ALIENS (1986) BREAKDOWN: Every Detail You Missed! | The Deep Dive
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
- James Cameron's ALIENS (1986) full analysis, Easter Egg breakdown, and deep dive by Erik Voss! Click here to get Sundays For Dogs and support Deep Dive: sundaysfordogs.com/deepdive
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ALIENS, the sequel to 1979's Alien, is widely considered one of the greatest films and movie sequels of all time. But what about this story makes its script and story structure so widely praised? Erik Voss dives deep into the hidden secrets of Aliens to reveal details and connections only now discovered. What is it about Ripley's final battle with the Xenomorph Queen that hits so hard with viewers? What directing choices did James Cameron make that resulted in this movie being so thrilling?
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Aliens Opening Scene
04:33 - Ripley PTSD Nightmare
05:30 - Ripley Daughter Deleted Scene
06:43 - Nostromo Crew Easter Eggs
08:51 - Hadley's Hope
10:46 - Weyland-Yutani Plan
12:46 - Sulaco Ship Design
13:40 - Why Aliens Is The Perfect Sequel
15:57 - Aliens Marines
19:12 - Bishop
20:30 - Xenomorph Explained
21:25 - Foreshadowing Details
24:32 - James Cameron Best Shot
24:53 - Hunting the Xenomorph
26:30 - Newt
29:12 - Xenomorph Hive
32:10 - Marine Massacre
36:43 - Game over man!
37:11 - They mostly come at night
38:40 - Alien Queen Explained
40:08 - Sentry Guns
43:20 - Facehuggers
45:48 - Aliens attack
48:04 - Burke Deleted Scene
48:48 - Queen Nest
52:56 - Ripley vs Queen
Welcome to The Deep Dive, a new channel in the New Rockstars Digital Network. Hosted by Erik Voss, The Deep Dive is the destination for more pointed media investigations. From full seasons of Marvel streaming shows to cult classic films, Erik will dig to the roots of the hidden agendas beneath every title.
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VIDEO CREDITS:
Written and Produced by Erik Voss
Lead Editor: Devin Cleary
Edited by Devin Cleary, Aaron Carrion, and Tanner DiGirolamo
Post Production Assistance by Joshua Stephen Hurd and Riley Auskelis
Executive Producer: Erik Voss - Фільми й анімація
What is your favorite detail from James Cameron's ALIENS?
Do a deep dive on lost!!!!! Please Erik...plsssss
Alien covanant was disappointing
the queen has high heels
I always like to point out that some of the set dressing from the colony lab is a 80s toy that Trransformers fans call "ShackWave" because it was from the same mold that Hasbro used for the Decepticon ShockWave, but had also been licensed out to be sold at Radio Shack in a grey color instead of ShockWave's purple.
not necessarily my favorite detail but one i can't delete from my head since seeing this in 4k - ripley's huuuuuge side bush when she's in the pod. sheesh the 80's were a crazy time
my friend is a vietnam vet and he told me that Hicks falling asleep on the drop ship was the most realistic thing he had seen in any military movie ever (at that time). he told me Marines would sleep ANYWHERE. sometimes they would sleep while literally standing up or even walking! he told me its something all Marines are essentially forced to learn during training and its a skill that is extremely useful in combat or any kind of deployment
I always thought he just had collapsed :)
Maybe it's something in the crayons that makes them so sleepy?
That could also be a nod to Starship Troopers, where it's mentioned that soldiers never get enough sleep and have to take short naps during whatever short breaks combat allow, even while standing up inside their power. armor.
Not in the military, but I can fall asleep welding ffs 😂
james cameron's brother was a marine so he probably knew abt it from that! :)
Can't believe you didn't mention the reaction of Ferro in the cockpit when the alien shows up. She doesn't scream or panic, she goes right for her weapon like a bad ass marine pilot would
HELL YAH!!
In the pipe, 5 by 5.
Excellent point
Also the detail of "Spunkmeyer" being late and finding slime on a railing.
I wish they let her get some rounds on target before being taken out.
I always took Ripley lighting up the hive as just her being a woman of her 'word'. She showed the queen what she would do if she threatened her. And then the queen threatened her with the egg opening. And Ripley was like "game on".
Yeah, my take was "f this" or maybe "f you", but either way.
It does beg the question of what she would have done had the egg not opened. I'd imagine she wouldn't have trusted the queen beyond getting out of the egg chamber, so if you're gonna get mobbed by drones anyway....
I thought her head tilt was : " seriously "
This, 100%... It's the only bit of this deep dive I didn't agree with - the "on second thoughts" take, was definitely more of an "Oh, so you wanna play like that, huh?" ...
That look/response from Sigourney, and subsequent payback and following through on the threat, for the queen trying to break the unspoken agreement, is just PERFECT...
@denisevans213 yeah, it was pretty much a situation where it wasn't a matter of IF it would go south, but when.
How does the queen control the egg opening? Everything else I agree
Another cool bit of foreshadowing I just realized while watching this video: When Ripley confronts Burke in the colony she says she's going to make sure they nail him right to the wall for his betrayals, and in the end he is in fact nailed (more like glued, but same idea) to the wall of the hive. She originally meant punishment by humans, but his ultimate fate at the hands of the Aliens is even more fitting.
