In anticipation of the upcoming “Alien: Romulus,” which will be released this summer, let’s look back at the iconic and enduring legacy of the “Alien” series thus far.
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004) (GRADE: D-)
After decades of anticipation, the two iconic science-fiction horror monsters clashed onscreen, and the results were decidedly mixed. While the battles between the titular creatures certainly bring about a fair bit of pulpy joy (that first shot of the two coming face-to-face in the initial confrontation is admittedly rad as hell), the rest of the film really struggles.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s filmmaking has a distinct early-’00s flavor, and it just doesn’t exactly lend itself to these classic creatures and franchises. Also, in desperately attempting to work in the ‘underground pyramid’ hook of the film, it winds up minimizing the vastness and imagination of these worlds and characters to a laughable degree.
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM (2007) (GRADE: D)
This crossover sequel swaps out directors, upgrades to a full-blown R-rating, and features Alien and Predator action set in small-town suburban America, with a story that plays like a pastiche of 1950s atomic dread science-fiction. All good, right? Sadly, not quite.
Infamously, this film is so visually dark that it’s often incredibly difficult to make out what exactly is happening on-screen. Despite having the legendary cinematographer Daniel Pearl onboard (who shot the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” for Christ’s sake), the studio allegedly over-tinted the film in the color-correcting process, resulting in the final picture. There are other issues as well, such as an appetite for shock value that grossly outweighs the appetite for actual substantial storytelling, that keep this film from living up to the schlocky midnight popcorn movie that it could (and should) have been.
ALIEN RESSURECTION (1997) (GRADE: D)
“Alien: Resurrection” bears the heavy burden of simply being the least interesting film on the list. With a script by Joss Whedon, it feels like watching an extended episode of monster-of-the-week television featuring Xenomorphs and a revived-via-cloning Sigourney Weaver.
Roger Ebert said of the film upon release that there was “not a single shot in the movie to fill one with wonder,” and I can’t help but echo that sentiment. For a franchise as daring, bold, and innovative as this to be reduced to such unremarkable, bland regurgitation is just sad.
ALIEN 3 (1992) (GRADE: C-)
Infamously, though the film is credited to director David Fincher, Fincher himself does not like this film or feel he had enough input into the theatrical cut to even consider it his own. There’s an ‘Assembly Cut,’ which aimed to piece together a more accurate representation of Fincher’s original vision, but he refused to be involved with it in any capacity, so even that is a bit dubious in terms of credibility.
All of that to say, “Alien 3” is a deeply conflicted film. I admire what is there: a dour, unrelentingly depressing science-fiction film that plays more like a hard-sci-fi novel than a would-be summer blockbuster sequel. But so much of it feels so thoroughly disjointed and diluted from its original intent that it’s difficult to praise it outright. “Alien 3” is many things, but it is certainly not content to rest on the franchise’s laurels, and that’s to be appreciated.
PROMETHEUS (2012) (GRADE: B+)
After several decades spent away from the franchise he created, Ridely Scott returned to the “Alien” series in the aftermath of the “Alien vs. Predator” films to deliver a contemplative, existential, and thematically-focused prequel. Upon release, many people were not fans, but this writer has always been something of a “Prometheus” defender and continues to be.
I find it fascinating that Ridley returned to the franchise he started and introduced such profound questions about existence, the value of life, and creationism. While some found it confusing, I find “Prometheus” compelling and engaging. Plus, that C-section sequence is more than enough to prove Ridley’s still got it.
THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE (1989-2017) (GRADE: A)
Did you know multiple Xenomorphs were featured in a theme park ride in Florida for decades? Did you know that the theme park in question was Disney World?
Located at the park formerly known as MGM Studios, now known simply as Hollywood Studios, “The Great Movie Ride” was an incredible attraction that took guests through sequences from some of the most legendary films of all time. Chief among these sequences was a setpiece aboard the Nostromo from the original Alien, in which tourists were besieged by not one but two full-size Xenomorph animatronics.
Full disclosure: this was my first encounter with “Alien” as a kid. It scared the shit out of little me and also had me begging my parents to let me watch an “Alien” VHS from the time I was about four years old. Eventually, after coveting it for years, I got to see the film, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.
ALIEN: COVENANT (2017) (GRADE: A)
Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” follow-up feels like someone at the studio told Ridley in-between films, ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too,’ with regards to making an effective science-fiction horror film and an affecting thematic meditation on existence. And to that, Ridley simply said, ‘fuck off,’ because “Covenant” is like both ends of that equation are cranked up to 11.
It is grislier and nastier than its predecessor in every way, featuring some truly harrowing and stomach-churning horror setpieces while also carving out time for two different Michael Fassbenders to play the flute and discuss the origins of life. It rules so much.
TIE: ALIEN (1979) & ALIENS (1986) (GRADE: A+)
If we’re being honest, these top two are interchangeable depending on the day. Scott’s original film is such an innovative, transgressive cinematic experience with some of the most blistering editing ever put to film. Cameron’s sequel takes all the objective, awe-inspiring terror of the original and uses it to fuel the engine of a great big firing-on-all-cylinders subjective blockbuster. Both are absolutely perfect films in their own right, and both have completely earned the distinction of being some of the most definitive and iconic science-fiction films of all time.
