Over the past month, I have had a rejuvenation of interest for the Alien series. I used to be a huge fan during my junior high years and then lost interest until recently. Since I don't have the money to purchase the Alien Quadrilogy dvd set I just rented them from Blockbuster. I've seen all of the films and thier director's cuts and here's how I rate the films on a scale of 1-10.
Alien: 10/10; A true sci-fi classic. Still scary and suspenful after all these years. The director's cut doesn't really add much but it's worth checking out.
Aliens: 10/10; My favorite of the series. It's more of an action fest than a horror flick like the first one but it's got great chacrters, action sequences and a nice mother daughter relationship between Ripley and Newt. The director's cut does add some characterization to Ripley and the colonists but I feel that the original version is better.
Alien 3: 8/10; I know many people hate this film but I actually think it's pretty good. True, the film has notable flaws (weak supporting characters and screenplay, poor alien effects) but I find that the film has some good stuff (Fincher's dark tone and religious imagery, and that they introduced the concept of the alien adopting characteristics of it's host). The director's cut is great and adds some characterization and character
arcs.
Alien Resurrection: 7/10; Like Alien 3, a lot of people hate this film as well. I consider this film to be the weakest of the series. Winona Ryder feels out of place as a robot and the rest of the supporting cast, except for Ron Perlman , is a bit weak. However, I find the film to be the most "popcorn, mindless fun" of the series and there are some good bits here (Sigourney Weaver's great performance as a Ripley clone and the underwater scene).
I definately recommend picking up the alien set if you've got the funds.
Alien: 10/10; A true sci-fi classic. Still scary and suspenful after all these years. The director's cut doesn't really add much but it's worth checking out.
Aliens: 10/10; My favorite of the series. It's more of an action fest than a horror flick like the first one but it's got great chacrters, action sequences and a nice mother daughter relationship between Ripley and Newt. The director's cut does add some characterization to Ripley and the colonists but I feel that the original version is better.
Alien 3: 8/10; I know many people hate this film but I actually think it's pretty good. True, the film has notable flaws (weak supporting characters and screenplay, poor alien effects) but I find that the film has some good stuff (Fincher's dark tone and religious imagery, and that they introduced the concept of the alien adopting characteristics of it's host). The director's cut is great and adds some characterization and character
arcs.
Alien Resurrection: 7/10; Like Alien 3, a lot of people hate this film as well. I consider this film to be the weakest of the series. Winona Ryder feels out of place as a robot and the rest of the supporting cast, except for Ron Perlman , is a bit weak. However, I find the film to be the most "popcorn, mindless fun" of the series and there are some good bits here (Sigourney Weaver's great performance as a Ripley clone and the underwater scene).
I definately recommend picking up the alien set if you've got the funds.
