll go get a new job I'm not putting my life at risk for exploring an unknown world and secondly as soon as I saw that face hugger on that guy's face, I would have been gone I would have stolen the shuttle and left with a cat.
The Spaceship gets explained in Prometheus which is the origin and the start of all of these movies.
Alien Movies in (Chronological) Order
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) ...
Aliens' vs Predator: Requiem (2007) ...
Prometheus (2012) ...
Alien: Covenant (2017) ...
Alien (1979) ...
Aliens (1986) ...
Alien 3 (1992) ...
Alien Resurrection (1997)
And now they've added the new one that just came out.
The Company does have a name, which does get revealed. I always though of it as a future version of the various East India Companies of the colonial era.
The large alien skeleton is referred to as the Space Jocky.
not sure if somebody mentioned it before so might as well: the Alien/Xenomorph ignores Jones the cat because Jones isn't a threat to it. Xenomorphs are very smart, not mindless, so they only hunt and attack creatures that are either useful/suitable as hosts for their eggs or are a threat for the survival of the Xenomorph or the hive, which is why the Xenomorph only targets the humans. Jones the cat is neither useful/suitable as a host for eggs nor is he any real threat to a Xenomorph, let alone the hive.
always 💜y'all for bringing a queer, neurodivergent, and feminist take to your movie discussions, especially in the current political climate. also hbd to caleb!!
The way I understand it, Ripley is third in command, she's in charge of engineering, and Brett and Parker report to her. Dallas and Kane were #1 and #2. Dallas is the captain, but The Company said he wasn't allowed to overrule Ash.
She's said to be the warrant officer in the next film. Which means what she does and oversees depends on whats specifically outlined in her warrant description. I think she by default handles communications, hence why she was the one to contact traffic control. Also why she took a stab at decoding the message/warning.
In the 'command' hierarchy/authority she does indeed seems to rank third, behind Dallas (captain) and Kane (XO) - Though I doubt that means anything unless shes being delegated by one of those two and/or in an unique/emergency situation. I don't think anyone exactly 'reports' to her in any event.
Parker's the chief engineer, Brett is his mate. Lambert's the navigator.
And with Ash as said he has overriding authority only in scientific and I'd assume medical matters, similar to say McCoy on Star Trek.
The fully grown Xenomorph’s performance was provided here by Balaji Badejo a 6 foot 10 Nigerian actor and visual artist, discovered by the casting team in a pub in Soho (in the West End of London in Westminster Borough/City.) After his work on the original movie he moved back to Nigeria and set up his own Art Gallery, unfortunately he died in 1992 from Sickle Cell Disease.
This came out after Star Wars but while we were waiting for Empire Strikes Back (still one more year away)
This movie had as big an impact on science fiction as much as any film. The plot of a monster in space had not been explored since the 1950s and this movie revived an epic sic-fi trope, the space-horror.
Not to mention an art department that was as stellar a collection of avant-garde artist ever assembled to work on a film and together produced a groundbreaking look and feel to a film that has never been rivaled.
STRONGLY agree with everything you said about practical effects. I'm happy they've been making somewhat of a comeback in recent years (Beau is Afraid, The Substance, etc). It's crazy what they can still do! 😎
Great reaction and discussion! I’m very curious to see how _Aliens_ might alter your view of some aspects of xenomorphs, what they do, and why. I’m not saying you’re necessarily wrong about it all (in fact, you’re quite astute on a number of things), but I’ll just say that the subject has been up for debate for a long time now. What I am reasonably sure of is that it will be interesting. 👍
The Alien's sluggishness aboard the shuttle puzzles many viewers. In STARLOG Magazine, way back in 1979/1980, Ridley Scott stated that the Xenomorph's whole life-span was only a few days, and it was actually starting to die at the end. Its function was to start a new colony as quickly as possible, which entailed catching host bodies relatively intact. IIRC, in early versions of the script the captured humans could be cocooned and transformed INTO eggs if there were no eggs (and Facehuggers) available.
On a related note, I always thought the Alien was sizing up Jonesy for a Facehugger and decided he was just too small.
8:30 I mean, it depends on what is the goal of the art direction. There's things that don't really look right if you utilize practical effects, and CGI has the power to capture a new perspective, the point of sci-fi is to also push a modern look so there's not really a "problem" in this aspect.
