Of course you can... and it is! Much like Alien, and Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant, Aliens is kind of an adaption of "At The Mountains of Madness." Which is one of the more important Cosmic Horror stories ever written. - Nick J.
As much as I don't want to be 'that guy', the Alien series is very much NOT cosmic horror. One of the most important parts of the cosmic horror genre is the idea that humanity is small and helpless in a universe that is massive and indifferent to them. The Alien films throw that theme away the instant Ripley kills the first Xenomorph. The franchise empowers and places a level of importance on humanity that cosmic horror is specifically against. Hell, in the prequels humanity is even responsible for the xenomorphs in the first place and the only other alien species we find is destiny human is look and behavior. Again, this is as far from cosmic horror as you can get. For those not super familiar with the genre, it's important to remember that cosmic horror is not simple horror that is in space. It has specific themes and ideas that it's interested in.
One scene from the Directors Cut is worth mentioning. After waking up at the space station, Burke reveals the length of her cryo-sleep to Ripley, and informs her that her daughter (who would have been a child in the first movie) had died WHILE Ripley was floating through space in her cryo-sleep. Fun fact; The picture they used for Ripley's daughter (in her 60's) was actually a picture of Sigourney Weaver's mom to help with resemblance. This plays into the whole motherly instinct thing with Newt, as Ripley had 'just' lost her own daughter
The extended director's cut is overall pretty garbage. That one scene is a decent one though. The rest of the scenes are just chaff that thankfully didn't make the final film.
Hicks gets glossed over as a Military Cliche But I've come to realize he's a rare one in SciFi cinema. A natural calm leader who doesn't want to leave anyone behind but with faithfully stand side by side till the last moment. One scene I always remember is when Hudson is pulled through the floor if you watch Hicks goes to jump down after him, it's Vasquez who grabs him by his armor and pulls him back. It's subtle and quick but speaks volumes.
Gungriffen Wow....like I can clearly see it in my head as I read that, Vasquez pulling Hicks back, but I never realized that before I guess...that Hicks was about to dive balls deep into an Alien filled hole to save Hudson lol. Crazy.
I just got confused. We have never encountered any alien species or civilization before. Upon encountering one for the first time we are just going to blow them up on the spot! Irrespective of our intentions towards the other we would want to study them. That Ripley would buy this nonsense explanation and Burke thought she would is just confusing but necessary for the plot progression.
The aspect of Newt being a surrogate daughter for Ripley is furthered by the directors' cut which reveals that during the 57 years in stasis, her daughter had grown old and died in her absence. So there's this slight feeling about her that she "traded" her life (or the ability to be in it) for her own. Even though dying of old age is not something one could really protect against, she's compelled to find someone she can do that for.
It's interesting to me that I always found that cut sequence lessened the attachment to Ripley and Newt's relationship. I've never really liked the extended cut (even though I thought the gun turret addition was a neat idea). I always like a little more mystery that the theatrical cut imbues with the film. - Nick J.
Zach, I'm glad you brought up the extended cut with her daughter. I found this deepened the meaning. A lot of guys I know didn't get the connection until they saw the extended cut and thought the relationship was forced.
After the queen fight and Ripley closes the airlock Newt (who has been fighting getting to emotionally attached as well) yells "Mommy!!" as they embrace and Ripley whispers " Baby". I felt disappointed in the sequels that Newts (and Hicks' due to the obviously blooming romance) death was so callously brushed over. I didn't like any of the sequels and felt the characters journey was abandoned for a horror/action ride.
Commenters: “let’s watch this video about analyzing films.” Also commenters: “why can’t he just enjoy the alien killing movie, why do we have to overanalyze things?”
Whenever the focus is on women, usually men tend to want to stop talking about it. They turned their favorite action movie into a movie of a woman and motherly love. Personally, as a guy, I've always seen Ripley as THE feminist icon for all the layers on her character, and this one and the first Alien, are my fave movies of all time.
Why is someone watching a series on Film Analysis and Criticism and complaining about overanalyzing a film? They are just looking for a reason to gripe.
Your discussion on the original Alien seems to reduce it to "haunted house...IN SPACE". That's interesting considering most critics and movie aficionados consider the original to be the "better" movie. Ridley Scott directed film. The guy who did Blade Runner. Might be a bit of British pride happening there compared to the very American James Cameron who made a very American Vietnam war allegory.
I have to disagree with one of your points regarding Ripley's motivation to join the Marines in their mission. I think her motivation is less one of duty and more from need to exact a measure of control over her situation. Her initial contact with the alien started a chain of events that took from her everything that she valued - friendship, family, and career. Now she's a woman out of time, stuck in a menial job, no friends or family left alive, with symptoms of PTSD. The moment when she decides to join the mission is her last desperate attempt to face the source of her anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Her hero journey begins as a tale of revenge. Along the way, she finds herself in a position of power/experience, she makes new friends, and she finds a young girl who has been through the same trauma she has - in essence, the only person who truly understands her. Ripley finds her badass self again, and that's something we all cheer for. Thank you for a great video!
One of the few movies that get right the feel/banter of your typical combat unit. Most movies try to paint combat personnel as either near breakdown, psychotic, or deeply depressed, where as the reality is that the vast majority are shocking normal, and live in more of a locker room atmosphere than anything.
