ANYONE DOWN FOR AN ALIEN DAY EGG HUNT?!

Article by Adam Mast

Today, we celebrate “Alien Day.” Why April 26th? Well, “Alien Day” takes its name from LV426 and if you’re any sort of ALIEN fan, that name needs no explanation.

In honor of this special day, Alamo Drafthouse is hosting screening events around the country (the L.A. screening will include a showing of ALIENS with stars Carrie Henn, Jenette Goldstein, and Ricco Ross in attendance for a special Q & A.)  Unfortunately, there are plenty of us who don’t reside near an Alamo Drafthouse. No worries, though, because there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t throw your very own ALIEN party. True, nothing beats experiencing these movies on the big screen, and Alamo Drafthouse in particular is known for their special events, but in the end, an ALIEN fan has got to do what an ALIEN fan has got to do.

Here’s a brief look at a franchise that’s know for reinvention each time out.

Sidenote: No, we won’t be covering the ALIEN VS. PREDATOR series here.

ALIEN (1979)

In space, no one can hear you scream. And so goes the famous tag for Ridley Scott’s suspenseful and all together terrifying tale of a spaceship crew and their horrific encounter with a deadly creature not of this Earth. Headed by a stellar cast including Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, and a relative newcomer named Sigourney Weaver, Scott’s stylish sci-fi tinged thriller is a visual stunner. What’s more,  if you suffer from claustrophobia, it’s sure to give you nightmares forever. A classic!

ALIENS (1986)

ALIENS–which celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer– might just be one of the top 5 greatest sequels ever committed to film and while I don’t know that I’d call it a better movie than it’s masterpiece of a predecessor, it is–at the very least–every bit as good. It’s also considerably larger in scope. Written and directed by TERMINATOR helmer James Cameron, ALIENS would trade in the contained, suspenseful nature of the first film for a full on war movie. At the heart of this master class action picture is a positively stellar performance by Sigourney Weaver as a woman who has no choice but to face her terrifying nightmares, head on! Cameron has fashioned what I still believe to be the strongest movie of his larger than life career. In addition to near unbearable tension throughout, ALIENS has strong characters and a breathtaking visual style to boot.   As was the case with THE GODFATHER PART II and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, ALIENS is so good that it transcends the term “sequel” all together. This is simply a great movie, period!

ALIEN 3 (1992)

When I saw ALIEN 3 for the first time back in 1992, I have to admit, that first viewing was a tough cinematic experience to endure. Like a lot of fans, I was appalled by the treatment of Hicks and Newt.  Through the years though, I’ve come to the realization that the fate of two of the most beloved characters from ALIENS truly set the stage for the fittingly stark tone at the heart of ALIEN 3.  If ALIEN is the personification of suspense and ALIENS is an epic story of war and facing your nightmares, then ALIEN 3 is a straight up monster movie in every sense of the term! Directed by the great David Fincher–who has, more or less, disowned the movie–it should be noted that ALIEN 3 doesn’t f*** around! No coddling. No light at the end of the tunnel. This is a bleak movie in which the nightmare wins. Weaver is fantastic in this picture and the decision to set the action on a prison planet is pretty damn inspired. Does this movie rise to the heights of the first two pictures? Not necessarily, but I applaud Fincher for avoiding a complete and utter rehash. ALIEN 3 is wildly underappreciated.

 ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997)

In a valiant attempt to continue in the grand tradition of reinvention, 20th Century Fox would hire Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE, DELICATESSEN) to put his own unique spin on the franchise with ALIEN: RESURRECTION.  In this dreamlike sci-fi flick, a cloned Ripley/alien hybrid must square off an entirely new breed of xenomorphs.  As was the case with ALIENS, there’s a mother and child story at the heart of ALIEN: RESURRECTION, but trust me when I tell you, this is an entirely different kind of mother and child story. Once again, kudos are in order to a gifted Jeunet for refusing to simply rehash what came before. Having said that, I wish I could say that I’m a fan of this picture but I’ve never really been able to warm up to it. Again, I respect and admire its visual style, and the fashion in which Ripley returns is certainly creative,  but there are too many odd missteps here (the casting of Winona Ryder as android, Call, high among them) and in the end, I don’t find myself revisiting this picture nearly as often as the other three. Still, a sub par ALIEN movie is substantially better than any of the sequels in THE HOWLING franchise.

So where might the ALIEN franchise be headed now? Well, Ridley Scott–the man who started it all–is prepping ALIEN: COVENANT at the moment and he claims that the 2017 release will have more of a connection to ALIEN than the hit-and-miss PROMETHEUS did.

Beyond that, Neill Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver have been hinting at a new ALIEN picture for the better part of a year now. What’s most interesting about this particular project is that Blomkamp’s conceptual art and comments indicate that his ALIEN movie would be a follow-up to James Cameron’s ALIENS. It would include the likes of Newt and Hicks meaning that ALIEN 3 would be wiped from canon. Either that or Blomkamp has some weird trick up his sleeve that none of us are aware of. Quite frankly, I don’t like the idea of the last two pictures being erased from the franchise. I’d be lying if I said a little part of me doesn’t wonder on occasion what might have happened had Hicks and Newt lived, but not at the expense of pretending like the underrated ALIEN 3 never happened. Having said that, it’s science fiction, so anything is possible.

Wherever the franchise might be headed, April 26th 2016 is a day of celebration, so that’s what I intend to do. In fact, I’m firing up the blu-ray player as we speak!

Happy “Alien Day” everyone! Make it a good one!!