Alien is one of my favorite franchises. And while the opinions seem split, I freaking love Prometheus and think you will too.
I think the idea behind the self destruct system is that all the coolant for the engines is vented; which means it will overheat, eventually reach critical mass, and detonate. So the process will take 10 mins to go critical, but after 5 mins, enough coolant has already been vented that the process can't be stopped. That's why there's only a certain amount of time for the crew to change their minds.
It's a great showcase of the evils/dangers of something that is uncaring and devoid of any kind of morality. Just like the alien, MOTHER has no sense of remorse or humanity. It's just a machine. The computer knows that there's a 5-min override window, and Ripley was 3-secs late. Someone/something with a conscience would give Ripley some leeway and shut down the self destruct. But MOTHER only knows the cold math and has no conception of compassion/empathy/morality. You were 3-seconds past the deadline so my programming says to vent the rest of the coolant and carry out my protocol.
I just love you guys. This movie (despite working very well as a popcorn horror film) has so many resonances and is ultimately about so many things worthy of discussion- and I love the great conversation you two had after the movie..There’s a documentary about this movie’s themes of motherhood capitalism misogyny sexuality etc- called “memory the origins of alien” that deep dives into these topics and it’s pretty good. Kind of a thesis paper turned into a movie. Anyway. Love this film and you guys.
Hope you two are having an great and awesome day ❤
Love that you guys reacted to this movie!
Meg, on the Superman lore, the super computers of the New Gods (from Apokolips and New Genesis) are called Mother Boxes. Mother Boxes are sentient, autonomous, super intelligent computers, that access the energy of the Source for various effects. They are usually used for creating or reshaping life.
Mother is the ships AI
Finally!!! I've been waiting on pins and needles to see Meg's reaction to this iconic film
When Ash talks makes the reference to the Xenomorph as "Cain's Son".., its a biblical reference... Cain's son is Enoch.., In the Book of Enoch it is written : “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Basically Cain, whom escaped from the land of Nod & fathered 4 sons, Enoch being the eldest.., is describing how Cain's corrupt descendants are responsible for spreading evil on earth. - hence the reference to the Newly born Xenomorph in this case is indeed quite clever writing, & justified.. That & the fact that they also named the character whom ' births ' the evil into the world Kane..., completes the metaphor perfectly
If you watch aliens I suggest watching the directors cut, it really adds an extra dimension
Yes, absolutely
Interesting tidbit bit, they never told the actors just how much blood they were going to use in that scene with kain. So most of those reactions from the actors are genuine 😂
Saw this movie in the theater when it first came out. People were literally getting sick. The place smelled like vomit. My knees were shaking when we left to go home. Loved it!
The cat survives because it's totally useless for alien, it's just too small for its purposes. Both the facehugger and chestburster are as big or bigger than the cat.
You guys should look into deleted scenes. One of them is very, very important going forward. You were actively and pointedly asking questions that would have been answered. In other words, the lifecycle of this creature is illustrated to a greater degree in the primary deleted scene. Looking forward to more!
4:20 interesting that you mention that because it was because of the success of Star Wars that this movie was green lit as it was lingering for a while as a script, after Star Wars became a hit at the box office immediately other movie studios wanted to cash in on the success and make space movies which led to other like Star Trek the motion picture among other movies. This movie also has had a huge cultural impact on science fiction and has influenced many franchises including video games like the halo games.
Pregnancy and birth is a theme of the movie. Movies used to have themes and special effects not computer generated propaganda.
3:15 The title reveal is meant to look like hashtags (##)- each vertical or diagonal stroke represents each of the seven crew members.
So they are being counted (or "counted off" ) as the Alien gets them.
The actress playing Lambert, Veronica Cartwright was a child actress and starred in Alfred Hitchcock,s 'The Birds'.
To me, what is most terrifying about this movie is that xenomorphs reproduce by literally SAing other beings, then are born as a physically superior version of the host in a terrifying bastardization of birth that kills the parents in a very painful and violent way
The victim is not a parent but a host whose body is used to finish developing the Alien embryo which needs certain specific nutrients along with an highly acidic environment to complete the developmental process, hence the deliberate placing of the Alien embryo in the victims stomach, a highly acidic organ!
