Alien 40th Anniversary - Cinema re-release in March 2019

[idunnosomename]

The best alien film was the one I acted out with my Aliens toys in 1995 where they invaded Jurassic Park and the Predators had to aid the humans in saving the dinosaurs. Outstanding drama.

TWENTY EIGHT YEARS OLD I WAS

[thraxx]

I'm almost certain that it was a miniature, shot with a low-resolution home video camera.  That's covered on the exhaustive 'making of' documentary on the DVD/Blu-Ray, if I recall correctly.

Yep.  Prequels rarely, if ever, work out for the best.  A lot of people cite The Godfather: Part Two as a counter argument but that wasn't a true prequel.  It had elements of that, sure but it was also a straight up sequel.

The Godfather II is just elements of the book that didn't make it into the first film. All the Vito backstory happens in parallel in the book. So it wasn't like they were over reaching to explain and make shit up, it was already part of the source material.

As for Alien, I seem to recall in the making of it being a matte, but I don't know fuck knows.

[buzby]

I'm almost certain that it was a miniature, shot with a low-resolution home video camera.  That's covered on the exhaustive 'making of' documentary on the DVD/Blu-Ray, if I recall correctly.

That's my memory as well, wasn't using the helmet cams partly to cover up the model not looking that great?

It was a miniature (though like all the Alien miniatures it was actually massive) on a large set. The landscape was made up of real animal bones, replicating what Giger had used to sculpt the costume and Space Jockey.

The only matte painting of the exterior was a closeup of the 'vents' that the search party were to enter it by (painted by Ray Caple) - it was not used in the final cut:

The miniature did not look crap though, it was fantastically detailed and Giger loved it (the armature was built by Dick Butten and designed and detailed by Peter Voysey from Giger's concept art - it had initially been written off as unbuildable at production meetings until Voysey volunteered to have a go at it)

This is Voysey doing the detailing in Bray's model shop:


There is a page detailing it's construction and with high-res stills of it in the model shop here.
The model was due to be destroyed after filming (along with the large-scale Nostromo) but collector Bob Burns offered to give them a home. It was sold at auction in 2005 (under dubious circumstanceS), though it was in a very poor state (most of the plasticene outer layer and the detailing had fallen off).

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Looks a bit like a manky plucked turkey. Which, oddly enough, was what people said about the initial design of the chestburster.

[idunnosomename]

Sure everyone knows this but the chestburster was modelled after Bacon's canvas Studies for Three Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion in Tate Britain

http://alienexplorations.blogspot.com/2015/02/ridley-inspired-by-francis-bacon.html

[greenman]

It was a miniature (though like all the Alien miniatures it was actually massive) on a large set. The landscape was made up of real animal bones, replicating what Giger had used to sculpt the costume and Space Jockey.

It certainly doesn't look bad at all I'd agree but I'm going from memory of Scott claiming he went with the video feeds back to the Nostromo because he didn't think the straight footage quite held up to the standard he wanted. Again though I suspect it was a combination of that and the desired effect for that part of the film, not wanting to cut though the tension that he was building up until the space jockey and the cargo hold. Maybe he wanted to make sure more of the focus was kept on Ripley as an observer as well rather than just the search party.

[thraxx]

I love Buzby's posts. And what a great piece of design and model making that ship is. Looks amazing. What kind of a cunt breaks up something like that. Must be worth a fortune now.

I think the video feed of the ship works really well, it certainly does reinforce the 'through human eyes' perspective and the 'what the fuck is that' factor.

[Glebe]

It was on TV the other night... it's hardly dated.

[greenman]

I love Buzby's posts. And what a great piece of design and model making that ship is. Looks amazing. What kind of a cunt breaks up something like that. Must be worth a fortune now.

I think the video feed of the ship works really well, it certainly does reinforce the 'through human eyes' perspective and the 'what the fuck is that' factor.