Good call.
I wanted Alien 3 to be named More Aliens but alas
I second the "good call!" Your comment is deserving of more upvotes.
Honestly “Aliens” is a really good name for this sequel because we saw what just 1 alien could do so the idea that that there’s more than one is terrifying
ALIEN$$$
A small platoon of soldiers against a legion of sneaky aliens, thats really scary
Also demonstrating that the radar is unreliable to position, and not having reliable tools to battle an enormeous group of intelligent, silent, and well adapted alien predators is my true source of terror
@@FargonNemeloc Actually your mistaken per Cameron. The platoon would have easily been enough to take on the Aliens straight up. One of the reasons he had to disarm the soldiers was because they would be too powerful. He needed them to be sitting ducks to cut down the numbers fast and make the Aliens the stronger side. If you watch the movie, you see how easy it is for the soldiers and Ripply to rip through the Aliens with the weaponry. If they weren't disarmed in the initial encounter, they would have lost maybe a couple of people but laid cover moved back into a defensive position and lit the hive up with grenades and then mopped up. He needed remove most of the weapons and people or It would have made a pretty boring movie. I think it was brilliant the way he did it as part of the story.
@@FargonNemelocmicro changes in air density.
Title = logical, and straight to the point. Cameron did choose just the right name. No reason to lengthen the title at all, when one word says all you need it to.
I love when Bishop says "watch your fingers ". It's such a lovely detail and reinforces the characters "empathy ".
I’ve always like this little detail. I think it is more to do with him being programmed to ensure humans are not harmed (as evidenced earlier when he virtually quotes Asimov’s laws of robotics).
Not only that but he hands back the gun Vasquez gave him…
@@woollywoolwoolz yeah, but why did he gave the gun back? why does he think he does not need it?
@@AttaKru I think he has no sense of use of it. In his earlier scene he offers to go but states it's not his choice. He's programmed to protect human life AND preserve his own so he offers to go as it's the logical decision but let's them keep a weapon that won't be any good to him. He's pragmatic.
@@heyviolet9434 make sense, but in the other hand if he fails in his mission to get the backup ship from the mother ship, he risks it all ... but yeah a pistol wont make too much difference, true ... interesting detail none the less
The reason that Burke hive scene is cut even in the Special Edition is Cameron realized too little time has passed since Burke's abduction and Ripley getting into the hive. He still would have had the facehugger on his face by the time Ripley gets to him due to how long the lifecycle of the creature takes.
That's a brilliant observation. Never even thought of that before this.
@@robertmaybeth3434 All credit to James Cameron who expressed this fact in an old issue of Starlog Magazine (a science fiction media focused magazine that ran when, you know, magazines existed), so it's insight that comes right from the man himself.
Hell Burk with a facehugger on his face, being quiet, would have been a good scene.
It was also due to pacing. It was felt that adding that scene slowed things down too much.
Speaking of life cycle, how in hell did the original facehugger baby alien grow to man-sized in the span of one day without a food source? I would have liked to see some melted steel or something to suggest it as ingesting mass from the environment.
A couple of years ago I rewatched Aliens with some really high quality headphones and realized that there are a lot of times when you can faintly hear freaky xeno noises and breathing while everyone is doing random shit. It makes you feel like you're never more than grabbing distance away from having a hole in your head.
Great find! Gotta try that
The scene where Hicks looks into the ceiling and see's the Xenomorphs is possibly one of the scariest scenes every brought to screen. I think its really slept on when discussing horror. It scared me as a kid and still scares me as an adult, every time I see it.
TRUE ! ! ! I think it works so well because most people know the feeling of looking around and getting startled by something. Like a spider. And we all know the feeling of dread when looking around hoping NOT to see something.
And this scene is epitome of looking into a dark space and seeing the worst thing possible in that situation 😄
Plus the way they slither is absolutely chilling which adds to the dread
It does? I think it's a very cool scene too, but the Aliens sort of float towards our group of humans, while obviously being filmed with the camera upside down, almost looks a little bit comical. But once again the magnificent pacing and editing of the movie quickly erases that idea, since the action happens so logically and so fast I found the battle in the control room to be one of the scariest parts overall. Everything happens so quickly that on my first viewing, I couldn't even imagine how the humans were going to make it out of the encounter alive. In this scene there is hardly time for a human to even interpret events as they happen, let alone to react to such a furious attack by such swift and inhuman creatures.
I agree! As a kid that part always gave me the chills.
no kidding! they look like giant insects!!
“They mostly come out at night… mostly” would have been a great tagline for this film.
Very true. I’m a former airborne rigger. One of the first things we learned in airborne school was to be able to sleep just about anywhere and in any position. When we loaded into the plane to jump once the plane ltook off we were all out until they called out the ten minutes call to wake us up and get ready for the jump. That scene even to this day makes me smile and remember what those days were like.
The "laptop" Hicks used to control the sentry guns and had those ammo readouts was a real device and pretty cutting edge for the time. It was a GRiD Compass, and because of it being a bit of a pop-culture icon since Aliens, a lot of folks have paid homage to it in custom cyberdeck designs. If you're into retro computing, it's a pretty bangin' look, I must admit.
