Madmarttigan said:
Aliens > Alien
We are all entitled to our opinions, but wrong.
Alien is a superior movie across the board. James Cameron did a fantastic job in crafting a worthy sequel, as evidenced by both the lackluster-to-****ty sequels that followed, and the fact that even Ridley Scott had trouble putting together two prequels that would meet audience expectations.
Alien, however, set standards in cinematography, set design, creature design and effects, miniature work, and production design and artwork. Alien also had one thing that none of the sequels could have, which was an element of both surprise and mystery with regard to the critter. Aliens took what existed and maintained similar aesthetics with regard to its own production design and creature effects.
I recall reading some movie magazine in the early 80s talking about a possible Alien II, but then nothing ever came of it. Then I am in my apartment in the spring semester of my fish year at A&M, reading the Batt. There was a section about upcoming entertainment options for the coming summer season, and there was when I first saw that the sequel was a real thing. And I was super excited that it was the director of The Terminator who had made it. The movie did not disappoint, but improving upon perfection is a tall ask.
