Aliens | Ripley is the Perfect Female Protagonist
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
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Written narrated and edited by Eric Nye.
Music by Jas the Producer. Link to his channel: / @jastheproducer
Intro logo animation by Ciara Waggoner.
Intro Music: 'Klonopin Got Me Again' by O Odious Ones
#Aliens #feminism #girlboss
Ripley in Aliens is how you write a really good female Lead with purpose commitment and toughness
You hit the nail right on the head. Ripley earns everything she gets in the film, she earns her payoffs, they're satisfying. You're rooting for her because she's not some unrealistic know at all. When drives the APC into the nest to save the marines she has to be talked down by Hicks to stop it because she's having a PTSD adrenaline dump. She gets gun training from Hicks that pays off at the end of the film. On killing her first alien with the pulse rifle she cries out under the strain. She needs to be rescued by the marines in the hospital battling the face-hugger. It's really not about being a man or a woman, she's an ordinary person put in extraordinary circumstances.
The part that annoys me the most in many modern films is you end up having a characters who don’t have much of an actual personality. I mean it’s a complex mixture of the various strengths, weaknesses, and fears that makes a character, male or female, what they are. Making someone strong in every way ends up making a non character. Thank you.
Can you just imagine what they would do if they remade Aliens today? It’s a terrifying thought.
They did. Worked out really well. Third highest grossing movie of all time.
Not gonna lie, bold move from Cameron making Ripley the villain in that one.
Great video, Ripley's character also shows fear in many scenes helping the audience to buy into the situation being real.
One of Ripley's most badass traits is her ability for adaptation and survival. She has no military training like the Colonial Marines, but she has amazing skills with improvisation and evasion. She was able to combine two weapons, infiltrate a Xenomorph hive, rescue Newt, destroy most of the eggs and soldiers, get to safety and completely bitchslap the Queen in close combat before flushing her out into space.
Holy shit if you sum it up like that, one can get a boner of her badassnessness.
Although, she had a few training, a personality, strong character AND technical knowledge, pilotin capabilities, and leadership skills.
The best part is that the Alien Queen was way stronger than Ripley, and she outsmarted the Alien Queen using her own understanding of Maternal Instincts, and applied it to the Alien Queen.
She had the love of a mother ...
Watching her ride the elevator to the metaphorical depths of hell to save Newt still gives me chills. She appears frightened, but as soon as those doors open, you see the fear on her face turn into sheer determination.
I think about Ripley as a character, too. She's a great female protagonist, for the many reasons you've mentioned, and the whole issue of her femininity being explored in Aliens is a great highlight of why Alien and Aliens were so good together.
Just wanted to explain why her story speaks to me as a man:
I think I'm in a part of my life where the whole "empowered, unfettered badass" trope doesn't speak to me anymore, which is why having watched Alien and Aliens recently, I really appreciated her character. In the first film especially, there were so many times she grappled with stress. She even broke down. That's relatable. And she continues to suffer from the same even in the second film, although she has a better handle on it there.
I want to see characters grapple with stress and try to still do what they were meant to do. That's far more relatable to me as a 20-something employee.
"We're changing the historical course of women in film...and we'll start by ignoring our historical role models, who did everything in a vastly superior manner to what we're accomplishing." -- feminist hollywood
Decadence has to be wrapped up in cellophane, tinder, and BS for people to buy it
It was establ8shed in the 1st film that she was a competant crew member. I believe a 3rd class officer. So it makes sense that she was not just a run of the mill yes man. She was a critical thinker, knew how to solve problems, and improvise when needed. It was important to have her as a high ranking officer to make this character work. Very cool. It shows to me, when they're trapped and reading the motion sensors distances allowed...6 meters...that can't be that's inside the room! And she'd know that maneuvering a large freighter, how critical distance perception would be. Love it.
At first I wasn't sure if your point of view was going to be impartial, I was about to stop watching, but always this little voice inside of me tells me: you might learn something new. I'm glad I listened to the end. Here's a new subscriber.
Thank you. I try to never let the “sides” of an argument or issue impact my opinion. I’m sure I’m still biased lol but I at least make an attempt at resisting
As far as burke is concerned, I would have used burke as bait to draw out those zenomorphs.
I agree that James Cameron and his obsession with Avatar is crazy but when it comes to James Cameron the golden rule is "never doubt James Cameron."
Anyways, excellent video!
james cameron doesn't do what james cameron does for james cameron. james cameron does what james cameron does because james cameron is... james cameron
The most moving scene to me is when, after Ellen Ripley flushes out the Xenomorph Queen, Newt reaches out to Ellen for an embrace and cries out "Mommy!". Moved me to tears it did.
57 years
Yeah… I know.
Where’s 80 coming from?
Well put. Ellen Ripley is always the example I offer up on how to do a strong female character justice. The shit we're getting today is just that. Shit.
WOW, what a dynamite review!!!!! Currently editing my first first film, a female protagonist. Going to have another think about this....
Let me know if you want any pointers. I'm no James Cameron, but I like to think I know a thing or two about film editing. I've edited many of my own feature length films. I don't have millions telling me they're masterpieces, but the experiences of making them counts for something (I tell myself).
I never thought about the confrontation between mothers in the scene between Ellen Ripley and the Queen.
