Flaws in the movie Aliens

FaxModem1 · Post by **FaxModem1** » 2003-05-24 03:20pm

When I first saw ALiens, I was little, I could already see their first mistake, their was no one on the motheship, they just left it empty and orbiting space, that is just plain stupid.

The Dropship door was just left open so that any creature could come in and kill the pilots?

Anybody else got some errors, I would love to hear them.

FaxModem1 · Post by **FaxModem1** » 2003-05-24 04:03pm

Are there no other flaws in the movie?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-05-24 04:37pm

We've only done this thread ten times already

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2003-05-24 06:06pm

aliensFlawThreadCount++; // yes, I use long ass var names
postCount++; // quite shameless of me, huh?

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-05-25 08:20pm

If you play the AvP game (not canon, but hear me out), then you see that there are FAR more hypersleep chambers onboard the USCM vessels than you see in use during the "wake-up" sequence. I can see 3 possibilites:

1) that each vessel has multiple crews and only one is awakened at any one time.

2) that the vessels have only a skeleton crew at most times, but are capable of carrying many many more if need be.

3) That its a case of multiple-redundant systems onboard.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-05-25 08:30pm

weemadando wrote:If you play the AvP game (not canon, but hear me out), then you see that there are FAR more hypersleep chambers onboard the USCM vessels than you see in use during the "wake-up" sequence. I can see 3 possibilites:

1) that each vessel has multiple crews and only one is awakened at any one time.

2) that the vessels have only a skeleton crew at most times, but are capable of carrying many many more if need be.

3) That its a case of multiple-redundant systems onboard.

One of the Aliens books had a full data file on the ship and as I recall #2 is the case with the ship able to haul a platoon and its heavy equipment.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-05-25 11:39pm

There's a sort of psuedo reason for the lack of any real crew....the company wasn't exactly expecting all hell to break loose...iirc, it was supposed to be a quick, get in...rescue and get out mission...which is why they only sent a small company as a pose to a full battalion...they could have easily crewed that vessel to maximum...but they were expecting it to be an easy mission...so why waste crew?...it was clear the company directors underestimated the bugs...

it was pretty fucking stupid to have the dropship remain on station in a time of unsure security though...

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-05-26 09:36am

Coaan wrote: it was pretty fucking stupid to have the dropship remain on station in a time of unsure security though...

It's not made clear how far away the dropship is. And the only reason the door was open was that Spunkmire was sitting outside smoking. Sure it isn't in the rules and regs, but that sort of thing tends to happen in reality. Why must people in films always act perfectly?

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-05-26 10:21am

NecronLord wrote: It's not made clear how far away the dropship is. And the only reason the door was open was that Spunkmire was sitting outside smoking. Sure it isn't in the rules and regs, but that sort of thing tends to happen in reality. Why must people in films always act perfectly?

Come on, it was a pretty pathetic contrivance to destroy the dropship, and then they had to make it worse by smashing it INTO the APC.

Quite frankly, the Aliens didn't do jack shit to win. The Marines just suffered incredibly bad luck, and incompetence, repeatedly.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-05-26 11:10am

Vympel wrote:
NecronLord wrote: It's not made clear how far away the dropship is. And the only reason the door was open was that Spunkmire was sitting outside smoking. Sure it isn't in the rules and regs, but that sort of thing tends to happen in reality. Why must people in films always act perfectly?
Come on, it was a pretty pathetic contrivance to destroy the dropship, and then they had to make it worse by smashing it INTO the APC.

Quite frankly, the Aliens didn't do jack shit to win. The Marines just suffered incredibly bad luck, and incompetence, repeatedly.

And your point is...?

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-05-26 02:05pm

NecronLord wrote:
Coaan wrote: it was pretty fucking stupid to have the dropship remain on station in a time of unsure security though...
It's not made clear how far away the dropship is. And the only reason the door was open was that Spunkmire was sitting outside smoking. Sure it isn't in the rules and regs, but that sort of thing tends to happen in reality. Why must people in films always act perfectly?

From what it looked like when he was moving back in, he was taking a piss...but even so if he was smoking...why did he have to leave the ship?...there was a cargo hold for that sort of thing....he didn't need to open for all to see...

It came down to incompetant leadership from the leutenant....as soon as they made contact with the bugs...the dropship should have taken flight and hovered around the landing pad to make a quick evac....as it stands...they got creamed..

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-05-26 02:10pm

Coaan wrote: From what it looked like when he was moving back in, he was taking a piss...but even so if he was smoking...why did he have to leave the ship?...there was a cargo hold for that sort of thing....he didn't need to open for all to see...

Was he? Well, if he was smoking then there's the possibility that the ship has oil (lubrication) on it. and explosive munitions.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-05-26 02:17pm

NecronLord wrote:
Coaan wrote:From what it looked like when he was moving back in, he was taking a piss...but even so if he was smoking...why did he have to leave the ship?...there was a cargo hold for that sort of thing....he didn't need to open for all to see...
Was he? Well, if he was smoking then there's the possibility that the ship has oil (lubrication) on it. and explosive munitions.

He was also briefed previously on the nature of the aliens and the possibility that they might be infesting the entire complex, yet he obviously left the ramp down and did not even keep an eye out for aliens approaching the ship.

Every time the aliens and marines engaged directly, the marines scored much better than 1:1 kill ratios. In some cases, the kill ratios were insanely high, and this happened despite Murphy's Law going into overdrive. Let's face it; the aliens are paper tigers. If they do worse than 1:1 kill ratios against their enemies (keeping in mind that kills are no good to them; they need live captures), they will lose quickly because they can't replace their losses.