Just saying this because some people in the comments don’t realize this, but we’re literally learning film criticism in my ELA class. Like this is part of our standards. If you think they’re picking at the movie too much... that’s kinda the point of film criticism. This CC series isn’t just for fun, it’s showing me how others apply what I learned in class, and how I can apply it too! Anyways, you can easily enjoy a movie by itself, but I think it’s cool to go back to a movie you’ve enjoyed before and use different lenses to make sense of it.
I don't think that it's that they're against film criticism. It's just that this was really weak and ham-handed film criticism that is just regurgitating surface observations that have been made about the film for over 20 years already.
I am a huge sci-fi fan and I engage in conversation about it as much as possible, and this was by far the most insightful analysis of Ripley I have ever encountered. I can now rest easy that Craig will be missed but has been replaced by and awesome follow-up host. Well done sir.
I have always idolized Ripley as a heroine. Even to this day I see a lot of myself in her actions. I can't help but think it's the reason Weaver has been one of my favorite actors for so damn long.
Thought provoking commentary - thank you, Crash Course! To anyone who attempts to dismiss a particular form of analysis or metaphor for a piece of art as "looking into it too much" or even specifically stating that the creator "didn't intend" - its important to note that it doesn't actually matter whether the creator INTENDED us for to see or think a specific thing when we process an experience. Yes, what they intended is important in understanding it - but it is absolutely just as relevant what the varied audience takes away from it regardless of whether or not those are the same or even similar. The greatest thing about art is that it can all be viewed through infinite lenses - we each take away something different from a piece, but it is useful for understanding humanity and the stories we try to tell if we explain what WE took away, what we individually saw and heard and thought of when we watched something - because it is probably just a little different from the person next to us. Be ready to accept that anyone who makes art ever takes part in this - it is relevant both what they were attempting to convey, and what each individual took away. If we view it as about racism or genocide or feminism that is because these are the issues on our minds that we are trying to unpack. Be ready to talk about them, or don't come to talk at all.
I really appreciate the nuance with which you identify potentially "problematic" issues without calling out the movie or its creators as categorically bad or harboring ill intent.
This vid is a great example of how one can have really interesting and fruitful discussions about a film I sincerely cannot manage to like, no matter how many times and in how many ways I try. It just sucks, sucks and sucks like a daisy chain of baaaad clichés and shallow rip-offs of the first movie - as I see it. But here we are: there's actually quite some depth to it, and ways to look at it that do show it in a new light. Very nice.
apart from the over reliance on technology and Vietnam war stuff, according to the behind the scenes videos on the movie itself, James also make the marine actors on the movie set to read the original Starship troopers novel to have a better understanding of futuristic military standards, technology etc...
Although Paul Verhoeven purposefully never finished the novel as he hated it and wanted to use the film to ridicule it's political and cultural subtext rather than celebrate it.
But he wrote the script (called Bug Hunt at Outpost 9,) before he got the rights for the novel. I understand that he finds the idea of a requirement of serving the state in return for full citizenship offensive, that's his choice, but if you don't study a thing enough to know the basics of it, how can you really "hate" it? At best you can hate what people have told you about it. He has stated he only read the first 2 chapters, and found it boring. If he only got that far, he didn't get to a lot of the subtext.
This is my favorite movie of all time. Also favorite series. You eventually got to the correct answer with your video. The main theme of Aliens is Motherhood. 2 Mothers facing each other for the survival of their family.
I totally agree that Aliens was set up brilliantly. It really did allow a strong female hero to emerge as a hero because of her protective "motherly" nature. Which culminated in the iconic fight between the Queen and Ripley. Perhaps that is why Alien 3 was such a let down. It took all of that success and flushed it down the toilet. Taking a strong yet feminine hero and turned her into a more masculine survivor type hero. Taking her newly found family away was a step backward and in a way detracted from the greatness that was Aliens. Great video!!!!
I disagree Alien 3 was an excellent movie, it sets a wonderful atmosphere. I'm not sure why Alien Resurrection is never mentioned as the mess it was. It was just a cheesey copy of parts of the previous movie, the characters looked like they were from a costume party (exagerated) and there was no inspiration.
There are so many comments here on how Crash Course is over-analyzing the movie. The series 'is' called Crash Course Film Criticism. So, they are 'critiquing' the movie. What did you all think he would do? Also, this is a very subjective thing. The analysis here is only their take on it. You do not have to agree with it and change how you view the movie. You can go on enjoying it or not enjoying it as you did before.
Well, criticism means mercilessly ripping up the film apart to point out it's _objective_ flaws. Here we have some criticizing, but about points that are only come to mind only with very specific mindset of a watcher. Not objective in any way, and also not very critical...
Interesting! And, in fact Cameron did take the whole idea of a motherly heroine to it's absolute ptsd extreme in Terminator 2, where protective nature and ptsd turn Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor into a really raw and brutal antihero. And why I can't think any modern movies that use these kind of themes as effectively as Cameron's early work?
This was a neat analysis! I often think more about how a story is put together, or how film making is technically done, but seeing how the themes of such a popular film might be viewed by others is interesting!
8:20 I would say that Logan's main theme was definitely love for his surrogate family as well, just like with Ripley here. Every decision Logan made in that movie was informed by love-- love for his friend and foster father Charles, and ultimately, his love for Laura, his surrogate but also kind of real daughter. Just because he was supremely grumpy about it all doesn't mean that love wasn't there.
