Aliens

Aliens

In delivering PG-13-rated excitement, Alien vs. Predator is an acceptably average science-fiction action thriller with some noteworthy highlights, even if it squanders its opportunity to intelligently combine two popular and R-rated franchises. Rabid fans can justifiably ask "Is that all there is?" after a decade of development hell and eager anticipation, but we're compensated by reasonably logical connections to the Alien legacy and the still-kicking Predator franchise (which hinted at AVP rivalry at the end of Predator 2); some cleverly claustrophobic sets, tense atmosphere and impressive digital effects; and a climactic AVP smackdown that's not half bad. This disposable junk should've been better, but nobody who's seen Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil should be surprised by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson's lack of imagination. As a brisk, 90-minute exercise in generic thrills, however, Anderson's work is occasionally impressive... right up to his shameless opening for yet another sequel. --Jeff Shannon

Production: 20th Century Fox Film Corporat
  Won 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 22 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.4
Metacritic:
86
Rotten Tomatoes:
98%
R
Year:
1986
137
7,899 Views
This time it's war.
There are some places in the universe you don't go alone.

Ripley:
I don't understand this. We have been here for three and a half hours. How many different ways you want me to tell you the same story?

Van Leuwen:
Look at it from our perspective, please [points at an empty chair] Please [Ripley sits down] Now, you freely admit detonating the engines of, and thereby destroying an M-class star freighter, a rather expensive piece of hardware.

Insurance attorney:
Forty-two million in adjusted dollars. That's minus payload, of course.

Van Leuwen:
The lifeboat's flight recorder corroborates some parts of your account. In that for reasons unknown, the Nostromo set down on LV-426, an unsurveyed planet at that time. That it resumed its course and was subsequently set for self-destruct, by you, for reasons unknown.

Ripley:
Not for reasons unknown. I told you. We set down there on company's orders, to get this thing, which destroyed my crew. And your expensive ship.

Van Leuwen:
The analysis team, which went over the lifeboat centimeter by centimeter, found no physical evidence of the creature you describe.

Ripley:
[stands up] Good! That's because I blew it out of the goddamn airlock! Like I said.

Insurance attorney:
Are there any species like this hostile organism on LV-426?

ECA representative:
No, it's a rock. No indigenous life.

Ripley:
[sarcastically] Did IQs just drop sharply when I was away? Ma'am, I already said it was not indigenous, it was a derelict spacecraft, it was an alien ship, it was not from there. You get it? We homed in on its beacon.

ECA representative:
And found something never recorded once in any of the three hundred surveyed worlds [reads the report] 'A creature that gestates inside living human host', these are your words 'and has concentrated acid for blood'.

Ripley:
That's right [beat] Look... I can see where this is going, but I'm telling you those things exist.

Van Leuwen:
Thank you, officer, that will be all.

Ripley:
Please! You're not listening to me. Kane, the crew member... Kane, who went into that ship, said he saw thousands of eggs there. Thousands.

Van Leuwen:
Thank you, that will be all.

Ripley:
Goddammit, that's not all! Because if just one of this things gets down here, then that will be all, and all this [picks up documents] this bullshit that you think is so important [throws the documents on tabletop] you can just kiss all that goodbye!

[long moment of silence; members of the hearing watch Ripley with disapproval]

Van Leuwen:
It is the finding of this court of inquiry that Warrant Officer E. Ripley, NOC 14472, has acted with questionable judgement, and is unfit to hold an ICC license as a commercial flight officer. Said license is hereby suspended indefinitely. No criminal charges will be filed against you at this time. You are released on your own recognizance for six months of psychometric probation, to include monthly review by an ICC psychiatric technician. These proceedings are closed.

Ripley:
I don't believe this. You guys throw me to the wolves, and now you want me to go back out there? Forget it. It's not my problem.

Burke:
Can I finish?

Ripley:
No. There's no way.

Gorman:
Ripley, you wouldn't be going in with the troops. I can guarantee your safety.

Burke:
These Colonial Marines are very tough hombres. They're packing state-of-the-art firepower. There's nothing they can't handle. Lieutenant, am I right?

Gorman:
That's true. We've been trained to deal with situations like this.

Ripley:
[scoffs] You don't need me. I'm not a soldier.

