Are Ridley Scott's ALIEN and James Cameron's ALIENS Classics?
Wednesday 26th was Alien Day and in order to commemorate such an occasion I was fortunate enough to catch a double bill of Alien and Aliens at the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square. The experience was exceptional, as per with such a great cinema, and I thought it only appropriate to flesh out my full thoughts on these films in the form of classic reviews.
So, the question is: are these films classics? And the first way to go about answering that is differentiating between the two. Which is honestly quite an easy thing to do as they are starkly different films. Two different genres by two very different directors. Alien is a slow moving, subtle, sci-fi horror by legendary auteur Ridley Scott. Whereas Aliens is a far more in your face, tongue in cheek, action film by one of the kings of the blockbuster: James Cameron.
Alien was truly the first of its kind. Despite taking clear influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey, it was one of the first films to so successfully blend sci-fi and horror, in turn creating such a prevalent sub-genre. A sub-genre that never again managed to re-reach the heights established by its roots, despite a tsunami of copycats that followed suit.
The film establishes its ominous vibe of tension and mystery immediately. 2001 esc cinematography that slowly rotates around fixed points displays vintage sci-fi visuals: a spaceship cruising through the unknown, futuristic machinery, and sleep pods opening up as smoothly as butterfly wings. Behind this, the white noise like, vibrating soundtrack makes the spectator feel like they are sat right next to the ship’s engine while dreading their pessimistic predictions of the future.
As mentioned, Alien is exemplary of Scott’s visionary eye for sci-fi iconography. When the crew first venture out on to LV-426, they and the spectator are awestruck by Scott’s visual creativity. The wide extreme long shot of the crashed Alien spaceship, and then further so once they venture inside; the sheer scale and uniqueness of what lies within. This unique visual creativity carries on to Scott’s next film Blade Runner with the dystopic metropolis that it presents. Both of which being revolutionary for the time, and as time goes on rather than becoming outdated by new technologies, these visuals have become gorgeously vintage looking. Almost as if Scott had a deliberate eye for how these visuals may age, making them perfectly balanced between timed well, and timeless.
Once small drawback to Alien, that I do experience time again while watching is that it takes a certain amount of effort. Partially I believe this is due to the sound and the camerawork. The mixing of voices is relatively low, and partially distorted, making it slightly difficult to focus on the dialogue. The camera tends to stay quite far away from the characters while they discuss, not frequently opting for close ups or even mediums until around the midway point. This creates an almost spacey atmosphere where allegiance to specific character isn’t readily encouraged. Although these elements aren’t inherent drawbacks, I believe that they are the reason why it takes certain effort to enjoy, particularly to your average modern viewer. I will never argue that a film that takes effort is a bad thing, but in a modern world where the biggest films are so in your face and effortless, even to the point of numbness, something as subtle as Alien can be a chore.
However, once the focused is connected, the enjoyment is certainly fluid. It is a film so smooth that each act effortlessly blends into one, and the sequence of events are so seamless. Truly one of the greatest, and most iconic scenes in cinema history is when the Xenomorph first bursts out of John Hurt’s chest. The shock and horror of this scene still manages to captivate an entire speechless audience of people who have seen the film a thousand times due to its sheer impact. And the genius of having the first direct death at the hands of the Alien being shown off screen, instead opting for a close up of a cat’s face, still gives me goosebumps.
Highlights from this film could be pointed out for pages, and they certainly have been. Part of the beauty is that everybody has their own favourite moments that shocked them, made them sick, and still keep them up at night. It is truly a film that deserves its beloved reputation, and one that I love more and more every time I watch it. It creates a unique desire within me to re-watch it immediately, not many films can do that, maybe no other can in the same way. So, I would say that Alien is undeniably a CLASSIC.
Aliens is a very different film, but not as different as it is often regarded. James Cameron does a fantastic job at recapturing the overall atmosphere: the gloomy aesthetic and the vibe of ominous tension. It really does feel like a natural successor to the original, like Cameron took lots of great elements and put his own unique spin on them, in a way that is very reflective of his style of filmmaking. I overheard someone leaving the cinema saying, “the second one is just such a James Cameron film” and they were certainly right about that.
It is one of the essential 80s blockbusters, with certain elements immediately different: the melodramatic dream sequence of a Xenomorph bursting out of Ripley. And later in the film with her several sassy one liners while manning the big yellow machines. Moments like these would never have appeared in the original film. And where Alien felt like one fluid motion of narrative, Aliens is more of a build-up of exposition leading to action.
When this action is reached, it is certainly gratifying. The intensity of the previous film is consistently magnified, with terrifying yet thrilling shoot out scenes. One moment that always sticks out to me is when they are able to make the Xenomorphs retreat with the turrets. A scene that subtly showed the potential vulnerability of the Aliens for the first time. Changing them from an unstoppable force to a contender that this taskforce may stand a chance against.
However, the more iconic moments in this film definitely come in the way of one liners. Again, everyone has their favourite. Whether it’s the ironically iconic “they mostly come at night… Mostly.” Iconic for all of the wrong reasons. Or the explosively climatic “GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH”, quintessentially representing all 80s blockbusters in a single moment of dialogue.
Like I’ve said before, the way that Cameron was able to build on an established vibe and concept with a very individual spin is something missing from all modern reboots. Aliens doesn’t rely on nostalgia, or endless call backs to the original like it would if it were made today. It truly feels like a sequel that justifies its existence. Modern sequel makers could learn a lot from this film, even Cameron himself could have taken a few notes before he made the glorified remake Avatar: The Way of Water.
So overall, despite Aliens being a lot less intricate and subtle, and a lot more in your face and sassy than Alien. And despite the fact that I do generally prefer the original, Aliens is a sequel that always lives up. I love it as a follow up, but also as a counterpart. Knowing that once Alien is finished, another film that is so much the same but wildly different is coming up is something that will never fail to have me excited. And this excitement is arguably the main reason why Aliens is also a CLASSIC.