There's a lot to glean for the alien series being cultural notes on race and immigration. The first Alien movie monster was played by an immigrant, Bolaji Badejo. He ended up returning home to Nigeria where he later died at a young age due to sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder. Jenette Goldstein, the actress who played Private Vasquez, signed on to the movie thinking it was a movie about immigration. This is lampshaded in the movie when Hudson makes the exact same comment about Vasquez signing up for the mission. "Right, right. Somebody said 'alien' she thought they said 'illegal alien' and signed up!" Also, she played the character, a latina soldier, in...there's no pleasant way to say it...brown-face. It does work, she did portray a strong female character who doesn't take insults from the other soldiers lying down. And her camaraderie with the other soldiers shows her softer side as well.
ipwn3du look at the channel or Twitter of any movie reviewer (or gamer for that matter) with under 5k subs. UA-cam blocks their videos and mass demonetizes anything they upload. I don't even monitize and got 15 videos with copyright notifications last month for using movie clips. A small channel would get a 6 month suspention if they made a video like this.
David - Maybe.. maybe not. Sometimes history is sheds new light on films. "It's a Wonderful Life" was largely a forgotten film for decades.. a mild success but a largely unremarkable film in Capra's body of work. Until it was mistakenly released into the public domain and thus started getting shown on TV endlessly. The massive new exposure generated a ton of new fans and interest and critics now generally regard it as a classic. Not on par with Citizen Kane or some such, but very well regarded. "Bringing Up Baby" was a huge commercial failure at the time and nearly killed Hepburn's career.. now it's frequently listed as one of the best and most influential films of all time.
Good points. But District 9 did see a commercial theatre release at a time when science-fiction movies were very popular. I didn't find it a very well done movie myself and was rather disappointed with it. The comment made was "no one gets it," and that a video done about it new could be used to show why it was an amazing film. Again, if now one gets it (me being one), maybe it is not really that amazing a film.
Slagon Drayer - I was simply making a one sentence point myself that if, again in your words, "no one gets it," maybe there really isn't that much to get. This was not a criticism of your judgement or what films you love. I am sorry you seemed to take it that way and felt the need to resort to the "cunty troll" response. I dont troll, I dont even post much for this very reason of emotional reaction before thought. I will end any further contributions to this sub-thread at this point.
Never ceases to amaze me that the video offers interpretations, drives the point home that they are just that - interpretations - that can even be ones not intended by the creator (as art can be something different to both creator and observer), and yet that message itself is interpreted by certain individuals as "THIS IS WHAT IT IS AND YOU ARE WRONG". I mean, you've got to be super paranoid about your power in the world if you think interpretations are somehow trying to aggressively attack you, or that any interpretation that isn't yours is bankrupt by default. That being said I find Avatar to be more of the "colonialism misunderstanding the indigenous" story than Aliens probably is. The xenomorph simultaneously represents the wilderness we do not understand and underestimate, and at the same time an amoral force that seeks to expand without regard for its individual survival. That's what makes it so terrifying, that in a comparison to historical human colonialism which has the tendencies to exhibit the same relentless devouring nature with respect to the cultures/beings it overtakes, the xenomorphs are uniquely suited to wait out periods of dormancy/stagnation - it just sits there as eggs. Human colonialism can/would doom itself to squandering its resources if left unchecked. TL;DR the xenomorph is the perfect colonizing force because it both has shed any remaining sense of emotional attachment to anything that is not itself, and it is much more resistant to stagnation.
I'll admit that 'Aliens' is bold enough to avoid repeating the situations in 'Alien' which made it so great (the claustrophobic tension, an unprepared civilian crew, an amazing baddie, etc) but it loses so much by introducing multiple aliens, meat-headed troops & (sorry) the over-sweet presence of Newt. The only 'Aliens' scene to provide tension was in the lab when the face-hugger disappeared. And how I hate that ridiculous fight between the queen & Transformer Ripley.
As much as I love these videos, I expected something different when I first read about this. I assumed you would talk about how to approach and critique films in various ways, using the knowledge we've gained from the previous two parts of this series. Instead it feels like a 'film analysis' course, where you talk about ways to identify themes and to interpret different films. Like I said, it's still interesting, though.
I remember watching this on HBO, when it first became HBO. And my lil mind was blown away! I loved anything futuristic, and this movie was ahead of it's time back then. Now everything is CGI and over budget or a tax write-off!
Thank you! This is brilliant and it really makes me the see the positive aspects of the movie. I initially hated the movie but meh it's not too bad considering the good points you mentioned.
There are some similar ideas within the Terminator series - the last girl, triumph over technology, motivation by love for family, a transition from maiden to matriarch, government (like the corporation's) refusal to believe our heroine about the threat she faced and the coming arrival of the threat source...
Darren Krivit Well even the adult Xenomorphs look pretty phallic as well. It was done on purpose to give a deeper meaning of sexual violation towards all sexes. Straight, gay, bi, or trans, the Alien doesn't care. It will kill you
Really good video. I've always considered Alien to be the more interesting movie critically and theoretically. I think you present a really good exploration of the sequel here though. Personally I would have looked at the first film though
I guess it won't be a part of your film criticism course, but it would be useful to have some information about the Death of the author theory. I see that some comments here claim you're exagerating interpretations beyond what the creator originally planned. An explanation about death of the author theory seems vital when doing art criticism and it would help people have a broader scope of how and why a particular view about the piece of art is legitimate even beyond the authors themselves.
