I usually love sci-fi movies but Aliens wasn't all I thought it was going to be. It did entertain me for the 2 hours and 15 minutes of screen time but I don't think it is a movie I would wanna watch over and over again. However, after hearing what happens to Ripley in the next movie, I would want to watch that. I wonder how they would get her to go back into space for a third time especially after these first two experiences.
I didn't make a connection between Ripley and "The Final Girl" that we explored earlier when watching A Nightmare on Elm Street, yet after it being mentioned in the reading and in class discussion, I can see how the two relate. This movie is very similar to a horror film. Its a group of people being attacked by these terrifying monster species, same as the teenagers being attacked in their sleep by Freddy Krueger. Ripley was not only the final girl but the final human in the first Alien movie, and in this one she fights off all the Zenomorphs, including the powerful "queen bee" mother.
I thought the class's discussion on the final 15 minutes of the movie was interesting because how could they not agree that the gender of the final Zenomorph mattered? I thought it was a very intense moment when we watch Ripley and the Zenomorph staring at each other, and Ripley shows her her flame thrower weapon and what it can do, and she tells the other two approaching Zenomorphs to back down. As Ripley was protecting Newt, the Zenomorph was protecting all of her eggs. I believe Ripley and Newt would have walked away fine after that moment, however Ripley couldn't not light those eggs up on fire, and the movie did need a powerful climax ending (duh).
It is obvious in this scene that the most powerful Zenomorph is a female. We can see the tubes connected to her body, producing these large eggs, and seeing a female villain wasn't popular at this time, and it hardly is today as well. Female heroes and villains are still something rare in film today, yet it has increased greatly. Ripley paved the way for other movies to follow suit and see how powerful a female hero can be. The female heroes of today's films are ones such as Katniss in The Hunger Games (go Katniss!) or unfortunately Bella Swan from Twilight (terrible female heroine role model). I also thought it was provoking to watch the female Zenomorph literally rip off her uterus (so to speak) aka those tubes to chase after Ripley. It made me question the species because how can she return to those tubes and keep producing eggs (if the planet wasn't going to be blown up). It was an interesting scene to watch and definitely my favorite moment of the film.
I never made the "Final Girl" connection either until it was brought up in class. And while it makes sense, I can't agree with it. I think it's partly because I just keep seeing Aliens as a sci-fi movie and not a horror movie. Yes, it was scary and had the elements of a classic horror film, but I just have a hard time putting the two genres together. Don't ask me why, maybe I'm just weird... But also - are we not considering the fact that Newt and Hicks also survived? Even Bishop is technically still "alive." I just can't see Ripley as an official "Final Girl" in this scenario.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting that female heros always have to have a maternal side to them. The relationship between Katniss and Rue. Male heros never have to have a parental side to them but the female characters have to have a love interest and a way to be maternal.
ReplyDeleteHearing people in class say that the sex of the Xenomorph at the end didn't matter made me so mad. Of course it did! The whole film was to show Ripley becoming a "mother" once again and it only made sense that in the end she would be facing off against a villain of the same nature. That whole end scene is so important to the film and Ripley's character. In today's film there should definitely be more female lead action heroes. I know a lot of female actresses that kick ass on the big screen. I guess that is why I cannot wait for the female equivalent of "The Expendables" to come out. It'll be like Aliens times a million.
ReplyDeleteYou might consider the issue this way: what's the difference between biologically female (lays eggs, has babies), and having traditionally feminine characteristics (nurturing, soft-spoken, submissive, etc). How does this film mess with those differences?
ReplyDelete