Burke:
All right. We don't know what's going on out there. Maybe it's just a downed transmitter, all right? But if it's not... I'd like you to go there as an adviser. And that's all.

Ripley:
What's your interest in all this? Why are you going?

Burke:
Corporation co-financed that colony along with Colonial Administration. We're going into a lot of terraforming, building better worlds-

Ripley:
Yeah, yeah, I saw the commercial. Look, I don't have time for this. I've gotta get to work.

Burke:
Oh, yeah. I heard you're working at the cargo docks.

Ripley:
Right.

Burke:
Driving loaders and forklifts.

Ripley:
Yeah. So?

Burke:
Nothing. It's just good you're keeping busy. Also, I know it's the only job you could get. It's nothing wrong [pause] What would you say if I told you I could get you reinstated as a flight officer? The company has already agreed to pick up your contract.

Ripley:
If I go.

Burke:
Yeah, if you go. Come on, that's a second chance, kiddo. I personally think that you should face this thing, get back on horse-

Ripley:
Spare me, Burke. I've already had my psych evaluation this month.

Burke:
Yeah, I know, I've read it. You wake up every night, your sheets soaking-

Ripley:
[angrily] I said no, and I mean it! [in normal voice again] Now please, leave. I'm not going back. And I... I wouldn't be any good to you if I did.

Burke:
Okay, shhh. Just do one thing for me, okay? Think this over [leaves calling card]

Gorman:
[leaving along with Burke] Thanks for the coffee.

Gorman:
Morning, marines. Sorry we didn't have time to brief you, people, before we left gateway-

Hudson:
[raises his hand] Sir!

Gorman:
What is it, Hicks?

Hudson:
Hudson, sir. He's Hicks.

Gorman:
[beat] What is the question?

Hudson:
Is this gonna be stand-up fight, sir, or another bug-hunt?

Gorman:
All that we know is that there's still no contact with the colony and that... a Xenomorph may be involved.

Frost:
Excuse me, sir, a... a what?

Gorman:
A Xenomorph.

Frost:
So bug-hunt.

Hicks:
What exactly we're dealing with here?

Gorman:
Ripley?

Ripley:
[steps forward] I'll tell you what I know. We set down on LV-426. One of our crew members was brought back with something attached to his face, some kind of... parasite. We tried to get it off, it wouldn't come off, later it seemed to come off by itself and died. Kane seemed fine. We were all having dinner and... it... must have laid something in his throat, some sort of embryo, he started... uh... he-

Vasquez:
Look, man. I only need to know one thing: where they are. [mimes pointing a gun]

Drake:
Go, Vasquez. Kick ass, man.

Vasquez:
Anytime, anywhere.

Hudson:
Right, right. Someone said "alien", she thought they said illegal alien and signed up!

Vasquez:
F*** you, man.

Hudson:
Anytime, anywhere.

Ripley:
[angrily] Are you finished? [comes closer and speaks to Vasquez] I hope you're right. I really do.

Gorman:
Yeah, OK, thank you, Ripley. We also have discs with Ripley's report. So I suggest you study it-

Ripley:
Because just one of those things managed to wipe out my entire crew in less than 24 hours, now if the colonists have found that ship, there's no telling how many have been exposed. Do you understand?

[there's a long moment of silence; marines just stare at Ripley, unimpressed]

Gorman:
Yeah, thank you Ripley. Anyway, he have all this on discs with Ripley's report, I suggest you study it. Any questions? [Hudson raises his hand again] What is it, Private?

Hudson:
[grinning] How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?

Apone:
You secure that sh*t, Hudson!

Vasquez:
All right, we got seven canisters of CN-20. I say we roll them in there and nerve gas the whole f***ing nest.

Hicks:
That's worth a try, but we don't know if it's gonna affect them.

Hudson:
Let's just bug out and call it even, OK? What are we even talking about this for?

Ripley:
I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit [everybody looks at her] It's the only way to be sure.

Hudson:
F***in' A!

Burke:
Ho- ho- Hold on a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it.

Ripley:
[scoffs] They can bill me.

Burke:
Okay, look. This is an emotional moment for all of us, all right? I know that. But let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly an important species we're dealing with here, and I don't think you or I or anybody has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them.

Ripley:
Wrong!