As mentioned in the comments of the intro video to this series, I think Weaver's personal stance against firearms enhanced her role. Cameron didn't let her know her character was going to be using firearms in the movie, and she didn't completely look over the script ahead of time. The following is my personal interpretation: As Ripley early on in the film, she avoids weapons, and takes a mildly repulsed interest in how these trained marines are so cavalier about using firepower, quickly understanding that to them, it's a tool as much as a hammer would be to a blacksmith, or a wrench to a mechanic. She personally leaves the weapons to the killers, until she's left with no choice. You can see as she goes to rescue Newt she hates that she needs firearms, but is willing to use them to protect her own. There's also a point where it looks like she's starting to be disgusted with herself at how easy it's getting to pull the trigger, and instead of seeking more firepower or ammunition, dons the powerloader like armor to face off against the xeno queen, choosing to protect with defensive rather than offensive strength. I personally applaud Weaver for her going with the script, despite her distaste for weaponry. I feel it added a genuine level of humanity to the character of Ripley that wasn't forced.
I love this movie. It has most of horror and 80’s elements. The Company has its senses on these species. But what do you expect? A horror, Space, James Cameron film? From the 80’s? Perfect for the generation and decade. 8:59 What?
I believein the modernizationof military-but I also think combat units need to learn to think like the enemy where they are going to deploy. If you know their tactics they become less effective. For example, by the end of Vietnam, infantry units were using Military Working Dogs (America's heroes on paws) to sniff out bunjee pits, tripwires, and weapons staches. But we got pulled out before this began to become more effective.
Remember, the first one is raw, dark and adult... the second one has a kid in it. Worked for Terminator, Alien, Indianna Jones, and even Evil Dead if you start on Evil Dead 2.
Can't I just look at it as a cosmic horror movie?
Of course you can... and it is! Much like Alien, and Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant, Aliens is kind of an adaption of "At The Mountains of Madness." Which is one of the more important Cosmic Horror stories ever written.
- Nick J.
CrashCourse Would love to see you guys cover H.P. Lovecraft for Literature.
Totally, the point of film criticism is to elevate a conversation about a movie. It's an intellectual exercise.
As much as I don't want to be 'that guy', the Alien series is very much NOT cosmic horror. One of the most important parts of the cosmic horror genre is the idea that humanity is small and helpless in a universe that is massive and indifferent to them. The Alien films throw that theme away the instant Ripley kills the first Xenomorph. The franchise empowers and places a level of importance on humanity that cosmic horror is specifically against. Hell, in the prequels humanity is even responsible for the xenomorphs in the first place and the only other alien species we find is destiny human is look and behavior. Again, this is as far from cosmic horror as you can get.
For those not super familiar with the genre, it's important to remember that cosmic horror is not simple horror that is in space. It has specific themes and ideas that it's interested in.
Isn't that the Scientolgy freak?
One scene from the Directors Cut is worth mentioning.
After waking up at the space station, Burke reveals the length of her cryo-sleep to Ripley, and informs her that her daughter (who would have been a child in the first movie) had died WHILE Ripley was floating through space in her cryo-sleep. Fun fact; The picture they used for Ripley's daughter (in her 60's) was actually a picture of Sigourney Weaver's mom to help with resemblance.
This plays into the whole motherly instinct thing with Newt, as Ripley had 'just' lost her own daughter
I to this day do not understand why they DIDN'T include that into theatrical release.
The extended director's cut is overall pretty garbage. That one scene is a decent one though. The rest of the scenes are just chaff that thankfully didn't make the final film.
Hicks gets glossed over as a Military Cliche But I've come to realize he's a rare one in SciFi cinema. A natural calm leader who doesn't want to leave anyone behind but with faithfully stand side by side till the last moment. One scene I always remember is when Hudson is pulled through the floor if you watch Hicks goes to jump down after him, it's Vasquez who grabs him by his armor and pulls him back. It's subtle and quick but speaks volumes.
Gungriffen Wow....like I can clearly see it in my head as I read that, Vasquez pulling Hicks back, but I never realized that before I guess...that Hicks was about to dive balls deep into an Alien filled hole to save Hudson lol. Crazy.
Did anyone else get irrationally angry during the clip of Burke and his lying face full of lies?
I had to edit it... and yes, yes I did.
- Nick J.
nah. i got rationally angry.
I just got confused. We have never encountered any alien species or civilization before. Upon encountering one for the first time we are just going to blow them up on the spot! Irrespective of our intentions towards the other we would want to study them. That Ripley would buy this nonsense explanation and Burke thought she would is just confusing but necessary for the plot progression.
Lying, punchable face 😁
That just made me cough a whole cup of tea over myself.
Now I have no tea which makes me want to punch Burke even more.😐
The aspect of Newt being a surrogate daughter for Ripley is furthered by the directors' cut which reveals that during the 57 years in stasis, her daughter had grown old and died in her absence. So there's this slight feeling about her that she "traded" her life (or the ability to be in it) for her own. Even though dying of old age is not something one could really protect against, she's compelled to find someone she can do that for.
It's interesting to me that I always found that cut sequence lessened the attachment to Ripley and Newt's relationship. I've never really liked the extended cut (even though I thought the gun turret addition was a neat idea). I always like a little more mystery that the theatrical cut imbues with the film.
- Nick J.