Who else feels like rewatching these awesome movies after seeing the deep dives? Great job by the whole New Rockstars staff!
Thank you so much Jeff! Yes, I love rewatching Aliens every year!
I've already seen it about 100 times...... Guess I have to see it at least 101
Word
You kidding? You should watch them again regardless lol
dude--everytime one of these videos drops, I have to go rewatch lol
It's no secret that James Cameron is hard to work with. But no one doubts he puts his heart and soul into every film he makes. Every dime of its budget is on screen.
He's like an American Miyazaki lol
Leonardo defended him saying doing a film like Titanic you "had" to be tough on people and I think Leo is right
He did Titanic True Lies Terminator 2 Judgement Day and Avatar 1 and 2 and it made alot of money. I can't wait to see what James Cameron does next! The Terminator franchise was great Terminator 1 and 2
He is napoleon
Erik, I have a different take on when Ripley and Next stumble into the egg nest. At first, two drones approach to attack Ripley, but the Queen waves them off. I feel the Queen did this because she wanted to protect her eggs, i.e. didn't want a fight in the Egg chamber which could potentially damage any eggs. I do not think there was a :treaty" or want for peace. You later stated that the nature of the alien was to conquer, not for peace. Instead, she had a better plan. She knew that Ripley and Next's presence would automatically trigger eggs/facehuggers to come alive, thus negating the necessarity of an all-out battle. Ripley tilting her head when the first egg opened, as if to say "Really, b*tch? You expected for me to fall for the banana in the tailpipe?" LOL It's after she sees the only way out is to shoot her way out.
I feel this way too pretty much, but i think the queen triggered the egg, they are telepathic in that weird hive way, possibly and or have theromones? (?)
This is definitely it
100 %
That’s actually what happens. I have no idea where this guys getting his take from. You’d have to intentionally not pay attention.
The Queen wasn't stupid, pay attention to what happened.
When Ripley let loose the blast from the flamethrower the Queen realized the power that her potential prey had the ability to do some serious damage to her eggs. That's why when Ripley pointed the muzzle of her gun/flamethrower at the egg, the Queen told the drones to back off.
The Ripley-loader/alien queen one on one battle still stands up as one of the best action climactic scenes in modern film.
I recently rewatched it (to get ready for the deep dive, wink wink), and the DVD had an interview with Cameron that revealed something I found very interesting: it seems that the studio wasn't too sure about the concept of "multiple aliens" for an economic standpoint, because it meant constructing many xenomorph costumes, so James Cameron promised them that he would make the movie using only six xenomorph suits. And I was checking for every shot with xenomorphs in this video: IT'S TRUE! There is no shot in this movie where more than six aliens appear.
So, even though it is an action movie, I still don't consider that Aliens changed genres because it still uses the most important rule in horror: don't show the monster.
Great baance between action and horror. You know there are tons of them but still You enjoy the pure action almost out of nowhere :)
And notice in Alien Vs Predator from 2004 there is a scene of several Predators being attacked by thousands of Xenos, complete with a long slow exit shot while it's happening. The fact we know it's CGI does not, in my view, detract from the impact of the shot in the least, and all of it being run-of-the-mill film effect, less than 20 years after Aliens.
It makes me wonder, what else could a cinematic genius like James Cameron have done with the improved film effects of today, had he only had them back in 1985 while making Aliens?
Even the costumes were cheapest For sci fi film it was made low budget.
Aliens is my favourite out of all the films by far. He heightened the franchise to a point where it was impossible to replicate that spark without hubris. Prometheus is every mistake that could have happened lol
Not a detail from the film itself, but I love telling the story of how I gave everyone at my 13th birthday slumber party nightmares by renting this on VHS and making us all watch it after cake and presents. Also, my name is Rebecca and I have a brother named Timmy. As far as I’m concerned, this movie was made specifically for me and it is a gift I will always treasure.
Nice 👍😆
Haha...did they wanna sleep with the lights on?
Or were they too scared to sleep?😂😂👽🙈🦖🎂🎂🕷️👽
@@chriskatherman1488 My best friend made me hold her hand until she fell asleep. 😆 We did all try to stay awake, but no one made it through the whole night. You’ve gotta remember, they mostly come at night…mostly.
@@IAmBeccaGo haha🤣😂🤣😂 you funny! But you made a call...and it was a bad call..a bad call
Was it the director's cut you rented and saw?
I absolutely adore this movie and it shows the genius of James Cameron in knowing he couldn't out-horror the original's impact on the cultural zeitgeist, so he took the premise and built upon it.
The idea of there being more than one Xenomorph was expertly hinted at by there being multiple eggs in the derelict ship, so to have that fully realised in Aliens was fantastic.
One of my favourite minor details is Hicks having a shotgun that is so basic a firearm in comparison to everything else used by the Colonial Marines as it exemplifies his no-frills approach to his job.
Simple, reliable, but devastatingly perfect for his needs. Hicks knows what works, no frills, not fancy just functional.
Whenever my brother and I use the word mostly in a conversation we always make it into a reference to Newts line by adding a second mostly in an ominous tone. Nearly 30 years and it still amuses me.