Suprising really more care wasn't taken considering how successful the film was, you'd think even in 79 they would have had some feeling there might be a sequel that might need it?

[a duncandisorderly]

I hadn't spotted this before, & found it just now while looking for a picture of the screens ("environ purge" & so on) where scott recycled some cutaways in 'blade runner', complete with the naff burned-in timecode.

tyrell corporation in the 'alien' universe?

[greenman]

Arent those screenshots from Aliens during the meeting at the start?

[buzby]

I hadn't spotted this before, & found it just now while looking for a picture of the screens ("environ purge" & so on) where scott recycled some cutaways in 'blade runner', complete with the naff burned-in timecode.

tyrell corporation in the 'alien' universe?

That's a screenshot from the 'Nostromo Dossier' bonus feature created for the 20th anniversary DVD release of Alien. It wasn't from the original film or Aliens. Scott has made no secret that he wants to bring the two universes together, and Peter Weyland makes a more direct reference to Eldon Tyrell in one of the bonus features on the Prometheus DVD.


Thankfully the separation of the rights between the two properties has prevented him fully smashing them together (I did express concern on the BR2049 thread that the lack of financial success the film had might end up in Alcon selling the rights to Fox/Disney so Scott could pursue his awful ideas unfettered).

Regarding the reuee of the Alien VT elements in Blade Runner, the burnt-in timecode only is part of the Nostromo docking clamp wireframe animation, which along with the 'ENVIRON PURGE' graphics (which themselves seem to be a homage to HAL's status screens from 2001) from the Narcissus lifeboat were reused verbatim in the Spinner displays:

Alien top, Blade Runner bottom

[St_Eddie]

I've always considered Blade Runner to have taken place within the Alien universe.  I also choose to view Outland as taking place in that same universe.  It shared a lot of the same production crew that worked on Alien (and a soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith to boot).  The environment in Outland is the sort of place that I could easily imagine Parker and Brett working in, prior to their fateful assignment to the Nostromo.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

So in this combined universe, do blade runners have to retire syntheticsartificial persons, in addition to replicants?

[ToneLa]

Sacrilege

[Shit Good Nose]

The best alien film was the one I acted out with my Aliens toys in 1995 where they invaded Jurassic Park and the Predators had to aid the humans in saving the dinosaurs. Outstanding drama.

And better than Aliens.

I've always considered Blade Runner to have taken place within the Alien universe.  I also choose to view Outland as taking place in that same universe.  It shared a lot of the same production crew that worked on Alien (and a soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith to boot).  The environment in Outland is the sort of place that I could easily imagine Parker and Brett working in, prior to their fateful assignment to the Nostromo.

Yeah, nice - the whole space truckers thing (although let's not include Space Truckers as well, eh?).  And, without wanting to hijack the thread, Outland is a great little film.  I'd honestly sooner watch it than High Noon.  Great foot chase as well.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

And better than Aliens.

Thus making it waaaaaay better than Alien 3.

[Shit Good Nose]

Thus making it waaaaaay better than Alien 3.

Why I oughtta...(shakes fist)

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Try as you might, you cannot fist me.

[Shit Good Nose]

Try as you might, you cannot fist me.

(takes off latex surgical glove and puts the lid back on the lube.  Kicks floor like a grumpy child would.)

[Blumf]

I've always considered Blade Runner to have taken place within the Alien universe.  I also choose to view Outland as taking place in that same universe.  It shared a lot of the same production crew that worked on Alien (and a soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith to boot).  The environment in Outland is the sort of place that I could easily imagine Parker and Brett working in, prior to their fateful assignment to the Nostromo.

Never considered that, but it works nicely.

How do people consider Soldier (1998)? I know the writer (who also wrote for BR) considered it in the same universe as BR. And if that's acceptable, I think you can go a little further and see it linking to the Universal Soldier films too.

[momatt]

How do people consider Soldier (1998)?

