Primordial Creative

A word about the aliens

Added 2018-01-20 15:46:41 +0000 UTC

Fast forwarded through the second and third Aliens movies last night w the kids, hitting the highlights. I wanted to show them parts of Resurrection but I guess I deleted it a long time ago because I really dislike the jokey tone of that one.

As many times as I’ve seen these- I don’t think any of them are actually any good. For me the only positive trait is down to the Giger design aesthetic. Storywise, they are all essentially cipher characters running and screaming from mindless beasts. I used to not care about things like that, but now that I’m writing scripts I wonder things like: what do protagonists and antagonists want and what are their obstacles to getting what they want? If those questions can’t be answered, why should I as a viewer care or feel for anything?

You’d be surprised how many movies can be boiled down to, people running around and screaming again. Bad dramas which are simply people sitting at a table yelling at each other. In real life, you’d get up and leave! But even a movie based around set pieces, like a James Bond film, can elevate by varying the set pieces and stunts. And a movie like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or the original Lord of The Rings trilogy can elevate by having characters run around, scream, have interesting set pieces, etc. because I understand the stakes, motivations, and care about the protagonists.

Anyways, Aliens franchise! Great or garbage? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!