Watch those corners
1:49 Cameron has said that he knew he couldn't out do Ridley in horror based suspense. However, he knew he could build suspense through action. Also, everyone told him this was a bad idea. Because anything good would be attributed to Ridley, and anything bad to Cameron. Cameron switching to action saved him.
i loved his response when ppl told him that anything good would be attributed to ridley and anything bad to him, he just was like "yeah but it would be cool to make"
@@ioannad1857 that's the vibe that gets good movies made. Instead of doing it for the $$.
He did out do Ridley lol. Alien was good… Aliens was very very good! But i always say Alien was a good set up for Aliens so both outstanding movies in different ways.
@@LanceyKersti Pay attention to what you are reading. I said "out do Ridley in building suspense via horror". He did beat him in building suspense through action. Also, it was James' own words not mine
But he doesn’t do it through action. Aliens is an exercise in dread. There are probably ten minutes of action in the entire film.
Can honestly say I didn't really learn anything new about the PRODUCTION of this film etc since I've watched endless breakdowns of it, but it's worth all the time to watch simply to have Erik's enthusiasm as he presents it. Awesome video
I I don’t
One of my favorite shots of this movie is when the dropship "drops" from the main ship and we see it moving away in the background. Just really cool.
The movie is full of great lines, but one of my favorite often gets overlooked:
When Paul Reiser's character protests Ripley's plan to nuke the site from orbit, he makes the case that doing so would destroy a very expensive facility.
Ripley's reply: "They can BILL mee!"
My dad brought me to see Aliens when I was heading to camp upstate NY as a 16 year old. I couldn’t sleep that night, it scared the crap out of me. One of my favorite movies ever
It is a great film. I saw it as a 19 year old college sophomore and I still get goosebumps when Ripley goes to get Newt. Ripley’s motherly instincts taking over regarding Newt and a chance for her to finally exorcise some demons. Erik’s deep dive is really good and I agree that the special edition is the best version of the film. Cameron really is a genius and I feel like Erik in that he has not made a bad film.
Love your analysis! I have a different take on the Ripley-Egg-Queen scene. Alien eggs only open to attack/breed. There was no "maybe the Queen would have let her leave!" because the egg opening was the Queen already not letting her leave.
Yup, it was pretty clear with the shot of the egg hatching and Ripley reacting, she wasn't torching the hive because she wanted to be "badass"
The queen was not telling the egg to open. She was already letting her leave.
The queen let the egg open because she was breaking the uneasy truce and intended to kill Ripley and Newt instead.
Ripley’s head tilt was an “if that’s the way it’s going to be” gesture to the Queen
@@gossy79 Does a chicken tell an egg when to hatch? I don't understand where you people get those ideas.
If the queen wanted to kill Ripley, she would have waited until they left then nest, and then sent the warriors after her. The warriors are disposable, but she's very protective of the eggs.
The egg hatches by itself. And then Ripley has no choice. So her "head tilt" means "well, sh1t...now we really have to go postal."
Does a Xenomorphs have the same physiology and means of acting and communicating as a chicken? I don't understand where you people get those ideas
One of the rare cases of an original and a serial both being absolutely amazing
I'm a retired US Marine Corps officer, and when people ask what movie I think best depicts Marines...I say Aliens. Not because of the tactics or technical details - but because of the humor (often dark), and power dynamics. Everything from the sophomoric junior officer who needs to learn to listen to his staff NCOs, to the general feeling of being abandoned or disposable, all the way to junior NCOs (good ol' Cpl Hicks) having to make decisions way above his pay grade. It's the best depiction of how Marines try to be culturally, and the harsh reality you are confronted with once you leave the training pipeline and enter "the fleet."
She didn't torch the eggs for the hell of it. She threatened the eggs in the scene prior, which got the queen to call off the other Xenomorphs. It wasn't until Ripley and Newt slowly start to move away, the queen opens an egg. Then we get, "really!?" look, and then she torches! Still, love you Erik!
Edit: Just finished the vid, He does mention this. Still love you though!
Yup, later in the video I go into how the Queen renegs on the deal
@@DeepDiveNR Doesn't make sense. If they queen wanted to back down on the deal, she wouldn't just telepathically open one egg.
And Ripley has no choice at that point. The facehugger was an imminent threat. Ripley would not risk herself or Newt for fun.
I loved this video as it nerds out over my favorite movie of all time. But this interpretation of the scene I disagreed with from the start. So I went looking for someone to point this out.
Of course it might seem illogical to assume the queen has telepathic control over the eggs, but who could blame Ripley after what she's been through.
Most humans would (including me as viewer) conclude that the aliens have some means of communication/senses unknown to us. Throughout the movies the Aliens seem to have a perfect understanding of where humans are hiding, while staying hidden themselves if they choose to. Eery.
And while it wouldn't make sense for other movies to have the villain know more then he should it makes sense here: We don't know what Aliens are and what kind of abilities they have. It's a great space to projekt all sorts of fears onto
@@Gunnar001 no
Ripley: "So it's that way, is it?" Whoosh.
My favorite bit of trivia is Quentin Tarantino, before the fame, going to see this opening weekend at Avco Cinema Westwood. The lines around the block. Then he spots James Cameron. Who is there running the show. Making sure the projection and sound are perfect, ushering people in and out, working overtime so the premiere is the best it could be.