Vasquez:
Yeah, watch us.

Hudson:
Maybe you're not keeping up on current events. We just got our asses kicked, pal!

Burke:
Look, I'm not blind to what's going on, but I cannot authorize that kind of action. I'm sorry.

Ripley:
Well, I believe Corporal Hicks has authority here.

Burke:
Corporal Hicks is...?

Ripley:
This operation is under military jurisdiction, and Hicks is next in chain of command. Am I right, Corporal?

Hicks:
Yeah... yeah, that's right.

Burke:
Yeah... look, Ripley, this is a multi-million dollar installation, OK? He can't make that kind of decision. He's just a grunt! Uh, no offense.

Hicks:
None taken. Ferro, do you copy?

Ferro:
[via radio] Standing by.

Hicks:
Prep for dust-off. We're going to need immediate evac.

Ferro:
Roger. We're on our way.

Hicks:
All right. We take off. Nuke the site from orbit. [glances at Ripley in agreement] It's the only way to be sure.

[surviving marines take refuge in the colony after the dropship's crash, gathering all equipment they got left]

Hicks:
That's absolutely everything we can salvage from the APC wreckage. We've got four pulse rifles, with about fifty rounds each. That ain't so good. We've got fifteen of these M40 grenades [Newt reaches for a grenade] Don't touch that. Dangerous, honey.

Ripley:
Is that the only flamethrower?

Hicks:
Yeah. It's only half-full, but it's functional. Got another one, it's damaged, so I don't know about that one. But the good news... We've got four of these robot sentries, with display and scanners intact. They really kick ass. They'll come in handy.

Ripley:
How long after we're declared overdue we can expect a rescue?

[long moment of silence]

Hicks:
[deadpan] Seventeen days.

Hudson:
Seventeen days? Hey man, I don't wanna rain on your parade, but we're not gonna last seventeen hours! These things are going to come here like they did before and they're gonna... [starts rambling unintelligibly]

Ripley:
Hudson! HUDSON! [Hudson stops talking] This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training [to Newt] Right?

[Newt looks at them and salutes playfully]

Hudson:
[scoffs] Why don't you put her in charge!?

Ripley:
You better start dealing with it, OK!? Listen to me! Hudson, just deal with it, because we need you, and I'm sick of your bullshit. I want you to get into the terminal and get me some kind of floor plan of this building. Construction blueprints, I don't care, anything that shows us a layout of this place. You listening?

Hudson:
[distraught] Yeah.

Ripley:
I need to see air ducts, I need to see electrical access tunnels, sub-basements, every possible way into this complex [beat] We don't have much time.

Hudson:
Yeah. Yeah, I'm on it.

Ripley:
Hudson! Just relax.

[Hudson exhales loudly and leaves]

Bishop:
I'm gonna be in the med-lab. Check on Gorman, continue my analysis.

Ripley:
All right. You do that.

Burke:
Look, those two specimens are worth millions to the bio-weapons division. Now, if you're smart, we can both come out of it as heroes, and we will be set up for life.

Ripley:
[beat] You're crazy, Burke, you know that? You really think you can get a dangerous organism like that past ICC quarantine?

Burke:
How can they impound it if they don't know about it?

Ripley:
Oh, but they will know about it, Burke. From me. Just like they'll know that you were responsible for the deaths of 157 colonists!

Burke:
Wait a second—

Ripley:
You sent them to that ship!

Burke:
You're wrong!

Ripley:
I just checked the colony log. Directive dated 6/12/79, signed Burke, Carter J. You sent them out there and you didn't even warn them! Why didn't you warn them, Burke?

Burke:
Okay, look. What if that ship didn't even exist? Did you ever think about that? I didn't know! So now, if I went and made a major security situation out of it, everybody steps in. Administration steps in, and there are no exclusive rights for anybody; nobody wins. So I made a decision, and it was wrong. It was a bad call, Ripley. It was a bad call.

Ripley:
Bad call? [grabs Burke by the collar and presses him to the window] These people are dead, Burke! Don't you have any idea what you've done here? Well, I'm gonna make sure that they nail you right to the wall for this! You're not gonna sleaze your way out of this one! Right to the wall! [lets him go and starts to walk away]

Burke:
Ripley... [Ripley stops and turns around] You know, I... I expected more from you. I thought you'd be smarter than this.

