Alien Quadrilogy Analysis

May 14, 2008

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?

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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

CREDITS

Title Designer: Saul Bass (uncredited)

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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

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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

CREDITS

Title Design: John Beach, Black Box K°
Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title

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ALIEN RESURRECTION

The womb-like viscera of human and alien-crossed monstrosities connotes a bastardization.

USA | 1997 | Color | 2.35:1 | English | DVD

Extras

Alien: Resurrection – Alternate

Alien: Resurrection - Alternate contact sheet
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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.

CREDITS

Title Coordinators: Ben Schoen, Scarlet Letters and Rob Yamamoto
Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title

Category: Alien Quadrilogy Analysis, Feature

Tagged: Alien, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection, Aliens

MoonPatrol

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!

Roger C. Rocha

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.

Dash_X

SAUL BASS did the Alien sequence - he was and still is the master of this medium. Astonishingly beautiful.

Mark

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.

Nelson B

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.

Mark

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 :)

Richard Cave

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

Brad

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.

Pol Mac

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!

joris

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

Mark

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).

Lu Nelson

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

le0pard13

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.

Groovymarlin

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.

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