Even after decades have passed and we’ve been able to hold onto the idea that the Aliens franchise is one of the best in science fiction and horror, there are a few things that are kind of hard to let go of when it comes to things that we dislike. The story is good, the characters are great, and the overall tone of the movie is pretty dark and yet not entirely hopeless. But the crucial mistakes that are made, the fact that anyone that classifies as a suit or corporate in any way is bound to be bad, and of course, that anyone and everyone becomes expendable when it comes to procuring one of the xenomorphs from the movies are all aspects that have become a bit tiresome and even a little annoying. As for plot points, they’re fine and all, but there are times when it might be nice to think about changing tactics and maybe exploring a new storyline since to be fair, the novels that are out there on the subject are kind of interesting and definitely go off on several different tangents that could be used to great effect. But of course, that would take convincing the directors that said stories have any merit, and if a director doesn’t want to go that route then even moving heaven and earth might not make it happen.
Here are a few things we kind of dislike about the Alien franchise.
5. Every corporate stooge is out to be a jerk
If they work for Weyland-Yutani or any other big corporation or the military then it’s likely that the top guys are jerks and are bound to become the enemy at one point or another. In pretty much every movie the bigwigs are about as crooked as the letter ‘s’ and are always out to make sure that every life is expendable except their own. One would think that there might be some decent individuals in the company that might finally have the guts to stand up to the more crooked individuals that run the show. But of course, in every movie, there’s always someone that’s looking to make bank off of the xenomorphs in some way.
4. We still don’t know a lot about how they gained their form
Even the prequels haven’t really explained everything, though there’s like a way to look into the notes and screenplays that might offer up something as to what the Engineers were doing and how the xenomorphs came about. Their different forms thus far have been explained as being caused by the hosts they come from, which would explain the alien in the third movie. It might even explain why Ripley had a queen inside of her in the third movie, but the how and why of their form is still a little fuzzy since the dog-xenomorph still had hands and feet technically, meaning that the creatures have a definite design to them.
3. Why didn’t the xenomorphs attack sooner in Aliens?
The creatures had to know that the marines were there, right? It’d be kind of insane to think that they were all clustered in the hive and didn’t send out a scout now and then to see what was going on or if there was something or someone moving up top. This one might be debunked a bit since it doesn’t feel likely that the xenomorphs would leave facehuggers floating in the tanks when it was obvious that they weren’t all dead. But somehow the marines had time to make their way inside, set up shop, go after Newt, and then come on down to check on the inhabitants. Of course, they hadn’t attacked yet, but what would that matter to creatures that are all about attacking first and, well, attacking after?
2. How in the hell is there always a spare egg lying around somewhere?
Seriously, it’s almost as though the xenomorph queen is a video game boss that can pull stuff out of thin air when she needs to and can jus pop up where she’s least likely to be expected. Did anyone see her get on the dropship? Has anyone figured out how she managed to take a single egg when she was escaping the fiery hell that Ripley left and then keep it safe, AND keep it from hatching prematurely? The timing of all this is just too much since even the placement of the egg as it’s shown in the third movie was way too perfect. It almost indicates that another xenomorph was on board and didn’t take its shot when it could have, or the queen is part Flash, part murder machine that was just picking her spot.
1. Why would any rational-minded being think that trying to control the xenomorphs would be a good idea?
This is a pervasive idea in the books and in the movies since for some reason or another the military and company minds that exist in both mediums somehow think that they can control an animal that operates through a hive mind and is essentially built to kill, procreate, and kill again until everything within their sight is under their queen’s control. How exactly would that factor into the plan to ‘control’ them? The point is that the xenomorphs are, as Ash alluded to in the first movie, pure in their motives and existence. They exist to survive, that’s about it, and using them as weapons would be one of the worst possible ideas in the history of bad ideas.
There are some inconsistencies to be certain, but it almost feels as though Ridley Scott and James Cameron were of the mind to push forward without too much explanation.
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