21:05 - "We Endanger Species" - I Love it! During the Vietnam war, one of the defoliation planes bore the tagline, "Only you can prevent forests"
The Sulaco looks like a huge Rail Gun floating through spacs... locked & ready to blow anything out of it's way
ALIENS is one of my favorite films of all time. There’s not many details listed here that I haven’t noticed…except one.
I never noticed the ceiling cables hanging down before in the sentries sequence; indicating a hole & giving the aliens a means of entering the complex. Such a great new details
Yepp, the same here ❤
Same lol, I think I got my extended vhs in the mid-late 90s. Damn you Cameron, you sneaky bastard 😁
Agreed, I always thought the aliens getting in was an error in reading the blueprint or not having the latest "as-built" blueprints available. Very cool detail.
Even after the explanation that was probably more than I needed. From the way Aliens move about during two movies, being seemingly able to negotiate any wall or obstacle like a spider, I just assumed they had similar mobility to an insect i.e. gravity sort of doesn't work on them and they can walk any direction they want, regardless of it.
Man, yes! This was the best reveal of the video
22:24 These are "smart guns". You designate a target with the eye piece and the steady-cam rig auto aims for you. When Newt is introduced and Drake's gun goes off, we see Hicks push the gun out of the way. I like to think this was because it was auto-aiming and Hicks knew it'd have to be physically stopped. Some fast thinking on his part.
In the novelisation, the smart gun operators are described as being mentally as one with their guns. I read it 30 years ago, and I think it was Vasquez' gun that targeted Newt. She screamed in sudden anger and frustration when Hicks pushes her gun away, because it feel such like a intimate, aggressive act.
I never knew the exact way that the Aliens were able to enter the ceiling. Thank you for pointing out the openings made in the ceiling from acid-blood, splatter. One of my favorite films. Thank you for such a fantastic and enthusiastic breakdown.
Loved Jenette Goldstein's portrayal of Private Vasquez. She was just as badass as Sigourney Weaver in this movie. Colette Hiller's Corporal Ferro was also badass. Her final action upon being surprised by a xenomorph was not to freeze or scream in fear, but to go for her sidearm and fight.
1:49 Notes about the script: Cameron subconsciously built Newt off of a character from the movie "Them!". The similaritites between the two were the first thing pointed out when his colleagues/friends would read the script.
Also, Sigourney doesn't read the stage direction, so she showed up on set not expecting all of the gunplay.
LOVED Them. lost my copy many years back, due to a thieving roomate, though> :(
10:42 This is the best cut in the whole film. From Newt's scream to Ripley's cig silently burning. The ashes held up by a paperclip.
I liked that shot too cuz it (ptsd, depression etc) really do be like that sometimes lol
The Hadley's Hope base commander is also the Captain from the Red Dwarf TV series lolol
Gaspacho Soup....😂
This is the best analysis and easter egg/behind the scenes video of this movie on YT. There's so much here that other CC's don't mention, and your obvious passion for the movie just make this so fun to watch. Same with pretty much all your vids. Good shit man, love it!
The greatest Sequel of all time!
(R.I.P) Bill Paxton🤙🏼 great video!!!!!
I know :( I often forget he's not with us anymore.
😔😞 I agree Bill Paxton brought a scene of melancholy in Titanic and he was so funny in Aliens
I never noticed all the damage caused by the Smart guns causing acid to hit the ceiling and burning holes in it, this is amazing attention to detail, it did feel like a plot hole when the Xenomorphs break through, this proves Cameron had the forethought to include this to reward repeat viewing
This video is the first time i have noticed the ceiling damage also but it never felt like a plot hole to me. There is a line not long after the smartgun scene 'they're probably looking for another way in' which allows for them to eventually find their way into the crawl space, the damaged corridor (if noticed by the viewer) simply adds extra continuity to the xeno's finding their way up there.
Not really repeat viewing since it was not in the theatrical cut. More like in the moment we wouldn't care so much. Thinking they just snuck through in the crawl space is good enough.
I kinda always took it as a multi prong assault. And yeah, I never noticed the wires either, lol
Alien wasn't just a great horror movie it was also a breathtaking sci-fi movie.
I LOVE this deep dive! Aliens is one of my favoritest movies of all time. My favorite detail from this breakdown is learning how the acidic blood from the xenomorphs getting blasted by the sentry guns is what helped them to find their way into the ceiling ducts. 😱 Everything has a consequence!!! I love that detail for one of the best scenes ever.
I was like 11 when I first saw Aliens, which had just came out of VHS. the movie freaked me out so much that I ended up having crazy nightmares and needing to sleep in my parents' bed for for like 3-4 nights 😂. What an awesome movie - I still watch it from time to time and it's still scary but definitely fun now too.
I love these breakdowns of these older movies. Can you PLEASE do a breakdown on The Incredibles? Just rewatched that movie and the writing is so GENUIS. And when you watch it, it doesn’t feel like a kids movie, it’s actually fun to watch as an adult and with how it’s written there’s a lot of details that kids definitely would not pick up but people who like a good story do. There are also some stuff that Disney would definitely not do nowadays.
