Sci-Fi/Horror fans... Alien vs The Thing

[Ravenholm]

The Thing.

Alien doesn't even come close to being as good in my eyes.

The Thing has better atmosphere and tension. It keeps it's pace nicely and never looses it once. The Thing as a movie [special effects and all] stands the test of time as it still looks great even nearly thirty years after it was made.

 

[vaasta1987]

Both movies have a really terrifying and claustrophobic feel, amazing tension and atmosphere seldom witnessed in any other movie. But imho Alien goes beyond that. The camera work, direction, sets and especially the music not only create an otherworldly atmosphere throughout the movie but alot of scenes are almost like art, for example the opening scene before the crew wakes up, which reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The thing excels in its originality and special fx, Alien excels visually

 

[calpoon]

It's tough from a cinematic standpoint.

Alien is not really a sci-fi movie. It's horror in space. pure and simple. And it brought back the genre from the 60's. So it gets a lot of respect for that. I'd say that cinematically it's the better movie and in many ways Carpenter's Thing remake is a rip off. Surrealist painter HR Geiger is fucking amazing and his conceptual designs totally blew away movie goers.

That being said I have to go with the Thing because it is based on the original Thing, which you wouldn't have Alien if it wasn't for. It really wasn't sci-fi either, and it really wasn't a good movie cinematically. But it was one of the best that created the genre of space horrors of the late 50's and 60's.

What made the Thing so successful was because of the underlying fears inherent in that movie and all other such ones of the day. The first is the fear that technology is going to get us into trouble. That scientists are playing with things that they don't understand.

The second is the fear of communism. The Thing was an enemy among us that we couldn't recognize, because he looked just like us- only he was against everything that we hold dear. Those Cold War fears were locked into the psyche of every American and hung over them every day.

Even better was the Body Snatchers, another movie that wasn't so great, but a brilliant underlying idea. It took the same basic idea of the Thing, but it dug deeper. It wasn't about Communism, as many people think. It was about small town lives and small town values in an ever changing and expanding world and the loss of American innocence and the uncertainty of the future. That's the real heart of terror.

 

[thapie]

the original thing was a really fun movie so i will vote it over alien

 

[STDiva]

Hardest. Question. Ever.

The Thing is the reason I watch horror, so I gotta go with the Thing. Although I feel like I am betraying Alien.

 

[DukeLaCrosse]

this is a stupid question. how bout freddy vs. that chick from the progressive ads

 

[zell]

My vote goes for Alien.

Aside from Big Trouble In Little China,I'm just not that much of a John Carpenter fan and Alien is a far superior film on all technical levels.Both pretty much have the same running theme of isolation and being picked off one by one along with the "who can we trust" element.Like someone else said,the original Thing laid the groundwork for this type or genre of movies,but I just think that
1)the Xenomorphs are waaaay more terrifying than The Thing and
2)Ridley Scott is a waaaaay better filmmaker than John Carpenter

I actually do like The Thing,but I remember seeing Alien in the theater with my parents when I was about 4 years old and remember being scared shitless(WTF were they thinking?).

 

[koolj]

The Thing is in the lead with 8 votes to 6.

I think the who's human and who's not factor in The Thing makes it a creepier movie.

 

[baneblade]

they're both good but i like The Thing better
Alien is a slow-moving movie that takes patience to appreciate whereas The Thing is suspenseful from the very beginning

 

[rob41493]

i liked the thing more

 

[BlueBalls]

Alien.

 

[busenbust]

Definitely Alien (but only the original; the sequels were lousy IMO

 

[koolj]

Bump.....

 

[Member 1098]

Alien.
I love Sigourney Weaver :thumbsup:

 

[kato675]

The Thing has disgusting details... :-(

 

[Shadowfax 10]

I like Alien better.

 

[Ravenholm]

The Thing.

Mainly because it has the perfect cast and perfect setting. This is why it works so well. Oh aye and The Thing isn't sexist like 90% of other horror movies out there where they have a female protagonist and dumb men just there for cannon fodder. This is one reason why The Thing wins my vote!. R.J MacReady is more memorable as a protagonist than any female lead I can remember. He isn't overrated like Ripley!.

 

[tunsty]

 

[tunsty]

The Thing.

Mainly because it has the perfect cast and perfect setting. This is why it works so well. Oh aye and The Thing isn't sexist like 90% of other horror movies out there where they have a female protagonist and dumb men just there for cannon fodder. This is one reason why The Thing wins my vote!. R.J MacReady is more memorable as a protagonist than any female lead I can remember. He isn't overrated like Ripley!.

I would go with 'The Thing'..

If only because it stands alone as a great horror/sci-fi movie, with no shitty sequels to besmirch it's good name.

 

[Ravenholm]

I would go with 'The Thing'..

If only because it stands alone as a great horror/sci-fi movie, with no shitty sequels to besmirch it's good name.

At first I heard there was supposed to be a sequel to it WHICH WOULD BE FUCKED if it happened. And then recently I heard it is a prequel their doing instead. Supposedly set on the Norwegian base. The survivors from the Norwegian base chased the infected dog to R.J MacReady's base, where no doubt that will be the ending to the prequel if its made. I think it is WRONG to make either a prequel or a sequel. And it will be extreme hate mode I will be entering if either is made.

LEAVE THE THING ALONG YOU FUCKING SONS OF BASTARD HOLLYWOOD WHORES!!!