An ALIEN film, or THE THING?
 

Which is better? Any ALIEN film or John Carpenter's THE THING?

I think that the strongest ALIEN film would have to be the first ALIEN. Is it on par (or better) than John Carpenter's THE THING?

no

Yes. :D

While Carpenter's "The Thing" is among his better work (and a great film in general), I don't think it can touch "Alien" or "Aliens". Beats the version of "Alien 3" we were treated to without question and is better than "Resurrection" in my view.

Carpenter's "Thing" alien is scarier to me (in concept) than the "Alien" alien - yet "Alien" the movie is scarier than "The Thing" is. Shows what you can do with quality film-making.

Ultimately, I think Carpenter's "The Thing" is one of best remakes ever. Always gets on my top 10 sci-fi list and I watch it frequently.

I think The Thing is definitely better than Alien!

As much as I enjoyed the gore and squish of The Thing, I think both Alien and Aliens are better. Alien was scarier and more suspenseful and Aliens was better in the action department, besides having some great quotable lines. (I hesitate to say the times I have used "nuke the site from orbit...)

The less said about Alien 3 and Resurrection the better. The only reason they are in my collection is because I wanted that documentary on the 5th disc. I just wish I could get those damn subtitles turned off.

(And this firelight character is such a pathetic wanker. :rolleyes: )

My vote goes to The Thing. Of course, having to choose between The Thing, Alien, or Aliens is ridiculous, because all three of these films are fantastic, and deserve a place in your library. Still, if asked to choose, The Thing wins on two counts:

#1) Characters. Suspense and tension in horror flicks comes from the fact that you identify with the characters. The script, acting, and setting of The Thing make these guys, and what they're going through seem more real to me, and therefore provide a more suspenseful ride.

#2) Effects. Probably the *only* disappointing thing about Alien is that when we finally see the whole creature, it's a guy in a suit. The Thing has some of the most innovative and ambitious mechanical effects ever put to film. The creature itself comes in so many different bizarre and horrific forms, that again, there's more tension, because we never know what to expect.

The first two Alien films are great. I like The Thing even more.

Alien, Aliens, and the Thing, are all fantastic films, but my vote would have to go to the Thing.

THE THING featured some of the greatest efffects ever, and is a true, traditional sci-fi horror. ALIEN is also a ture horror/sci-fi, but I think it focuses on horror more. It is the old 'haunted house' theme.

The sci-fi concept is only there to give us a sense of claustrophia, and to be able to offer us a new type of monster (well not a new type, just a frenzied alien).

THE THING had better effects, and was better dircted. ALIEN (and THE THING) both offer a claustrophobic setting and are masters of suspense. I feel thgere is no answer. Both are well-made and exceptional films (I think that ALIEN is the best one to compare against THE THING. ALIENS is an action movie, not a horror, but still a great film).

i don't know how one can even compare these films. they are totally different.

trying to justify why one is better than the other has more to do with personal taste than the director's talent, the acting ability, effects, etc.

what's better:
Dawn of the Dead or The Evil Dead?

My vote goes to John Carpenter's The Thing. I didn't even consider Aliens because I don't think Cameron's film is as good as the first (although it is very good) but that's a whole different can of worms. ;)

I reviewed both films on this site so I won't go into any detailed analysis but in my opinion The Thing is an absolutely perfect Horror-Science fiction film. Everything from the brilliant score by Ennio Morricione to the "were screwed" ending reeks of the kind of quality you just don't find in horror films anymore (and ever will again I figure).

I love Alien but the kind of suspense and horror Carpenter builds in The Thing is unrivaled. It gets to a point that even an unfocused shot of a shadowy figure running down a hall is enough for folks to piss their pants.

Alien has some brilliant suspenseful moments like the chestburster scene, but the last half of the film breaks down to familiar slasher routines (although Alien predates many slashers which kind of gets you thinking) while The Thing retains a level of unpredictability all the way through.

I'll also add that the special effects of both films are excellent but as for the actual creature effects I think Rob Bottin and crew had better success in creating something "otherworldly". I have nothing against the Alien being a “man in a suit” though. Columbia tried to replace the “man in a suit” Godzilla with CGI and look where it got them…

I felt like adding more bulk to my previous statement. The Thing is one of my top 5 favorite films, and there are several reasons why I think it is the better film. Of course Rob Bottin's creature effects are absolutely brilliant. I also liked every single character in The Thing, and the acting was great. The film is frightening, because you have absolutely no idea who to trust and paranoia starts running wild. The music score gives a major feeling of dread. The Thing is just pure cinematic gold in my opinion, and even though Alien is great, The Thing definitely surpasses it if you ask me.

I also prefer The Thing by a small margin. Is it just me, or does the 110 minutes just fly by like it's about 15?

I love the first 3/4 of Alien, but I think the last half hour or Ripley running around the ship doing the self-destruct sequence is rather empty.
Aliens is a mindless action film, yet for some reason I find it infinitely more re-watchable than it's predecessor.

Any Alien fans who own LD players should get the Box Set edition. More extras than you'll ever need. You'll still want the DVD for the movie itself though.

Luckily, we don't live on desert islands, and we don't have to choose between Alien and The Thing. I'd bet more than 80% of the people here have The Thing and at least one or more Alien films. You can watch BOTH!!

God I love having a film library on disc...

The Thing was by far the creepiest of the two. Like when the dude's head sprouts legs... eeeechhhyuck!

It is a tough call but the thing is the better man IMO.

I agree with THE THING being better than ALIEN, but only just. Both are great films, but THE THING overrules ALIEN just a bit more.

It doesn't 'drop' to the slasher level like ALIEN, and is full of suspence and unanswered questions on who to trust.

I also think that DAWN OF THE DEAD was a better made movie, but that makes it more superior. DAWN and EVIL DEAD both lead to many possibilities (look at AOD) but EVIL DEAD was Raimi's debut, and he only made a horror film to break into the film world. Still, it is just as watchable as DAWN.

Is there an answer? I suppose that if EVIL DEAD was as well made as DAWN, it would be just as good, but story, plot and effect make it better than DAWN.