It’s on the list! Top 5 Pixar for me!
@@DeepDiveNRFor me Incredibles is not only top 5 pixar but top 5 superhero movie.
“No ceapzz!”
What wouldn't they do nowadays? Incredibles isn't controversial at all lol
I personally didn't grow up with any of the Alien films, so I've been using these breakdowns as my guide and I've really enjoyed them. Thanks Eric!
You and others in your situation certainly have my sympathy. 😅
Or how about you go actually watch the movies ?
I like Aliens SO much more than the first one. But as always, great job. So interesting.
4:09 Well, Sigourney and Cameron have said the movie's theme is Ripley losing her purpose and Newt gives her a reason to live again. In interviews Sigourney says Ripley didn't go back to LV426 out of heroism. She went back because it was something to do. Really, all Cameron stories are love stories. This one is like T2, as in it's a famililal love.
I like that interpretation a lot. I think she first goes back (she hadn’t met Newt yet) out of caring for the families and colonists.
Ripley is magic.
@@p_nk7279 Yes, she's definitely one of the most iconic characters in cinema. Sigourney has said she based Ripley off of her friend who is an environmental activist. I don't think she's ever said specifically who, just that she is a strong, take-charge, there's no try only do, type person.
I'm actually surprised Sigourney Weaver did not recognize the motivation even if the screenwriter and director did. PTSD can be a living, waking nightmare and eventually become impossible to live with, and Ellen Ripley without question has PTSD. And sometimes the nightmare gets so bad, the victim decides the only way to end the nightmare is to again face the causes of it and resolve the internal conflict. And I always thought that is the only reason Ripley would ever deliberately face a Xenomorph again: she's trying to stop the nightmares.
Please make a deep dive to Part 3! This movie is very underrated!
I have watched Aliens more times than I can count, absolutely LOVE it! Know it inside & out. Prefer the Special Edition. And YET you pointed out a plot point that has NEVER occurred to me! That during the final turret shoot-out scene we see those hanging wires. I never regarded that as anything but just collateral damage. I never put two & two together that the xeno's climbed up the roof because of the acid from their fallen comrades, hence why they later attack via the roof. They also attack from underneath the floor as well so not all took the roof approach, hence why it just never occurred to me. Big thanks for making this film even better. Like Bill Paxton himself always used to describe this film: "Aliens is the film that just keeps on giving!" He was right back then & he still is, he always will be (RIP).
This created one of the best villains in all of cinema, the Face Hugger. Thr Aliens' head is shaped so...weirdly it makes it one of the coolest Jurassic Park Raptor type villains in all of cinema as well.
Agreed! Alien & Aliens' production design was so good, you can see its DNA in pretty much every American sci-fi film that came after them.
Am so glad you did this Deep Dive on easily 1 of my Fave Top 5 movies of All Time(which are all sequels ironically) Thank you guys for this insightful breakdown.
A great sequel in many ways is harder to pull off as movies that hold up in their own right, and Aliens does it in spades!
This movie is the first movie I loved as a child and damn near 40 years later I still know it word for word and even read the novel adapted from the movie. The book included the virtual park scene and the gun turrets before the Director's Cut was even released. Needless to say I was HYPED when I saw those were actually filmed and I find the turret scene to be CRUCIAL to the tension.
The best part of this movie is that its a masterclass on how to write (and be) a strong female who can lead and command respect, without sacrificing what it means to be a woman and a mother. Vulnerable and simultaneously powerful and in control of herself and the situation. It's what everyone wants in a leader and its written and acted so god damn well.
Thank you for this deep dive. 85% of this stuff I was already aware of but the extra 15% and seeing your passion for the franchise lets me know that you're alright in my book. Earned my sub on this channel and NewRockStars.
I always loved this movie for trying to give Ripley a family. She was a lone survivor, her child grew up and died while she was asleep, she gets a second chance with Newt, and gets a man out of it: Hicks!!! And Alien 3 ruins it putting Ripley back to the outsider lone survivor status.
Another great video by Erik Voss!!! Can’t wait to see what other movies you may cover! I don’t know if you take recommendations, but I would love to see what you think of A Knight’s Tale with Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany!
I love that movie! Such a good soundtrack!
@@DeepDiveNR yesss!!! I love this channel so much! Love marvel, but also movies as a whole! You truly bring so much attention to all of your videos! Keep up the amazing work you do! But don’t drive yourself too crazy! 🩵
38:27 "This kid is suggesting that artificial humans like Ash or Bishop don't dream." Funnily enough, Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the original Alien opens up on the same scene the movie does, with Nostromo crew in cryosleep. Foster uses this for character building, by talking about the dreams the crew has in cryo, comparing them to people with the profession of having their dreams recorded for entertainment purposes. Ash's dreams are mentioned next to last:
"And then there was Ash. Ash was the science officer, but that wasn't what made his dreams so funny. Funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha. His dreams were the most professionally organized of all the crew's. Of them all, his came the closest to matching his awakened self. Ash's dreams held absolutely no delusions.
This wasn't surprising if you really knew Ash. None of his six crewmates did, though. Ash knew himself well. If asked, he could have told you why he could never become a prodreamer. None ever thought to ask, despite the fact that the science officer clearly found prodreaming more fascinating than any of them."
