So this weekend I'm going through all the Alien/Predator films (in order of release). I've just made it through all the Alien films, and must admit I was both excited and disappointed. I'm gonna be in a minority here by agreeing w/ Resident Alien's opinion: I'm surprised a lot of people believe Aliens to be the best in the franchise, and sometimes even the greatest sci-fi film of all time. Here's my analysis of each film, and in ranking order from best to worst.
Alien - (4/5, maybe a 5/5) the original and the greatest. Perfect example of atmospheric tension and horror. What Ridley Scott managed to do w/ few sets, a couple of actors, one monster, and the lighting is a testimony to his skill as a director. Its Jaws in space, and one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time.
Aliens - (4/5) a solid action film. I give Cameron props for taking the initiative w/ this sequel and not making it a retread of the first. With that said, my main grip is that the film feels bloated to me. Its not until the second half that the film takes off, and even then it feels longer than it needs to be. I'm not opposed to long movies (in fact some of my fav films are around the 3 hr mark), and I understand the need to build up tension in the first half and not show the aliens, but it still felt about 30 minutes longer than need be.
Alien3 - (3/5) the most interesting of the franchise. But I have to admit, this is where the franchise starts losing it. Killing off Hicks and Newt is the worst thing they could've done. They spend all that time at the end of Aliens rescuing Newt only to kill her offscreen within the first two minutes of the film, while Hicks would've been a great character to carry on. And also, Ripley shouldn't have been in this one, or at least as the main character. Hicks would've been a more reasonable lead, w/ Ripley and Newt living in peace somewhere. Its something the franchise should've followed: the survivor of the previous film is the lead in the next.
But we're stuck w/ the film we got. I have to commend Fincher's direction (although I'm not sure how much was actually him) and the cinematography. And the story, while obviously neutered from what was previously put together, is still interesting. The religious aspects, all male society, etc.
Alien: Resurrection - (2/5) weird, at times laughable. It feels more like fan fiction or a spin off than a sequel to any of the other films. Its actually kinda embarrassing.
As a whole, Alien is an interesting franchise. It starts off w/ a bang, shows promise as a franchise, but pretty much shoots itself in the foot. My one major complaint is how repetitive the films are to an extent: alien on ship/planet, company wants to experiment/bring it back to earth, alien wreaks havoc, heroes kill alien, alien manages to survive for the next film. In one of the films at least the alien should've made it to earth. This would've made for a more interesting finale to the series.