Watched this movie first when i was 12. Nearly shat myself at that vent jumpscare
I love how much you connected with this movie and its themes. You're going to love Aliens.
MU-TH-R is the ships AI
I'm onboard with this "The Baby Place" nursery room design
Did you know that before Sigourney Weaver was born, everyone had to weave their own Sigourneys?
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Recently, I've been catching up with both Predator and Alien franchises, these are some amazing movies, I can't believe I've waited for so long to actually commit to them, these are amazing movies, these practical effects have aged so awesomely!! I'm looking forward to get to Romulus tho (that's the only one I'm missing)
in the alien universe, civilian ship computers are called "mother". military ship computers are called father
Not the same planet from Prometheus
Exactly the same!
Prometheus is a continuation at the source beginning of the species that answers where, why and how!
@RandySilva-j8m they left the planet at the end of Prometheus and went to the home planet of the engineers.
Then there's me 1/2 my suspense it from watching the movie.... the other 1/2 is from waiting for Meg & Caleb to recognise Bilbo Baggins !! 🙃 The suspense is killing me ....🤣🥰
Did you recognize Ash?? It’s Bilbo Baggins!! 54:31
For me as a ten-year-old back in the 90s, it was Pod Clock from beloved BBC series The Borrowers getting his head smashed off.
Great reaction! You totally got the metaphor! Please watch Jaws too. Belated happy birthday Caleb! Love you both ♡
Thank you!!!
Jaws is more of a summer watch to me... I'd always watch it when my family went 'down the shore'.
It’s such a good film, AND Jonesy survives! Love that cat.
Please stop calling the Alien a bahbah.
Not sure if you’re looking for another fandom to explore, but I think Transformers One would be a movie you would absolutely love. It also requires zero previous Transformers knowledge!
Excuse me, but that is Helvetica, the absolute _best_ font/trypace. Arial is a pale imitation.
Great reaction to a classic movie 😊😊😊😊😊if you read the novel which is more detailed than the movie Ash said that the company analysts fully deciphered the transmission which described the alien as extremely hostile hence Ash was put on board to reprogram the spaceship and ensure the crew find the alien
Freezing totally works, for as long as you keep em frozen.
Really looking forward to you guys watching Prometheus, Alien Covenant, and Alien Romulus in the future. Fascinating movies. You'll enjoy those.
Not enough talk about H.R. Giger's contribution to the movie via all the weird psychosexual biomechanical designs of the Big Chap, Facehugger, Space Jockey, Derelict etc etc. Or H.R. Giger in general, who had the mischievous personality of a six-year-old boy with a slingshot when he was working on this, there's a story about how he designed the egg to have one big slit and was asked to make it less obscene, so he made it a cross "to be doubly obscene, especially for Catholic countries".
Absolute legend, please look up some photos of him riding his tiny nightmare train around his garden.
Ariel font? Nope, keep guessing. This movie came out in 1979. Ariel was released in 1982.
Lambert represents the audience.
Lol! Your probably right
Love seeing you guys react to movies together... Happy belated birthday, Caleb and Meg, you rock.... Cheers, homies. 🍻
Of note; the showrunners of The Expanse admit to ripping off Alien for the look and feel, the aesthetics, of The Expanse. 🤟😎
I don’t think ripping off is a fair description, more like inspired and they then went off and did their own thing. The authors of Expanse have openly talked about how much they loved Parker and Brett and wanted to know more about their characters (ie blue collar workers/unions in space). That’s how some initial ideas of the Expanse started (can really see this in the culture of Belters, the politics of colonializing the system, the Belt laboring for Earth/Mars and receiving no benefits) but the world/story of the Expanse very much went on to have its own identity.
40:19 Everyone watching. 😂
9:43 "No I'd want to be paid for it"
Miniatures are still used today, just nowhere near as much because CGI is just *cheaper* Miniatures are time consuming and expensive. Materials, workspace, and labor piles up. They want to be paid too.
As much as they may love their job, love doesn't pay the bills.
