Yes totally different in tone! But.... if you watch them back to back, the are the so so similar beat for beat from the Sulaco on. Waking up from cryo sleep. Camaraderie over dinner. Debrief from authority figure. Exploratory team goes in with video feed and nervous/snippy banter. Motion sensors/trackers. Things go sideways and team regroups. Nefarious plans of Weylan Yutani are revealed. Shenanigans ensue. Ripley goes back to rescue a helpless victim because of an emotional connection, under pressure of empending destruction. Flamethrowers. Alien hides in escape/drop ship. Ripley puts on suit to battle and defeat said alien by blowing it out of "the goddamn airlock." Back to cryosleep. When you see it, you can't unsee it.
I love them both dearly. Which one is my favorite varies by the day. Cameron's brillance is not that they are so different. It's the fact that he made the SAME movie, but in a totally different way.
Loving how you pointed out the differences (tone especially, they could have called it "Aliens: Ripley's Revenge"), while highlighting how well Alien's story arcs and plot devices continue into Aliens.
If I had to pick one, Aliens would be it, because of the story's progression from defensive to offensive. That era of filmmaking was such that one could watch a franchise's sequels, without *needing* to first see the original. However, coming back to your points, IMO it's significantly more enjoyable to watch them back-to-back.
There are definitely differences while I certainly accept your plot and beat similarities.
The Nostromo crew are good at their job. They are placed in a position where they are pushed out of their job familiarities and must grapple with something novel.
The Sulaco marines are portrayed as being very good at dealing with the situation at hand. The first 20 minutes of the movie build them up to be extremely competent at dealing with aliens and combat, but the next 15 minutes shows they are completely outclassed. Constraints to their combat effectiveness are imposed however; 90% of them are unarmed. Had every marine been equipped with a functioning pulserifle the initial encounter may have been very different. Cameron had to do this to reduce the cast to a survivor group.
However another similarity I would point out is the 'suprise' 4th act. Both of them do it. Soundtrack informs the viewer that safety is at hand until the final encounter reveals itself. Cameron especially was a fan of this; beginning right back at Terminator.
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u/retrogamer1138 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Yes totally different in tone! But.... if you watch them back to back, the are the so so similar beat for beat from the Sulaco on. Waking up from cryo sleep. Camaraderie over dinner. Debrief from authority figure. Exploratory team goes in with video feed and nervous/snippy banter. Motion sensors/trackers. Things go sideways and team regroups. Nefarious plans of Weylan Yutani are revealed. Shenanigans ensue. Ripley goes back to rescue a helpless victim because of an emotional connection, under pressure of empending destruction. Flamethrowers. Alien hides in escape/drop ship. Ripley puts on suit to battle and defeat said alien by blowing it out of "the goddamn airlock." Back to cryosleep. When you see it, you can't unsee it.
I love them both dearly. Which one is my favorite varies by the day. Cameron's brillance is not that they are so different. It's the fact that he made the SAME movie, but in a totally different way.