Ripley:
[takes a breath] I'm happy to disappoint you.

[Ripley is putting Newt to bed in the med bay]

Ripley:
Last stop. Get in. [Newt lies down on the bed] Scoot down. That's good. Now, you lie here and have a nap. You're very tired.

Newt:
I don't want to. I have scary dreams.

Ripley:
Well, I bet Casey doesn't have scary dreams. Let's take a look. [holds up Casey] Nope. Nothing bad in there. See? Maybe you could try to be just like her, hmm?

Newt:
Ripley, she doesn't have bad dreams because she's just a piece of plastic.

Ripley:
[smiles] Right. I'm sorry, Newt. [turns on heater] There.

Newt:
My mommy always said there were no monsters, no real ones, but there are.

Ripley:
Yes, there are, aren't there?

Newt:
Why do they tell little kids that?

Ripley:
Most of the time it's true.

Newt:
Did one of those things grow inside her?

Ripley:
I don't know, Newt. That's the truth.

Newt:
Isn't that how babies come? I mean, people babies? They grow inside you.

Ripley:
[smiles] Oh, that's very different.

Newt:
Did you ever have a baby?

Ripley:
Yes, I did. I had a little girl.

Newt:
Where is she?

Ripley:
She's gone.

Newt:
You mean dead.

Ripley:
Here. Take this. [gives Newt her wristwatch] For luck. There's that. [switches off the light]

Newt:
[grabs Ripley's arm] Don't go, please.

Ripley:
Newt, I'm gonna be right in the next room. And you see that camera right up there? [points to security camera] I can see you right through that camera, all the time to see if you're safe. I'm not gonna leave you, Newt. I mean that. That's a promise.

Newt:
You promise?

Ripley:
I cross my heart.

Newt:
And hope to die?

Ripley:
And hope to die. [Newt hugs her, Ripley kisses her on the cheek] Now, go to sleep, and don't dream.

Ripley:
[looking out the window at the atmosphere processing plant] It's very pretty, Bishop, but what are we looking for?

Bishop:
[points at gas flaring from the reactor] That's it. Emergency venting.

Hudson:
Oh, that's beautiful, man. Oh, man, that - that just beats it all.

Hicks:
How long till it blows?

Bishop:
Four hours. [Hicks groans] With a blast radius of 30 kilometers, equal to about... 40 megatons.

Hicks:
We got problems.

Hudson:
I don't believe this, I don't f***ing believe this!

Bishop:
Vasquez, close the shutters.

[Vasquez closes the shutters]

Ripley:
Why can't we shut it down from here?

Bishop:
I'm sorry, the crash caused too much damage. An overload is inevitable at this point.

Hudson:
Oh, man, and I was getting short. Four more weeks and out. Now I'm gonna buy it on this rock. It ain't half fair, man!

Vasquez:
Hudson, give us a break!

Hudson:
Four more weeks. Oh, man...

Ripley:
Well, we've got to get the other dropship from the Sulaco. I mean, there must be some way of bringing it down on remote.

Hudson:
How? The transmitter was on the APC, it's wasted!

Ripley:
Well, I don't care how, but we'd better think of something. We'd better think of a way.

Hudson:
Think of what?! We're f***ed!

Hicks:
Shut up!

Hudson:
We're doomed-!

Hicks:
[louder] Shut up! [to Bishop] What about the colony transmitters? The uplink tower down at the other end. Why can't we use that-?

Bishop:
No, I checked. The hardware in between here and there was damaged. We can't align the dish.

Ripley:
Well, somebody's gonna have to go out there. Take a portable terminal, go out there and patch in manually.

Hudson:
Oh, yeah, sure! With those things runnin' around? You can count me out.

Bishop:
[speaking under Hudson] I'll go.

Hicks:
Yeah, I guess we can just count you out of everything, Hudson.

Hudson:
That's right, man! Hey, why don't you go, man!

Bishop:
[more loudly] I'll go.

Ripley:
What?

Bishop:
I'll go. I mean, I'm the only one qualified to remote pilot the ship anyway.

Hudson:
Yeah, right, man. Bishop should go. Good idea!

Bishop:
Believe me, I'd prefer not to. I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid.


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