A long debate has raged in cinema overAlienandAliens. The two movies, despite one being a direct sequel to the other, are actually incredibly different. Both movies are helmed by incredibly famous and successful directors, who are taking on entirely different genres in the same universe with the same lead. Truly, it is one of the more baffling comparisons to make in the history of modern cinema, and, with both movies coming to Hulu this June, it’s a debate that could soon be reignited.
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Thankfully, when comparing individual aspects of the movies side-by-side, it becomes easier to determine which of the twoAlienmovies is better overall. While the debate will always remain based on the opinions and preferences of each individual viewer, it is too intriguing not to continue debating it, possibly forever.With an officialAlien 5finally in production, will anything ever match the prowess of these two cinematic classics?
7The Genre
One of the greatest and most obvious differences is the genre of the movies.Alienwas a slow-paced, lengthy outright horror movie. It’s about a creature that gets aboard a commercial space tug and runs rampant after bursting out of the chest of a crew member in one of the most shocking scenes in cinema history.
Alternatively,Aliensis an action movie that asks what would happen if the most highly trained military team in the galaxy turned out to fight a horde of similar creatures. While this gaveAlienmore shocking and powerful moments,Alienslaid into the 80s action style to produce morememorable one-liners. While it’s hard to declare which dealt with the genre it used better, it is safe to say that both movies very much knew what they wanted to be. Interestingly, theAlienmovies are also looked onas a source of political sci-fiin more recent times.
6The Lead
One major similarity between the movies is Ellen Ripley, the lead in both the original and the sequel. Sigourney Weaver was an unknown when she was cast inAlien, and it brought intrigue as the audience couldn’t even tell who the main character was from the unique setting and style of the early scenes. The focus was on Ripley, but, apart from being level-headed early on, there was nothing to make her stand out.
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The lonely style of her character inAlienmoved to a much more motherly role in caring for Newt inAliens, which gave her a different sort of drive in her fight against the Xenomorphs.Aliendealt with survival, whileAlienswas more about protecting others and trying to fight back against what by then was an old enemy of hers. Again, Ripley was a part of the movies that changed but was equally ingenious in both. Of course,that wasn’t the case in the later sequels,but that’s a different story.
5The Side Characters
Alienhad a lot of interesting characters who were played on a very realistic, understated level. While the first act of the movie is the only one with many characters other than Ripley to explore, it used them well and did enough to make the audience unsure about which character was to be the true leader of the movie as it continued.
Aliens, on the other hand, dove into stylized and less fleshed-out characters in the space marines. It gave a somewhat romantic leading man for Ripley in Hicks and an intriguing additional character in the child Newt. A more commercial choice than theAliencharacters, the side characters inAliensare nevertheless more memorable to audiences looking back on both movies.The more scientifically focused charactersalso provided an excellent secondary villainous source for these movies.
4The Xenomorph Portrayal
As a horror movie,Aliendoes a huge amount of work in building up the terror and abilities of a single Xenomorph. Driving fear into the heart of Ripley and the audience by presenting her as helpless aboard a ship with no weapons against an almost unstoppable creature was the paramount job of the movie.
However,Aliensis an action movie, and the traditional sequel curse of more is better came to the forefront (and the title) as it focused on an entire horde of aliens, including an especially undefeatable Queen alien. It didn’t manage to keep anything like the reverence for a single Xenomorph or their abilities though, as it had to showcase the marines as capable of potentially tackling the threat before finally being overwhelmed. Of course, another debate rages on as towhether the Xenomorph is even the biggest enemyhere.
3The Pacing
Alienis a slow-burn horror movie. Many modern horror movies rush to a conclusion and are finished in under 100 minutes.Alienis different and runs for a full two hours, including a long first act before the chest-bursting scene which launched the movie up several gears.
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Aliens, as a much more mainstream action movie, wanted to change the pacing. While actually running even longer thanAlien, it runs more quickly to the center of the plot and favors visual action over cerebral. Which pace is better is a difficult debate, but it feels likeAlienfocused more on controlling the pace of the movie thanAliens.
2The Direction
Ridley Scott and James Cameron are both legendary directors with incredible filmographies behind and in front of them. After makingAlien, Ridley Scott has since directedGladiator,Kingdom of Heaven, andThe Martianto name but a few. His style withAlienwas very grounded and realistic for such a lofty science fiction effort, but it cemented his youthful legacy in 1979 and has stayed with him as his greatest work to this day.
Cameron, on the other hand, has continued to be known for a more abrasive style of filmmaking that has helped create much of the modern action genre through his work onTerminator,Titanic, andAvatar. His style withAlienswas based more onThe Terminatorand the 80s action scene that he helped to create and cement in history with both movies,as well as the remorseless villainshe enjoyed working with.
1The Conclusion
Iconic directors with wildly different styles tackled completely different genres in their visits to the franchise.A leading characterwhose motivations were completely different, but endearing and captivating on both occasions. Creatures that may have lessened in individual terror but used numbers to make up for it. WhetherAlienorAliensis the better movie is up to the opinion of each viewer. Because, as movies, they are nearly equal in measure, despite being on opposite sides of the same coin in terms of style.
Alienis an understated masterpiece that helped to define many aspects of the horror genre for years to come.Aliensmay be more iconic in terms of writing and action scenes and is more of a “classic 80s movie,” which will always be remembered for many aspects. But does the commercial action masterpiece or the understated horror perfection make for a better movie? This will never truly be decided definitively amongst fans or critics.