After that, the novel goes into Jonesy's dreams of "gravity-bound mice".
And in the director's cut of Alien it's discussed by Ripley and Lambert if they ever slept with Ash, they hadn't (hinted that they had both slept with each other and all the other male members of the crew). That there's something off about Ash they couldn't figure out.
Actually, Ripply had an understanding with the queen. “We pass umolested and I don’t torch your children”.,Then an egg opens and R looks askew at the queen, saying,”Really?” Heh, great film.
Really loving the Channel, have watched everything you guys are putting out it’s been great! keep it up !
19:50 Bishop then says "the old models were a bit glitchy." Further gaslighting Ripley's experience of the first film. I just love how Bishop is played as a Red Herring the whole time. Given every chance to betray everyone. Then Cameron did a good Terminator.
Given that Bishop is so forthright during the whole experience, I gotta figure he was sincere about his assessment about the A 2s. Gaslighting suggests he had nefarious intent. He bases his entire conclusion on two sentences from Burke and applies his knowledge to that
@guyjperson No, I don't mean Bishop is actually trying to gaslight Ripley. I think Bishop is sincere throughout. I'm saying that act one is her questioning if what happened to her in the first movie was even real. The suits discredit her story, Hadley's Hope is there, etc. She comes out of cryo and wonders if it was all just a bad dream. You can see the relief on her face when she sees the acid blood hole in the floor. Finally, she knows it was real.
Well, you've done it again. This is my favorite channel on UA-cam. Thanks again Erik and company for all that you do. Aliens is one of my favorite movies and one that I will always watch when I see it's on. I quote Hudson and (to a lesser extent) Hicks at least once a week. Excellent job!
@33:01, Dick Bush "Yes, that was his name" 😂😂😂
The making-of documentary for Aliens (about 3 hours I think) is one of the best ever. The Corman School tricks that went into the production are especially fun!
In the Alan Dean Foster novelization, when told the Narcissus' data recorder only contained information about The Nostromo setting down on LV426, making repairs, taking off again, then the engines of the Nostromo being set for self destruct "by you" (Ripley) she says someone must have tampered with it. Later accuses Burke of that when she confronts him. We never see who Burke's handlers are in the Company but obviously he has bosses too. Even though he's seen as a lone wolf.
You should definitely do a deep dive on Alien 3. I know a lot of people dislike 3, but personally, I think it's the perfect end to the trilogy and Ripley's story. It might be a bit of a bummer, but the world of Alien has been a bummer since the beginning. It's not kind to humans.
9:34 Actor in the hallway was Mac McDonald who played a 'goon' in Batman, a flying cop in 5th Element, and is best known as Captain Hollister on Red Dwarf!
"Wheres the cat, Lister?"
I always think that her look before she torches the eggs is because she had tried to reach an understanding with the queen, and the aliens had backed off, but then the egg opened, and it was like so thats how you want to play it?
Yep, she warned the Queen but the Queen still tried her.
Erik Voss: He mostly comes out at night, mostly.
I also bleed acid!
👀😱😅
I have a friend who used to work for a production company (he worked on Dark City) who told me occasionally crew members would have shirts that said “You can’t scare me I’ve worked for James Cameron.”
Also, can we get a full version of the outro song from Deep Dives? I really dig it. Who wrote it? Can someone send along my compliments?
I have one of those shirts (well worn, and don't fit no more) from one ep of Dark Angel. I don't know who was following Cameron around to sell these things, but OUR crew didn't make 'em
I LOVE how the special effects of this movie still hold up today. Keeping things hidden in shadow and steam, and using practical effects REALLY did the job. This movie still looks like something that could've been made today.
"Root for Ripley to go Rambo on a bunch of babies" got me good 😂 well done sir
Despite watching this film on repeat through the 90s, I've only just realized that there can't have been any more than 154 aliens (157 colonists, minus 1 for News, minus 1 for the chestburster that was torched, minus 1 for the colonist that was killed having the facehugger removed). And, probably fewer considering the acid damage in Hadley's Hope.
It feels like an unending swarm, but I suppose you could do a kill count to estimate how many were left before the reactor exploded.
Interesting analysis
And the Queen was producing a few more eggs because she was aware there were a few more humans who had just arrived, Ripley and the marines.
That’s why Ripley was able to rescue Newt. Most of the Aliens were taken out by the Marines
I think I read somewhere (though I can be mixing facts from the first Alien vs Predator comic) that the colonists had livestock in the colony and that they were also impregnated.
@@cristianaranda7799 Oh that's interesting, I don't know if that's canon but it's plausible. There might also have been larger pets like dogs
I really like that catch on the detail of the aliens taking advantage of a hole opened up in the ceiling during the second sentry gun sequence. The theatrical cut really suffered with the loss of the scenes featured in the extended cut.
I used this movie and The Terminator to fall asleep to every night for about 3 years while I was struggling with hard to treat insomnia. Making this the only movie you've covered where I've noticed all the cool little details and Easter eggs you pointed out.
