this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2025
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Idk about that buddy
We can debate the top rankings, but Alien is in the pantheon for sure. It's practically flawless as a movie. You could argue for 2001, or Blade Runner, or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But you would have to at least compare those to Alien to prove they're better in some way.
All of those except Alien could be argued to have pacing problems.
I sometimes miss the excellent straight-scifi film that gets interrupted by the horror move that breaks out.
Sunshine. I loved the first 2/3rds.
Sunshine was special until the monster
Pfft no, 2001 is perfect. Every time I’ve watched it I’ve been high af, and I fall asleep for a few min at a time throughout it, and I don’t miss anything at all!
I certainly wouldn’t want to watch it sober, though.
Upvoted simply for the concept of "it's only good if you're high" that was a ridiculously boring, shitty movie.
Try it high ;) you might feel different!
Ahem....Aliens
Aliens is quite possibly the most perfect sequel to any movie ever. Rocky II, Terminator 2, Godfather Part 2, Empire Strikes Back, it's up there with the best of the best.
What makes Alien/Aliens special is that they are entirely different movies. Different styles, different feel, and almost an entirely different cast. All those other excellent sequels were continuations of the story, using characters and settings established in the first film. You start with Godfather Part 2, and you'll be almost entirely lost with who is who and why you should care. You can go into Aliens entirely blind, and you'll still get like 90% of the enjoyment. Watching Alien improves the experience, but is actually unnecessary.
And that's part of why it's so good. You should watch Alien, not just for the backstory on Aliens but because it's an amazing standalone film.
It woulda been cool to get some more sequels, but alas...
Exactly.
Alien is a horror film.
Aliens is an action film.
1979: Ridley Scott directs "Alien".
1981: James Cameron works as a production designer on a Roger Corman "cash-in" of Alien called "Galaxy of Terror". It's mostly awful (mostly due to the giant maggot rape scene), but some of the production design is WAY better than anything in this movie has any right to be.
1986: James Cameron directs "Aliens".
I'm using the release years here as opposed to production for simplicity, but Aliens is really just a cash-in of a cash-in of Alien.
Yep, and I'd say they are both sci-fi, so it's fine to compare them on the list of best sci-fi. But I give the nod to Alien because I enjoy that more as a horror movie than I enjoy Aliens as an action movie. Like if we were ranking horror movies, Alien would be in my top 10, maybe top five. For action movies, I'd put Aliens in the top 20, maybe top 10.
Yeah. Alien is is my top four on Letterboxd.
I love Aliens, but I do think it’s inferior.
I love the characters, set pieces, and all but it’s just not there.
Hell, I rewatched Predator recently. I think it may be superior.
The matrix would like a word, as would Jurassic Park, and independence day. All three are far better than alien or aliens. I admit that I have a bias against sigourney weaver. She sucked in that and sucked in avatar. I've never seen a good movie that she was in. But the alien movies are highly overrated.
You talking shit about ghostbusters, peasant?
Actually... This may piss you off even more... But I haven't seen it. 😬
ALIEN is a movie designed around making men understand the horrors of r*pe.
All three films you menion as alternatives came out in a post-ALIEN world, mind you.
I thought that men learned about the horrors of rope in PE class. I'm not sure what that has to do with Alien, though.
Galaxy Quest.
I love all those movies. And if you don't like an actress, I'm not going to convince you that you're wrong. You like what you like.
From a holistic view, I'd point out that the three movies you mentioned were also pioneers in filmmaking. They each invented new technologies to do new things. Independence Day in green screens and explosions, Jurassic Park in blending CG with pratical puppetry, and Matrix created a new type of multicamera stop-motion slow-motion.
But they all borrowed heavily from Alien and Aliens. Each of the movies you mentioned had a direct homage to the Alien franchise. In aesthetic, in atmosphere, in creature design, they all stood on the shoulders of Ridley Scott and HR Geiger.
Honestly, there's also "The Thing" which is also as simple as it gets.
Yeah but that was actually good.
This is my vote as well. And it fits the prompt!
It's certainly in the running, the first two are basically perfect movies