Zach, I'm glad you brought up the extended cut with her daughter. I found this deepened the meaning. A lot of guys I know didn't get the connection until they saw the extended cut and thought the relationship was forced.
After the queen fight and Ripley closes the airlock Newt (who has been fighting getting to emotionally attached as well) yells "Mommy!!" as they embrace and Ripley whispers " Baby". I felt disappointed in the sequels that Newts (and Hicks' due to the obviously blooming romance) death was so callously brushed over. I didn't like any of the sequels and felt the characters journey was abandoned for a horror/action ride.
It’s game over man. GAME OVER !!!
Java Junkie Oh I didn’t forget. Well in my head I didn’t
nuke the site from orbit... only way to be sure.
They mostly come out at night, mostly
WE GOT NUKES, KNIVES, SHARP STICKS!
Commenters: “let’s watch this video about analyzing films.”
Also commenters: “why can’t he just enjoy the alien killing movie, why do we have to overanalyze things?”
"I am a fragile white racistbroguy who insists on being tough and not racist."
Whenever the focus is on women, usually men tend to want to stop talking about it. They turned their favorite action movie into a movie of a woman and motherly love. Personally, as a guy, I've always seen Ripley as THE feminist icon for all the layers on her character, and this one and the first Alien, are my fave movies of all time.
ahah nice one
Race relations is a very touchy subject. esp in America.
Why is someone watching a series on Film Analysis and Criticism and complaining about overanalyzing a film? They are just looking for a reason to gripe.
Folks, technically I was first.
- Nick J.
Game over man, game over
ha haha
Logan needs to be done at some point please
Your discussion on the original Alien seems to reduce it to "haunted house...IN SPACE". That's interesting considering most critics and movie aficionados consider the original to be the "better" movie. Ridley Scott directed film. The guy who did Blade Runner. Might be a bit of British pride happening there compared to the very American James Cameron who made a very American Vietnam war allegory.
I have to disagree with one of your points regarding Ripley's motivation to join the Marines in their mission. I think her motivation is less one of duty and more from need to exact a measure of control over her situation. Her initial contact with the alien started a chain of events that took from her everything that she valued - friendship, family, and career. Now she's a woman out of time, stuck in a menial job, no friends or family left alive, with symptoms of PTSD. The moment when she decides to join the mission is her last desperate attempt to face the source of her anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Her hero journey begins as a tale of revenge. Along the way, she finds herself in a position of power/experience, she makes new friends, and she finds a young girl who has been through the same trauma she has - in essence, the only person who truly understands her. Ripley finds her badass self again, and that's something we all cheer for. Thank you for a great video!
+
"Get away from her you *Craig* JERK!" Loved that. xD
I literally laughed out loud at that.
And I cringed at it. To butcher one of the most iconic line in movie history with censorship... nope.
Probably to prevent getting demonetized for swearwords in the video.
One of the few movies that get right the feel/banter of your typical combat unit. Most movies try to paint combat personnel as either near breakdown, psychotic, or deeply depressed, where as the reality is that the vast majority are shocking normal, and live in more of a locker room atmosphere than anything.
One of the greatest movies of all time, and easily holds up all these years later.
I agree. It's really startling to watch in 2018.
- Nick J.
I say we take off and watch this entire series from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure.
Nicely said.
Mostly.
Just saying this because some people in the comments don’t realize this, but we’re literally learning film criticism in my ELA class. Like this is part of our standards. If you think they’re picking at the movie too much... that’s kinda the point of film criticism. This CC series isn’t just for fun, it’s showing me how others apply what I learned in class, and how I can apply it too!
Anyways, you can easily enjoy a movie by itself, but I think it’s cool to go back to a movie you’ve enjoyed before and use different lenses to make sense of it.
Yeah, so many commenters just seem anti-film criticism/analysis from the get go. I don't get why they are here. It's about film criticism/analysis!
I don't think that it's that they're against film criticism. It's just that this was really weak and ham-handed film criticism that is just regurgitating surface observations that have been made about the film for over 20 years already.
I am a huge sci-fi fan and I engage in conversation about it as much as possible, and this was by far the most insightful analysis of Ripley I have ever encountered. I can now rest easy that Craig will be missed but has been replaced by and awesome follow-up host. Well done sir.
Can we just say that Alien and Aliens are the only films in the Alien series, lets just ignore the others....
Sadly yes, and they are pretty bad, theres Aliens 3, Alien resurrection, Prometheus and Alien covenant
Nah, there's three films. Two are awesome, third is kinda meh, but at least tries to wrap up the story. And no abominations were shot after that.
Resurrection wasn’t good but I mean, it was slightly entertaining. Let’s treat it as a weird Fan Fic. All of the modern ones didn’t happen though.
Heck, suits me. Same goes for the Terminator films, in my mind 'Terminator 2' was the last of them.
Man, I did just see this as a really good action film but I've never considered this perspective. Thanks!!
I have always idolized Ripley as a heroine. Even to this day I see a lot of myself in her actions. I can't help but think it's the reason Weaver has been one of my favorite actors for so damn long.