And, it is entirely possible to get extremely high-quality results with CGI, and with mixtures of CGI and miniatures... but most Hollywood productions don't give CGI studios anywhere near the budget or time to get those kinds of results, and good work isn't cheap or quick. It's why you often see fan-made animations looking better than commercial ones: a labour of love isn't constrained by schedule and budget in the same way as work for hire.
I can’t believe you called Helvetica “Arial”
The original screenplay was definitely concieved (Pun not intended) as an allagory for SA and forced pregnancy and corporate ownership over bodies and reproduction. Note the scene where ash tries to kill Ripley with a porno mag.
Great movie. Great reaction. Hope you check out Aliens (the second film).
Not sure if you've already watched the sequel by now - but if not I want to make a quick pitch for the Director's Cut. Which I wasn't necessarily going to do, because I actually like both versions. In fact, Aliens is a unique instance where I find the editing of both versions feels totally complete and satisfactory. The Director's Cut adds story in ways that are meaningful and don't drag, while the Theatrical tells a more concise story that still feels complete. **BUT** In this case, specifically because you've talked a lot about the theme of motherhood... the Director's Cut definitely has more to offer that conversation.
Btw, I have the opposite feeling about Alien. Now that I've seen the Director's Cut I'll never be happy again, because both versions feel like they're missing qualities I like about the other. There is a theoretical perfect cut of Alien that hasn't been made yet.
Alien is great mix of Science Fiction and Horror it's an awesome
jump scare movie at least It was for me. I really like listening to y'all
talking before the movie thanks for cheering me up thank you
Meg and Caleb.💮🐕💓
@Spottedfeather I said that I think it was a mix of Sci-Fi and Horror
for ME when I watch it OKAY.🤨
@Spottedfeather are you serious? Alien is literally one of the most iconic horror movies of all time that influenced countless future films in the genre. In what way is it NOT horror?
That is such an incredibly shallow definition of what horror is. Horror films don’t specifically require having a supernatural element in them. Horror is an incredibly broad genre with a lot of avenues to explore. The idea that you draw the line so arbitrarily is silly, especially since Alien frankly has far more basis in physical reality than a lot of the supernatural horror stuff. It has plenty of horror elements and it literally redefined the horror genre, even boasting many of the tropes that come to define those types of movies down the line. It’s basically a slasher flick set in space.
Yes, Alien is sci-fi. But that doesn’t preclude it from also being a horror movie. Sci-fi is just a label or a descriptor of the setting. There are hundreds of sci-fi movies that are completely different in terms of tone from one another. You wouldn’t say that Alien is just like Star Wars because there’s spaceships in it. Something can be science fiction while also being a horror movie (case in point, Alien).
Frankly I’m just sort of confused as to what metrics or qualities define something as horror for you? Your definition seems kind of contradictory. It has to have things that can’t possibly happen in real life like the undead, but also things that can happen, like murder and slitting throats? How are Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers the undead zombie men, or Freddy Krueger a dream-walking serial killer, more or less believable than an alien from outer space? Is the killer being specifically supernatural the requirement for you? That seems like a pretty shallow determiner. Or is it the fact that Godzilla and the Xenomorph are specifically creatures is what excludes them? The original Godzilla movie is all about horror of a different kind, that of nuclear war and the devastation it can cause, as well as the dangers of unchecked power being released into the world. Godzilla as a character is an allegory for those things, and the story surrounding him is built and based on that premise and directed by a man specifically trying to showcase the horror of nuclear power to people who’d experienced it as a reminder to them and the world.
I wouldn’t say that the original Gojira movie is even attempting to be a horror film in the traditional sense, but Alien absolutely is. Its atmosphere, aesthetic, tension, gore, and even the limited jump scares clearly establish it as a staple horror movie. Again, this film literally redefined horror for decades to come. It is essential to that genre’s development in film. I really don’t know how you could say it’s not horror.
@@Spottedfeather I'm not sure what you're quoting, but even the wikipedia page slaps Alien down in the horror category. More specifically, sci fi horror. Feel free to call it whatever you want but understand your weird categorization has nothing to do with how the rest of humanity classifies Alien.
@@Luridcontent my categorization isn't weird. If Aliens is horror, that makes Godzilla horror, too....which makes no sense.
New scientific term discovered = The Baby Place lol
The real villain was Capitalism all along.