I was trying to remember what film this was.  They deliberately make some references to Blade Runner in this.  Something about the Tannhauser Gate and maybe replicants?

Mad but excellently bleak film.

[Avril Lavigne]

I was trying to remember what film this was.  They deliberately make some references to Blade Runner in this.  Something about the Tannhauser Gate and maybe replicants?

Yes, and there's a shot that actually features one of the Spinners from BR.

[Replies From View]

Doesn't Aliens also make reference to Cyberdyne or something from the Terminator films?


Edit:  maybe not.  Might be the similar-sounding Hyperdyne.

[greenman]

Never considered that, but it works nicely.

How do people consider Soldier (1998)? I know the writer (who also wrote for BR) considered it in the same universe as BR. And if that's acceptable, I think you can go a little further and see it linking to the Universal Soldier films too.

Wasn't People's script originally intended to be for an offical semi Blade Runner sequel only to get shelved for several years then made as a stand alone with only retaining a few nods?

[St_Eddie]

...although let's not include Space Truckers as well, eh?...

I'm one of the few who actually likes Space Truckers.  Not enough to consider it as being canonical to the Alien universe (although there is a six degrees of separation thing going on with Charles Dance) but still...

"Square Pigs for a square meal".

How do people consider Soldier (1998)? I know the writer (who also wrote for BR) considered it in the same universe as BR. And if that's acceptable, I think you can go a little further and see it linking to the Universal Soldier films too.

It is indeed true that the writer of Soldier (and co-writer of Blade Runner), David Peoples, considers it to take place within the same universe as Blade Runner.  However, I personally place no stock in that.  Whilst there is a reference to Tannhäuser Gate and a Spinner is just about visible in one shot, director Paul W.S. Anderson (the lesser of Paul Andersons) rather undermined that by shoving in the following references as well...

Todd's service record, displayed on a computer screen, includes the following:

* Receipt of the "Plissken Medal" - reference to Escape from New York (1981) and its sequel Escape from L.A (1996)

* Receipt of the "O'Neil Ring Award" -  reference to Stargate (1994)

* Receipt of the "Cash Medal of Honor" - reference to Tango and Cash (1989)

* Receipt of the "Maccready Cross" - reference to The Thing (1982)

* Receipt of the "Capt Ron Trophy" - reference to Captain Ron (1992)

* Receipt of the "McCaffrey Fire Award" - reference to Backdraft (1991)

* Receipt of the "Dexter Riley Award" - reference to The Strongest Man in the World (1975), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)

* Citations for the Nibian Moons Campaign, the Antares Maelstrom War and the War Of Perdition's Flames - locations referred to in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

* Todd's weapons training record lists the "USCM Smartgun"; "M41A pulse rifle" - references to Aliens (1986) and the "DOOM MKIV BFG," - a reference to the computer game Doom; "Illudium PU36 ESM," otherwise known as the Illudium PU36 Explosive Space Modulator - the same weapon Marvin the Martian is always threatening to use on Earth in Loony Tunes cartoons.

They can't all inhabit the same universe, unless Toon Town from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is also considered canon and there's a lot of people who look just like Kurt Russell.

Doesn't Aliens also make reference to Cyberdyne or something from the Terminator films?


Edit:  maybe not.  Might be the similar-sounding Hyperdyne.

The line was originally "Cyberdyne" but James Cameron decided that it was too on the nose and so he changed it to "Hyperdyne", to better distinguish between the two separate universes, whilst still making a nod towards The Terminator.

[Endicott]

That list is hilarious. Cheers for it.

[Blumf]

Doesn't Aliens also make reference to Cyberdyne or something from the Terminator films?


Edit:  maybe not.  Might be the similar-sounding Hyperdyne.

Yoyodyne?

[kalowski]

I consider The Big Lebowski to be part of the Blade Runner/Alien universe.

[St_Eddie]

I consider The Big Lebowski to be part of the Blade Runner/Alien universe.

Well, obviously that goes without saying.