One of the best movies of all time IMO
Thought provoking commentary - thank you, Crash Course! To anyone who attempts to dismiss a particular form of analysis or metaphor for a piece of art as "looking into it too much" or even specifically stating that the creator "didn't intend" - its important to note that it doesn't actually matter whether the creator INTENDED us for to see or think a specific thing when we process an experience. Yes, what they intended is important in understanding it - but it is absolutely just as relevant what the varied audience takes away from it regardless of whether or not those are the same or even similar. The greatest thing about art is that it can all be viewed through infinite lenses - we each take away something different from a piece, but it is useful for understanding humanity and the stories we try to tell if we explain what WE took away, what we individually saw and heard and thought of when we watched something - because it is probably just a little different from the person next to us.
Be ready to accept that anyone who makes art ever takes part in this - it is relevant both what they were attempting to convey, and what each individual took away. If we view it as about racism or genocide or feminism that is because these are the issues on our minds that we are trying to unpack. Be ready to talk about them, or don't come to talk at all.
I really appreciate the nuance with which you identify potentially "problematic" issues without calling out the movie or its creators as categorically bad or harboring ill intent.
"It's a penis, just look at it."
Didn't think I'd hear that from a Crash Course video.
This vid is a great example of how one can have really interesting and fruitful discussions about a film I sincerely cannot manage to like, no matter how many times and in how many ways I try. It just sucks, sucks and sucks like a daisy chain of baaaad clichés and shallow rip-offs of the first movie - as I see it.
But here we are: there's actually quite some depth to it, and ways to look at it that do show it in a new light. Very nice.
Look at those eyes. Micheal hasn't slept in years
That 'Shining' animation amused me greatly for some reason :D
That short animation of The Shining is the funniest thing I've seen in weeks - that was brutal!
I watched Aliens last week. It still holds up in my top 5 movies of all time. Only movie I went back to the theater to see again
The whole _Alien_ trilogy has Ripley fulfill the archetypal female trinity of maiden, mother and crone. Then _Resurrection_ ruins the symmetry.
Resurrection certainly abandoned it, which makes sense to me. The true Ripley is gone, this hybrid clone is something else as she should be.
apart from the over reliance on technology and Vietnam war stuff, according to the behind the scenes videos on the movie itself, James also make the marine actors on the movie set to read the original Starship troopers novel to have a better understanding of futuristic military standards, technology etc...
Wow, that puts them ahead of Paul Verhoeven, who wrote and directed Starship Troopers but has stated that he never read the whole novel!
Although Paul Verhoeven purposefully never finished the novel as he hated it and wanted to use the film to ridicule it's political and cultural subtext rather than celebrate it.
But he wrote the script (called Bug Hunt at Outpost 9,) before he got the rights for the novel. I understand that he finds the idea of a requirement of serving the state in return for full citizenship offensive, that's his choice, but if you don't study a thing enough to know the basics of it, how can you really "hate" it? At best you can hate what people have told you about it.
He has stated he only read the first 2 chapters, and found it boring. If he only got that far, he didn't get to a lot of the subtext.
This is my favorite movie of all time. Also favorite series. You eventually got to the correct answer with your video. The main theme of Aliens is Motherhood. 2 Mothers facing each other for the survival of their family.
I totally agree that Aliens was set up brilliantly. It really did allow a strong female hero to emerge as a hero because of her protective "motherly" nature. Which culminated in the iconic fight between the Queen and Ripley. Perhaps that is why Alien 3 was such a let down. It took all of that success and flushed it down the toilet. Taking a strong yet feminine hero and turned her into a more masculine survivor type hero. Taking her newly found family away was a step backward and in a way detracted from the greatness that was Aliens. Great video!!!!
I disagree Alien 3 was an excellent movie, it sets a wonderful atmosphere. I'm not sure why Alien Resurrection is never mentioned as the mess it was. It was just a cheesey copy of parts of the previous movie, the characters looked like they were from a costume party (exagerated) and there was no inspiration.
There are so many comments here on how Crash Course is over-analyzing the movie. The series 'is' called Crash Course Film Criticism. So, they are 'critiquing' the movie. What did you all think he would do? Also, this is a very subjective thing. The analysis here is only their take on it. You do not have to agree with it and change how you view the movie. You can go on enjoying it or not enjoying it as you did before.
Well, criticism means mercilessly ripping up the film apart to point out it's _objective_ flaws. Here we have some criticizing, but about points that are only come to mind only with very specific mindset of a watcher. Not objective in any way, and also not very critical...
That's what criticism is. That's NOT what film criticism is. The field of film criticism is of analyzing the themes and meanings behind films.
And that's no joke. The beeping tracker makes the tension in this movie off the charts! What a genius element.
Interesting! And, in fact Cameron did take the whole idea of a motherly heroine to it's absolute ptsd extreme in Terminator 2, where protective nature and ptsd turn Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor into a really raw and brutal antihero. And why I can't think any modern movies that use these kind of themes as effectively as Cameron's early work?
I do wonder what he thinks of the Director's Cut now. I love them my both, myself, and hold Aliens as an all time favorite.
This was a neat analysis! I often think more about how a story is put together, or how film making is technically done, but seeing how the themes of such a popular film might be viewed by others is interesting!
8:20 I would say that Logan's main theme was definitely love for his surrogate family as well, just like with Ripley here. Every decision Logan made in that movie was informed by love-- love for his friend and foster father Charles, and ultimately, his love for Laura, his surrogate but also kind of real daughter. Just because he was supremely grumpy about it all doesn't mean that love wasn't there.
i love this movie so much. i watch it at least once a year. Alien,Aliens, and Terminator 2 are my all time favorite movies
Thank you for educating everyone CrashCourse!
