May 14, 2008
Alien Quadrilogy Analysis
Note the consistency of design in the title sequences to the Alien Quadrilogy. Note too how they differ. Does each tangent of theme reflect the respective film?
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD | iPod/iPhone
ALIEN
Crossing over an eclipsing planet with the title appearing in non-linear, segmented letters. From the outer letters inwards (even the middle swath of the letter “E” is last to appear). Everything pointing to the center because the center is where the parasitic pupae of the Alien comes from; the middle of you. Steady, dark tension.
UK/USA | 1979 | Color | 2.20:1 | English/Spanish | DVD
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD | iPod/iPhone
ALIENS
The sparse, soldiering snare drum opening to an almost digital yet organic titling, like the profile of some never before seen hive. The text, apparitional at first, seems to be gestating; the “I” blooms into a symbol of life and we are in the story with a masterful tilt down on the encroaching vessel. Fairly glorious.
USA/UK | 1986 | Color | 1.85:1 | English | DVD
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD | iPod/iPhone
ALIEN³
The last brassy notes of the Twentieth Century Fox theme holds and contorts into the reverberating growl of the film’s soundscape. Then, the familiarity of the abyss punctuated by staccato, mini cut scenes that move the story along. New format, familiar threads…the wrinkle, we begin to understand, will be in the telling. Nothing comforts quite like facehuggers interrupting stasis to earn cinematic trust!
USA | 1992 | Color | 2.20:1 | English | DVD
Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD | iPod/iPhone
ALIEN RESURRECTION
The womb-like viscera of human and alien-crossed monstrosities connotes a bastardization.
USA | 1997 | Color | 2.35:1 | English | DVD
Alien: Resurrection – Alternate
Click to Watch SD | iPod/iPhone
Conceptually interesting but perhaps too great a departure. And no one puts bug guts anywhere near their mouth. Not unless they are chocolate covered and never if they’re space bugs. And who fires spitballs at a window needed for navigation? I can’t seem to get past that, even with the now-boilerplate spaceships in space shot.
Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title
I loved watching these – thank you. At first I honestly thought that last, alternate title sequence for “Resurrection” was a joke. Perhaps that’s why they didn’t use it. It plays a little too much like the “Scary Movie” version of the Alien franchise.
Also worth noting in the ALIENS sequence: the music is the same piece of music used during the JUPITER MISSION section of 2001, for long slow shots of the space craft. Probably Cameron’s homage to Kubrick; and it situates the film as a space movie in a broader sense than just as a sequel to Ridley Scott’s film. Thanks for posting these
The musical sequence you’re referring to here (and from 2001 A Space Odyssey) is Khachaturian’s Adagio from his Gayne Ballet Suite. One of the most memorable and haunting pieces I heard in my youth of watching movies.
BTW, a great analysis of the titles used for this series. Thanks for posting it.
The opening of Aliens is my favorite. It just pumps me up for the things to come every time I watch this great movie (original theatrical version, not the extended version).
I still find the ‘Alien’ sequence amazing in its simplicity. It’s just a tracking shot over a simple matte painting, with the title appearing like hieroglyphs. Very stylish and tasteful.
And indeed, the ‘Alien: Ressurection’ shown here is just totally bizarre and silly. Maybe a poor gone-wrong-attempt to mimic the Jean Pierre Jeunet humor in his earlier films?
Thanks for this great site ! Very inspiring, thank you for all the work in posting
these hi-res sequences…
Joris
I always loved the original with the simplicity of the symmetrical lines appearing. Always found that stunning how original and simple it was. The sound aswell still haunts me about the film. Yikes! Love the Aliens one too! Both just great films in their own right!
The “Alien” and “Aliens” sequences are my favorite, but perhaps it’s because I like those movies better as a whole. I think the music in both sequences is key. For Aliens it really has a sinister feeling that builds up to that Aliens logo revealing with the “I” brightly shinning.
The musical cue in Aliens is also used in Patriot Games, the sequence where jack Ryan is invited into the live ops chamber to watch a Special Forces Strike on the terrorist camp.
Haunting and evocative
To the above comment: James Horner composed some brilliant pieces in the 1980s; it’s no surprise he reused some of his work in other movies
In ALIENS the score at the begining gives also a hint of the militia. Then the second score with the open space and the spaceship, as someone said, is the same as in 2001 and evokes a feeling of lonelyness. ALIEN3 opening is all about the music excellent piece. This 3 movies are all great.
Alien Resurection there is nothing there. Total crap.
None of the last two sequels’ opening titles comes near the first two in terms of artistry, style, design and execution.
I do think, however, David Fincher is right in practically disowning Alien³; it is bad. Killing off two of the characters from the get-go who fought so hard to stay alive in Aliens? Unforgivable.
Sigourney Weaver was the best thing about Alien: Resurrection.
SAUL BASS did the Alien sequence – he was and still is the master of this medium. Astonishingly beautiful.
ALIEN is masterful, beautiful, with pristine and unique font animation. Timeless.
ALIENS conveys the update in style and narrative of the movie very well.
ALIEN 3 is really a complicated subject. Even though I believe Fincher’s direction is overall excellent, the problem with the movie lies within the screenplay. Look it up. They were going to make a “wooden planet”, for god’s sake. The actual result was pretty decent. BTW, the title sequence is pure Fincher, circa his more “music video” days.
Number 4 is totally disposable. Leave it to a french director to ruin the genre. Also, “Fifth Element” rings a bell. RESURRECTION only made sense to me once, when I was totally baked.
This is one of the best intros. It hints at something growing and that you better get your wits together quick or you will be in big trouble!
Yes it is a gradual development as the words form, and alien in look too, like a bunch of symmetrical lines. Nothing but forms. The dissolves are also seen later in the wake-up scene around the white beds. Kind of tasty filmmaking! When the words come to full form and substance now the music jumps up and the time is now because the monster is coming! The brown planet (seen in 70mm at the theater) sets up that dark environment where our dreams and thoughts like to dwell. I like this movie because the experience it gives is storytelling in 4 dimensions. The genre is besides the point, the experience is just romantic in a survival sense, and a mystery that begs for the right choice of the characters.
I hope they get that Alien 5 going and make it an experience! AVP and AVP Requiem are lesser creations!
Alien 3 is not a shit movie. Yeah, I typed it. I’ll type it again if you want me to. It was doomed from expectations from the start. One day, David Fincher will wake up and realize how much better of a movie it is than say…Benjamin Button.
From the standpoint of ‘story’, consider the length of time that had passed since ‘Aliens’. Would you have been happier if they had recast 10 year old Newt and dropped a ton of ‘make him look younger’ make-up on Michael Biehn? In more ways than not, they were left with no choice but to drop and start back at zero. ‘Alien’ was a horror movie set in space, we can all agree on that at this point. James Cameron came along and decided to make it a completely different movie. The only thing similar to a horror movie sequel was his decision to triple the characters to create a higher body count. Beyond that, he just wanted to make an action movie. Actual purists (who should get a life) should have been livid that he bastardized the original in such a manner.
‘Alien 3′ had no choice, really, but to go back to square one in the hopes of recreating a confined, horror movie type feel. While it wasn’t nearly as successful as the first one, it did have its moments. Most people bitch about the type of sequel it was without offering up any ideas as to what type of sequel it should have been.