Alien and Aliens. Two of my favorite movies. I’ve watched so many behind the scenes and special edition features, but I never tire of it. Just wrapped up playing the recent Aliens RPG and it a hoot to play through a parallel story set in this world. Keep the Deep Dives coming.
This was an Amazing deep dive. I am a huge fan of your work!
You can't stop now and have to eventually cover Alien 3 and Resurrection. While Alien 3 is extremely bleak, it is beautiful in just how dark it begins and never lets up. It was easy to see that Fincher would have a long successful career after watching 3 the first time. Resurrection continues the frankly unbelievable streak of the best directors of all time getting their chance to work on an Alien film with Jean-Pierre Jeunet in the directors chair. So much of his personal flair seems through into to movie, just how Scott, Cameron, and Fincher each had their own unique styles permeate the material and reinterpreted the imagery through their individual filmmaking vision. Resurrection, at times, can give any of the previous films a run for their money in terms of beautiful shots and amazing camera work. Jeunet manages to portray the Xenomorphs in his own fairy tell influenced style resulting in a truly underappreciated film. If you haven't seen either movie since their release it is well worth a re-watch for both, if for nothing than great performances and beautiful compositions.
My new rescue puppy from Turks and Caicos is named Newt - because she was a hot mess on the islands.
Love you deep dives man ! Cheers !
Oh My Dang! Erik, thank you, thank you, thank you! This was an awesome analysis! You must've spent weeks on this. I really apricate your insight attention to details. Great Job!🤩
I really love the Alien franchise and I am loving these breakdowns and I have started watching movies with a more critical eye. I really hope you do the entire alien franchise including the prequals, David is such a good villain.
This was such great work. I deeply appreciate the effort I know it took.
bravo... you really broke this down nicely! I watched this to meet the challenge of seeing what I missed, and you did a big job!!!
Normally I skip thru commercials baked into a video but I stayed for the dog in this one. So cute.
Aliens is one of my favourite films of all time! One of the best sequels, or films ever made. Period! Alien is epic, but for me, Aliens is another level…..literally! Thanks for this Eric 👍🏻
18:27 All of the militarization here is very accurate. For one Al is there. I grew up with a father in the infantry, and this is exactly what it was like hanging out on base.
I had no idea about that post-credits easter egg.
If you listen carefully, the sound moves from left to right. I think that indicates it’s a face-hugger scuttling across the floor.
Which helps me accept the premise of Alien3 a little more readily.
Another awesome breakdown💯
Thank you!
Great work as always ❤ I so glam you made this videos, I hope the Alien Franchise comes back with the Noah Hawley series and "Alien: Romulus" so we can have a review of Prometheus and Alien Covenant 🍀 Thanks for everything Erik and The Deep Dive team 🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hawley seems to really understand what made these films the classics that they are. I remember wondering how 'Fargo' would be as a TV Series and he did NOT disappoint. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until i see otherwise.
I had a conversation with another youtuber recently about how much the company knew about the xenomorphs and I truly believe that without Ripley coming back, the civilians were supposed to find the eggs on their own and when it went dark, Wayland would send a "repair crew" to collect them but Ripley surviving and tipping off the government/other companies, it forced Burk's hand and he basically called the settlers to go and "explore" the ship... fully knowing that he was sending them to their deaths and then that of the colony at the same time.
I haven't seen Alien or Aliens in decades but your breakdowns make me want to watch them again
This is my favorite movie. I've watched so many breakdowns and you've shown me things that no one else has ever pointed out. You've got a new subscriber 👍
18:42 Aliens is a great live action version of Starship Troopers' space marines. I think hudson has the book on him in the film.
"Bio readouts are all in the green looks like she's alive" was James Cameron's voice.
I love the look of disappointment on ripleys face when the queen opened on of the eggs (I believe she did open it, they communicate telepathically and she commended one to open) it’s like a mother seeing her kid disobeying you.
First of all I absolutely LOVE these deep dive breakdowns...keep 'em coming!! Secondly...Aliens is one of my favorite movies of ALL time. I regularly watch it as if it were brand new even though I've seen it a billion times. I agree that Alien is the superior movie and I love each for different reasons and because of how each movie makes me feel. I despise Alien 3, love the prequels, Restriction and Alien vs Predator are fun to watch sometimes but I don't care about most of the characters.
Can’t wait to watch this thanks erik
Dude, I just watched your video on Fury Road and instantly subscribed. Then watched the vid on Alien, now Aliens. Totally on point and I’ve watched all the Alien movies probably 20 times each and you’re still seeing stuff I haven’t seen and saying stuff that I also thought myself. Love your style, love your taste in movies, please keep up the good work, I can’t guess how much time making one of these videos take.
I’m with you on that I like to pretend it either ends after Aliens or continues with the narrative from the graphic novel. It shows how the relationship between Ripley, Newt and even Hicks continues. It’s a hard, sad tale. But that’s the story that I prefer and like to stick to.
Great video overall. I loved this movie like no other when I first saw it in the theater - it an absolute roller coaster of a movie. The first time you see it when the face higher lunges at Burke, that’s such a good shock. In the cinema a wave of people lunging back in their seats went through the audience. People were cheering, especially for Ripley’s ‘Get away from her you bitch!’ line. Man what a movie. Thanks for all the new detail catches and background!