EDIT:
Caleb: Maybe it feeds off brain power?
Ash: I think it's safe to assume it's not a zombie.
If you want to simplify it, yes. Although I think the more accurate descriptor would be Corporatism. The bigger picture to me is that it's about what happens when science and advancement (be it personal or societal) take precedence over the people whom it is meant to serve. When the perceived "next step" in the evolution of the human race destroys and violates the very essence of what it is to be human. The xenomorph is incapable of remorse and critical thinking, and it suffers no "delusions of morality" as Ash puts it. It is a lethal killing machine with its singular purpose being to propagate its species by essentially r*ping other organisms. And Ash (representing Weyland-Yutani) relates to and aligns more with the alien than with his creators. It's scientific inquiry and human greed run amok. Essentially, it's no different than most other sci-fi or cyberpunk works in its messaging and tone. It just also happens to be a killer horror film. Pun fully intended.
Models and props from this series can be seen at MoPop, Seattle.
1:08:55 Just take note, the thrusters of the shuttle didn't vaporise the Alien, didn't even appear to burn it. It merely pushed it away. If a spaceship thruster couldn't incinerate it, how could a flamethrower?
The Alien has an exoskeleton like a hornet. But given itʻs size would make it much thicker, denser, and stronger!
So the ships thrusters would take a little longer to incinerate it, but they definately would!
What would happen first however, because of that hard outer exoskeleton itʻs inner guts would get boiled first, pretty quickly then the whole slowly incinerated!
They actually did a good job with that as you can see when the ships thrusters are turned on the Alien loses body control/grip, then starts slowly curling up as his guts are boiling in itʻs shell as it floats away in space!
@@RandySilva-j8m All this attention to detail, you gotta love it.
Alien and predator film series is really good, crossover movie is great
1 and 2 are Amazing plus Alien Isolation is a great game too.
Please watch the Special Edition Director's Cut of Aliens
Yeah, the one thing I wish they'd done in this film is cut the xenomorph reaching for Dallas a fraction of a second earlier. Don't leave the jazz hands.
Nah, it was perfect at the time and for a long time after!
You only feel that way because of the advance in technology and cgi special effects being so common now and in so many movies!
I still like it, I wouldnʻt change a thing!
Itʻs a perfect sci fi horror film as is and timeless!
@RandySilva-j8m my minor quibble has nothing to do with digital vs CG. I think this movie looks fantastic. It's entirely that little bit of editing. A fraction of a second earlier and it wouldn't look like a parent play-scaring their toddler for giggles. It's a miniscule little thing in a true masterpiece.
It nothing like pro life but I can see why u can see the similarities
0:02 hi Caleb 😃
17:38 and we will fail, I mean the previous ones did
54:10 this was way before that stuff so....the idea is the experimentation on others.
Yall loved this one yall will love the second!!!!!!!
One the baddest sci fi women, even inspired others like Samus Aran. Fun fact : The other actors had no idea the chest burst would b that, they genuinely were panicking
Must have been a real surprise for John Hurt!
But seriously, they did know _something_ was going to happen to him, but exactly what was left out to keep their reactions genuine.
@@benschultz1784 Not tellin them the “what” was such a smart move b/c it really made the scene
Love you guys. Instant subscribe
As usual, Meg is 100% correct. The xenomorph is designed to look phallic as a way to show the movie is about r*pe, forced pregnancy, and forced birth. The character Ripley is written without a gender, but it is so fitting that Sigourney is the one who was cast, making this a perfect feminist movie.
Aliens is great and picks up where this left off watch it. Also the new one Alien Romulus is so good I think you would love it .
Oh God, how did they do it?
I love Sigourneyʻs Weave just the way it is! 😝
Sorry, this was in response to @guasethʻs Dad joke comment about Sigourney Weaver!
Caleb if you look closely at the start of the film Ash is in the sleep pod next to Kane, also Ian Holm who played Ash starred as Bilbo Baggins in the LOTR films.
I love you two!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
About midwives: when complications arise, in the end even the midwives call the doctor.
They have to morally and legally
@@RandySilva-j8m
They have to because the patient and her baby will die and only a doctor at this stage has the competence to save them.