tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633480297352890314.post7828821226875661719..comments2024-03-28T02:09:36.343-11:00Comments on Kinemalogue: Alien Week, part I: The terror from beyond spaceHunter Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925220178171355473noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633480297352890314.post-9058291902428415412022-06-05T10:50:10.467-11:002022-06-05T10:50:10.467-11:00The Thing's biology doesn't bother me too ...The Thing's biology doesn't bother me too much, but the movie (and I have a recollection this is straight from "Who Goes There?") comes extremely close to losing me every time I watch it, and I'm again confronted with the fact that Wilford Brimley is attempting to build a spaceship out of blown-up helicopter parts. Though I still think this is less aggressively dumb than trying to build a military unit out of angry giant insects (or, for that matter, angry utahraptors).Hunter Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10925220178171355473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633480297352890314.post-48461753645135746352022-06-04T22:40:13.138-11:002022-06-04T22:40:13.138-11:00If you're still around to read this, it's ...If you're still around to read this, it's actually refreshing to read a not-so-reverent take on one of my favorites, and I can relate to your frustration as that's the way I feel about 'The Thing.' Though I think 'Alien' manages to sell the creature's sudden growth spurt, and its implication that we don't understand the universe anywhere near as well as we think we do is nearly as terrifying as its appearance.Dafnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633480297352890314.post-60078000745425437122017-05-28T17:02:53.205-11:002017-05-28T17:02:53.205-11:00I mean, it would probably do okay with oxen, but t...I mean, it would probably do okay with oxen, but the "perfect organism" bit is taking it a bit too far. Ironically, or not, Aliens makes a much stronger case for "perfection" in a sterile formalist sense, by situating the first film's bare-boned biology within a functional, if very alien, <i>society</i> But it's not like Ash could've had any idea they were organized like an ant hive. The humans still manage a body count of 50-1 once <i>we've</i> organized, so who's the better predator, really?<br /><br />Prometheus has its Engineer angle, at least, and doesn't posit any special status to the xenomorphs or their progenitors, other than that they were probably a weapon being experimented with by an ancient race of bored gods. But Covenant, of course, goes completely off the rails with the "perfect organism" themes, in much the same way that Alien Resurrection goes completely off its rails, with (amongst many, many other things) the franchise-long "trained bear" conceit.<br /><br />ANYway, you're right about it being kind of a slog. Haven't even gotten to the AvP films yet.Hunter Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10925220178171355473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633480297352890314.post-29288093358497552752017-05-27T06:08:56.373-11:002017-05-27T06:08:56.373-11:00Ooh I can't wait for this marathon. I recently...Ooh I can't wait for this marathon. I recently performed one of my own and it's a slog, but I'm at least glad it'll provide me mountains of new material to read. I'm selfish in that way.<br /><br />And the biology of the Xenomorph has never EVER made sense, when push comes to shove. An egg that houses an impregnating body? I'm pretty sure that's not a biologically sound approach to reproduction right off the bat. And of course Prometheus and Covenant come in to muck it up at every angle, because why the hell not.Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15399713449347559869noreply@blogger.com