|
Smmenen
|
 |
« on: March 15, 2010, 08:10:25 pm » |
|
Why “Alien” is the Best Alien Movie:
Alien is a masterpiece, and a landmark in American cinema. Reference to it can probably be found in any major cinematic textbook on American or even world film. It’s one of the highlights on Ridley Scott Hall of Fame resume.
Unfortunately, the film does not get the credit it deserves for one simple reason: this is a film that must be viewed in the theatre (I had that pleasure thanks to the 25th Anniversary re-release). When viewed the way it was intended, it draws you into itself. Scenes that seem slow on a television are intensely enveloping. Details are imperceptible on a small screen that become riveting in a theatre, such as the scale and grandeur of the alien ship, and the desolateness of the alien world.
The film is full of brilliant turns. The chestburster scene was filmed in such a way that some of the actors weren’t even aware of what was going to happen. Their horror was in large part authentic.
This films message is one that is reiterated throughout the quadrilogy, but most first and most brilliantly made here: the real monster isn’t the alien, it’s us and corporate greed.
Why “Aliens” is the Best Alien Movie:
James Cameron. ‘Nuff said.
This film is an experience, and one that upended the themes of the first. The first was a horror film; this film upped the ante. This was a science fiction action blockbuster, like most of Cameron’s films. It carried through the themes of the first; corporate greed and death, but it juxtaposed testosterone-filled marine sequences with Sigourney Weaver’s maternal care for the orphaned Newt. This film was primordially about life and death; about survival and the instincts of motherhood amid carnage. This was carried to the heights in the final sequence in which we encounter the Alien Queen egg-layer.
Unforgettable, this is the most powerful of the quadrology, and is by far the most popular.
Why Alien 3 is the Best Alien Movie:
Alien 3 is easily the film most people regard as the weakest of the four films. The irony is that it’s actually the best. This is the debut film of David Fincher, and the script is by far the most intimate. It derives its power from the themes of the first two, from the knowledge of Newt’s death and the desire for motherhood, from the greed of the company, from the experience with the Aliens, but crescendos.
The first film was as much about the Aliens as it was about us. This film, more than either of the first two films, centers on us. The filmmakers strip down the film rather than try to top James Cameron’s scenery busting action blockbuster. Instead, Charles S. Dutton and a cast of british theatre actors provide heft and gravitas to a portrait of penal isolation and desperation. It’s consequently the best acting of the quadrilogy. It’s a stirring film about life and death that only builds from the opening shot.
Lance Henrikson’s reprisal of his character in the final sequences is by far the most compelling and emotionally stirring scene of the entire quadrilogy. Denied her maternal role, Weaver’s sacrifice is as a mother for a species – us. She is literally a Christ figure for the sin of corporate greed.
Alien 3 is the most intense psychological journey of the entire quadrilogy. It’s what Alien: Resurrection hoped to be. But it could not work without its predecessors, and that’s what makes it the best of the four. Because of the incredible, nearly unparalleled success of the first two films, this film remains overlooked, misunderstood and completely unappreciated. Too many people who get off on the second film were poorly primed to appreciate this film. It’s as different from the first two as the first two are from each other. That’s the beauty of it.
Why “Alien: Resurrection” is the Best Alien Movie
The Alien quadrilogy is probably the only film series where the imprint of each film is found in the director, with each film a unique director, and consequently a totally unique experience. No where is that more true than in Alien: Resurrection, a product of the vision of French auteur, Jean-Pierre Jeanet.
Jeanet weaves a truly bizarre tale of greed and militarism in the far-flung future. The same tropes exist: an unexpected android, a greedy corporation/military, scientific arrogance, motherhood, and life and death.
Because Jeanet brings the most unique vision, it is the most enduring of the four films. Ripley’s moment of reflection where she comes to understand the nature of her revival is a scene of horrifying knowing.
The Alien films have great casts. Alien has John Hurt, Ian Holm, Tom Skeritt, Veronica Cartright, among others. This film has the greatest overall star power for a cast and overall ensemble of the quadrilogy. Ron Perlman, a favorite figure in Jeanet films, and more recently known for his portrayal of Hellboy, makes a star turn. Brad Dourif is probably the greatest living American character actor.
|
Poll