Nice vid! I appreciate looking through different lenses.
Only the wrong ones tho
There's a lot to glean for the alien series being cultural notes on race and immigration. The first Alien movie monster was played by an immigrant, Bolaji Badejo. He ended up returning home to Nigeria where he later died at a young age due to sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder. Jenette Goldstein, the actress who played Private Vasquez, signed on to the movie thinking it was a movie about immigration. This is lampshaded in the movie when Hudson makes the exact same comment about Vasquez signing up for the mission. "Right, right. Somebody said 'alien' she thought they said 'illegal alien' and signed up!" Also, she played the character, a latina soldier, in...there's no pleasant way to say it...brown-face. It does work, she did portray a strong female character who doesn't take insults from the other soldiers lying down. And her camaraderie with the other soldiers shows her softer side as well.
There is a lot sensitivity when it comes to this movie it seems. It's like people is trying to defend their nostalgia and how they view this movie
One of my favorite SF movie ever! :D :)
Right? It's SOOOO GOOOOOOOOD!
- Nick J.
Man, this was a great movie. To bad they never made a sequel. That would have been baller.
People are getting so butthurt over film analysis. They're just interpretations. They're not saying "this is what the movie is about".
No I'm butthurt over them getting paid by UA-cam for what UA-cam is demonizing hundreds of users for doing.
What are you even talking about?
ipwn3du look at the channel or Twitter of any movie reviewer (or gamer for that matter) with under 5k subs. UA-cam blocks their videos and mass demonetizes anything they upload. I don't even monitize and got 15 videos with copyright notifications last month for using movie clips.
A small channel would get a 6 month suspention if they made a video like this.
Well, that's the free market for you
Can you do 'District 9' eventually so I can show people why it is an amazing film? No one gets it.
Just a thought...if no one gets it, maybe it might not be so amazing after all?
David - Maybe.. maybe not. Sometimes history is sheds new light on films. "It's a Wonderful Life" was largely a forgotten film for decades.. a mild success but a largely unremarkable film in Capra's body of work. Until it was mistakenly released into the public domain and thus started getting shown on TV endlessly. The massive new exposure generated a ton of new fans and interest and critics now generally regard it as a classic. Not on par with Citizen Kane or some such, but very well regarded. "Bringing Up Baby" was a huge commercial failure at the time and nearly killed Hepburn's career.. now it's frequently listed as one of the best and most influential films of all time.
Good points. But District 9 did see a commercial theatre release at a time when science-fiction movies were very popular. I didn't find it a very well done movie myself and was rather disappointed with it.
The comment made was "no one gets it," and that a video done about it new could be used to show why it was an amazing film. Again, if now one gets it (me being one), maybe it is not really that amazing a film.
Slagon Drayer - I was simply making a one sentence point myself that if, again in your words, "no one gets it," maybe there really isn't that much to get. This was not a criticism of your judgement or what films you love. I am sorry you seemed to take it that way and felt the need to resort to the "cunty troll" response. I dont troll, I dont even post much for this very reason of emotional reaction before thought. I will end any further contributions to this sub-thread at this point.
Who's no-one?
Outstanding job on this episode everyone! My all-time favorite. Now all we need is a deck of cards.
My all time favourite film
This was wonderful. I've never seen a concise and pitch perfect analysis of this film. Thank you!
Openly squealing in joy to use this in my high school literature class AND my film lit class!
Never ceases to amaze me that the video offers interpretations, drives the point home that they are just that - interpretations - that can even be ones not intended by the creator (as art can be something different to both creator and observer), and yet that message itself is interpreted by certain individuals as "THIS IS WHAT IT IS AND YOU ARE WRONG".
I mean, you've got to be super paranoid about your power in the world if you think interpretations are somehow trying to aggressively attack you, or that any interpretation that isn't yours is bankrupt by default.
That being said I find Avatar to be more of the "colonialism misunderstanding the indigenous" story than Aliens probably is. The xenomorph simultaneously represents the wilderness we do not understand and underestimate, and at the same time an amoral force that seeks to expand without regard for its individual survival. That's what makes it so terrifying, that in a comparison to historical human colonialism which has the tendencies to exhibit the same relentless devouring nature with respect to the cultures/beings it overtakes, the xenomorphs are uniquely suited to wait out periods of dormancy/stagnation - it just sits there as eggs. Human colonialism can/would doom itself to squandering its resources if left unchecked.
TL;DR the xenomorph is the perfect colonizing force because it both has shed any remaining sense of emotional attachment to anything that is not itself, and it is much more resistant to stagnation.
love how they subtly reveal the licence plate that says outatime at the end of the video
I'll admit that 'Aliens' is bold enough to avoid repeating the situations in 'Alien' which made it so great (the claustrophobic tension, an unprepared civilian crew, an amazing baddie, etc) but it loses so much by introducing multiple aliens, meat-headed troops & (sorry) the over-sweet presence of Newt. The only 'Aliens' scene to provide tension was in the lab when the face-hugger disappeared. And how I hate that ridiculous fight between the queen & Transformer Ripley.
Absolutely on point analysis. Very nice. Though Alien would have also been a good movie to look into with its very own theme of motherhood.
My favourite film of all time.
This is really in depth, yall did well with this, thank you.