Their intelligence is also greatly overrated. When you look at them getting mowed down in the corridors by the sentry guns and continuing to shamble into the killzone by the dozen, you can't help but recognize that they're obviously morons. And if the Queen has telepathic connections with them (as some say), then she's a moron too. She wasted most of her troops on a futile assault into a chokepoint against an obviously lethal weapon emplacement.

Rubberanvil · Post by **Rubberanvil** » 2003-05-27 01:47am

Coaan wrote: It came down to incompetant leadership from the leutenant....

He is a green leutenant(sp).

as soon as they made contact with the bugs...the dropship should have taken flight and hovered around the landing pad to make a quick evac....as it stands...they got creamed..

Personnally I like to see more information from the data file before commenting on this.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-05-27 02:03am

Ripley didn't seem to fulfill her role as "advisor."

Why did the marines act like what Ripley said was new information? If they had enough experience to figure it was another "bug hunt" why didn't they know that the aliens had acid for blood? Shouldn't they have noticed that from other bug hunts?

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-05-27 02:34am

neoolong wrote:Ripley didn't seem to fulfill her role as "advisor."

Why did the marines act like what Ripley said was new information? If they had enough experience to figure it was another "bug hunt" why didn't they know that the aliens had acid for blood? Shouldn't they have noticed that from other bug hunts?

Bug hunt for them wasn't hunting the LV426 brand of alien, it was a pointless mission chasing shadows...

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-05-27 03:12am

He is a green leutenant

Even so...he's been trained to deal with situations like that....experience has alot of sway true...and he should have listened to those who knew more....but that doesn't excuse the fact he knew that the aliens had acid for blood that goes through...oh...dropship hulls and the like before they even dropped...He knew the risks before hand and still went in without any second thought and blatantly ignored advice from people that knew better at the time...ie ripley....that screams incompetance.

[/b]

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2003-05-27 03:42am

I'd like to know how they got enough food to grow and propagate as quickly as they did.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-05-27 04:03am

Darth Wong wrote: Their intelligence is also greatly overrated. When you look at them getting mowed down in the corridors by the sentry guns and continuing to shamble into the killzone by the dozen, you can't help but recognize that they're obviously morons. And if the Queen has telepathic connections with them (as some say), then she's a moron too. She wasted most of her troops on a futile assault into a chokepoint against an obviously lethal weapon emplacement.

Well, I'm not sure of the canonicity of the Special Edition where it contradicts the film release. But anyway... I have a great deal of respect for anything that can figure out six human languages from knowing one.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-05-27 05:05am

NecronLord wrote:
Well, I'm not sure of the canonicity of the Special Edition where it contradicts the film release. But anyway... I have a great deal of respect for anything that can figure out six human languages from knowing one.

Well, it's how James Cameron originally wanted it, right? I think the SE was much better than the theatrical cut- on an unrelated note.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-05-27 07:48am

Vympel wrote:Well, it's how James Cameron originally wanted it, right? I think the SE was much better than the theatrical cut- on an unrelated note.

True, but the owners ie the studio, presumably didn't see the point in the added scenes. Yes it is somewhat better.

DocMoriartty · Post by **DocMoriartty** » 2003-05-27 09:37am

I always figured the ship was mostly empty on purpose. If things really went bad the colony families might need to be evacuated quickly. You cannot do this if the ship you are on is already packed to the gills with crew and marines.

So they decided to send a much larger ship than was needed for a single detachment of marines so that the extra room could be used for evacuation.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-05-27 10:29am

weemadando wrote:
neoolong wrote:Ripley didn't seem to fulfill her role as "advisor."

Why did the marines act like what Ripley said was new information? If they had enough experience to figure it was another "bug hunt" why didn't they know that the aliens had acid for blood? Shouldn't they have noticed that from other bug hunts?
Bug hunt for them wasn't hunting the LV426 brand of alien, it was a pointless mission chasing shadows...

Gah. They shouldn't have used terminology like that in other stuff for the aliens. Get me all confused.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-05-28 02:36am

DocMoriartty wrote:I always figured the ship was mostly empty on purpose. If things really went bad the colony families might need to be evacuated quickly. You cannot do this if the ship you are on is already packed to the gills with crew and marines.

So they decided to send a much larger ship than was needed for a single detachment of marines so that the extra room could be used for evacuation.

There was seventy families...a population of 158...you could fit that many in one of the docking bays on the Sulaco by the looks of it!...where would the problem be?...they underestimated pure and simple.

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2003-05-28 02:53am

He was also briefed previously on the nature of the aliens and the possibility that they might be infesting the entire complex, yet he obviously left the ramp down and did not even keep an eye out for aliens approaching the ship.

Every time the aliens and marines engaged directly, the marines scored much better than 1:1 kill ratios. In some cases, the kill ratios were insanely high, and this happened despite Murphy's Law going into overdrive. Let's face it; the aliens are paper tigers. If they do worse than 1:1 kill ratios against their enemies (keeping in mind that kills are no good to them; they need live captures), they will lose quickly because they can't replace their losses.

Their intelligence is also greatly overrated. When you look at them getting mowed down in the corridors by the sentry guns and continuing to shamble into the killzone by the dozen, you can't help but recognize that they're obviously morons. And if the Queen has telepathic connections with them (as some say), then she's a moron too. She wasted most of her troops on a futile assault into a chokepoint against an obviously lethal weapon emplacement.

And from what i have observed, the Aliens Intelligence is that of termites than that of highly evolved animals. They had no ability to reason, they would see the ship is the way off the planet.