As much as I love these videos, I expected something different when I first read about this. I assumed you would talk about how to approach and critique films in various ways, using the knowledge we've gained from the previous two parts of this series. Instead it feels like a 'film analysis' course, where you talk about ways to identify themes and to interpret different films. Like I said, it's still interesting, though.
Wow, you've convinced me to rewatch this film!! Great video
yass for your analysis of aliens and monsters serving as stand-ins in western cinema for nonwhite people
I remember watching this on HBO, when it first became HBO. And my lil mind was blown away! I loved anything futuristic, and this movie was ahead of it's time back then. Now everything is CGI and over budget or a tax write-off!
Thank you! This is brilliant and it really makes me the see the positive aspects of the movie. I initially hated the movie but meh it's not too bad considering the good points you mentioned.
Logan you can say is about his love for Xavier and X-23 and his sacrifices for them.
It's really a movie about family... Wait, we're talking about the Last Jedi, right?
Aliens took 12 years to make, you know.
There are some similar ideas within the Terminator series - the last girl, triumph over technology, motivation by love for family, a transition from maiden to matriarch, government (like the corporation's) refusal to believe our heroine about the threat she faced and the coming arrival of the threat source...
I'll never look at the baby alien the same way after hearing that😅
Darren Krivit Well even the adult Xenomorphs look pretty phallic as well. It was done on purpose to give a deeper meaning of sexual violation towards all sexes. Straight, gay, bi, or trans, the Alien doesn't care. It will kill you
You need to research on H.R Giger...His work is very sexual and invasive, key stylistic choices in Alien.
THIS IS MY JAM
Aliens is a great film. So great I call the actress Ripley no matter what movie she's in. You know, like Potter.
Thanks I love the series. I saw the original alien movie at the theater when it first came out nine times. Fun movies
So good, I'm really excited for every one of these!
Really good video. I've always considered Alien to be the more interesting movie critically and theoretically. I think you present a really good exploration of the sequel here though. Personally I would have looked at the first film though
The shining was a bad example for the final girl bit since Wendy is the only female in the film. Not counting the ghosts of course.
😇❤ I love Crash Course
Queen D me too. Honestly it’s helped shape me
I guess it won't be a part of your film criticism course, but it would be useful to have some information about the Death of the author theory. I see that some comments here claim you're exagerating interpretations beyond what the creator originally planned. An explanation about death of the author theory seems vital when doing art criticism and it would help people have a broader scope of how and why a particular view about the piece of art is legitimate even beyond the authors themselves.
Well the opening of this video was almost a parody of an elitist film snob intro. But a good end and interesting concepts through up.
As PC Commisar approved as this analysis seems, it's spot on.Showing how this movie stands the test of even these times. Good reveiw.
I love finding out the tropes💘
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Sometimes a science fiction movie is just a science fiction movie.
STILL my favourite movie
This guy reminds me of Peter Rosenthal, head film critic from Onion Film Standard
I'm loving this Crash Course ❤ Michael explains it so well xD
As mentioned in the comments of the intro video to this series, I think Weaver's personal stance against firearms enhanced her role.
Cameron didn't let her know her character was going to be using firearms in the movie, and she didn't completely look over the script ahead of time.
The following is my personal interpretation:
As Ripley early on in the film, she avoids weapons, and takes a mildly repulsed interest in how these trained marines are so cavalier about using firepower, quickly understanding that to them, it's a tool as much as a hammer would be to a blacksmith, or a wrench to a mechanic. She personally leaves the weapons to the killers, until she's left with no choice. You can see as she goes to rescue Newt she hates that she needs firearms, but is willing to use them to protect her own. There's also a point where it looks like she's starting to be disgusted with herself at how easy it's getting to pull the trigger, and instead of seeking more firepower or ammunition, dons the powerloader like armor to face off against the xeno queen, choosing to protect with defensive rather than offensive strength.
I personally applaud Weaver for her going with the script, despite her distaste for weaponry. I feel it added a genuine level of humanity to the character of Ripley that wasn't forced.
That Weezy Waiter cameo is Oscar worthy
Crash Course is da best!!!
Espectacular vídeo, gracias por el magnifico trabajo.
K9 came out before Turner and Hooch. Mind blown.
It was a good film!
I love this movie. It has most of horror and 80’s elements. The Company has its senses on these species.
But what do you expect? A horror, Space, James Cameron film? From the 80’s? Perfect for the generation and decade.
8:59 What?
Aliens in my favourite sci-fi film ever
I loved it! Keep up the great work!
Hey Michael! :D
great video
that was a goodass critic. Omg, I'm loving the series
Felipe Viegas *critique
yeah, lol, thanks
I believein the modernizationof military-but I also think combat units need to learn to think like the enemy where they are going to deploy. If you know their tactics they become less effective. For example, by the end of Vietnam, infantry units were using Military Working Dogs (America's heroes on paws) to sniff out bunjee pits, tripwires, and weapons staches. But we got pulled out before this began to become more effective.
AAAHHHH! My favorite movie!
Not going to mention Gieger?
God I love this movie.
My eyes tell me one thing but my ears tell me I'm listening to The Onion Film Standard's Peter K. Rosenthal.
Remember, the first one is raw, dark and adult... the second one has a kid in it.
Worked for Terminator, Alien, Indianna Jones, and even Evil Dead if you start on Evil Dead 2.
Sometimes an alien baby is just an alien baby.
Best sci film ever period!!!!
We might need to put this into action soon...