This is a very good point. 👍
I feel the key part to Ellen Ripley was that Alien and Aliens had a plot first and foremost. Also I noticed other details in Aliens when I watched it again. Ripley never said her shortcomings because she was a woman, but rather it was about a bunch of people who should be saved. Partially due to her failed relationship to her own daughter, and partially survivor’s guilt due to because of being unable to save the crew in Alien.
Perfect analysis of Ripley.
If I were there I would have been listening to Ripley more than that idiot who thought he was in charge !!!!
Your video essay is a perfect summation. Thank you for sharing it.
James Cameron was married to Gale Ann Hurd during Aliens. Gale Ann Hurd is also not a woman to be f'd with... at all.
EDIT: She wasn't asleep for 80 years, it was 57.
Yeah I don’t know why I said 80
@@FallopiumFilms It happens. 👍🍻
Just... PERFECT video essay. Well done. Agree 💯. 👍🏾
It didn't occur to me until today, but Ripley's jumpsuit looks kind of a lot like the one worn by R.J. MacReady in 'The Thing', but blue/gray instead of OD green. Ripley also wears a retro bomber jacket similar to the one Mac wears. Her boots are more futurey, though, but a distinctly '80s sort of futurey. Nowadays, we call that style "lunarcore." And yes, it was hugely influenced by the first two 'Alien' movies.
Note: James Cameron's love of color and lighting with a metallic blue sheen reminds me of that one scene in 'In the Mouth of Madness'.
6:37 Ackchyually, 57 years.
7:21 80 years? 11 + 57 = 66 + 2.
10:55 Agreed, but it still irks me that they leave their helmets unfastened. That's just not professional. Sure, US G.I.s actually did do that...decades in the past. But by the '80s, helmets actually had a decent design, including the chinstrap. So in the future, it stands to reason that they'd be even better. Ergo, leaving the chinstrap unfastened is only done to hearken back to movies set during World War II and the Vietnam War.
12:43 And her resourcefulness.
13:01 Notice how she most definitely wants to learn how to use the grenade launcher. }:-D It's not a "n0obt0ob!" It's a tactically useful force-multiplier! Also notice how Michael Biehn has a penchant for playing action heroes who respect women. Which illustrates what? It illustrates that a strong man should naturally respect strong women. Capability and competence transcend gender. Kyle Reese and Dwayne Hicks are certainly not cucks, but they're also drastically different from the ego-driven "macho man" Duke Nukem stereotype. They're more the classic duty-driven archetypal protectors. I prefer Jungian theory over Freudian, but in Freudian nomenclature, that sort of ideal-driven mindset could be associated with the superego.
13:11 Check that chicken-wing, you! Hicks should have immediately pointed that out. The proper technique is to keep the elbows down, use the sights, aim with both eyes open, and since the M-41A has an adjustable stock, extract the stock to a "length of pull" (distance from wrist to elbow) that fits the user. Movie people never pay attention to that stuff, not even in movies directed by people who are otherwise adept at paying attention to details. Also, the grenade launcher should have its own indirect-fire sighting system attached to the host rifle. There are lots of different types of those: leaf, ladder, quadrant, or the more modern type that incorporate range-finders.
13:31 Old-school stoic macho, not the more modern emotionally immature pseudo-macho.
13:52 Also notice how his armor had a heart with a lock on it as his personal symbol and the acid melted through the lock.
14:17 Ackchyually, only one xenomorph scout.
14:57 The female version of Predator's Dutch versus the Jungle Predator/Yautja.
15:36 Sarah Connor says something like that in T2 while chastising Miles Dyson.
Believe me, I’m aware of the 80 years mistake. Noticed right after posting. So dumb of me…
A very insightful comment tho! Thank you
@@FallopiumFilms Oh, well shucks. We forgive you. Heh. From Ripley's perspective, it might as well have been 800 years.
@@judsongaiden9878 yeah on many of my videos there's always that one thing lol. I mispronounce a name or something and then a good chunk of the comments are always about it. I wish I could imbed a little message in the video or something
@@FallopiumFilms CZcams used to have a notation feature that allowed you to do exactly that, but they ditched it more than a decade ago. Not sure why. It was a handy feature. Oh, well. You can always add a note in the description if you're hyper-fastidious about that sort of thing (like me).
One of the best protagonists in cinematic history
Ripley has more guts than most of those Marines !!! She definitely had more experience than LT. Gorman who knew absolutely nothing !!! If it were not for Ripley all of them Marines would be either Host for the zenomorphs or killed out right !!!
Sigourney Weaver masterpiece!
The time span between alien and aliens was 57 years.
Shes not a feminist,shes not caring about equal rights in aliens she simply being realistic!
Great video as always! Though I have to ask, did you by any chance check out The Batman? I would like to hear your thoughts on it!
I saw, and liked it. There definitely is a dash of political/sociological allegory to it. I wouldn't say it's anything too profound, but certainly a welcomed change for the pig shit cookie cutter genre that is comic book movies.
I think I will be making something on it eventually, for I have a friend who wants to collaborate on a video about it. It wont be a video essay though, just two nerds talking. Honestly, I don't think I could make a properly cut video essay on the film even if I wanted to. CZcams will fuck you if you upload footage of films that are new enough to be in theaters.
Thank you for the comment and recommendation. I'll be sure to make something on the topic at some point.
Another great , thought out, erudite video.
I agree that there are exclusively female characters who are good, but I found it curious that you chose Ripley as an example when, in the original 1979 film, the script was specifically written so that the characters were gender-indifferent to who played them. The studio chose a woman to be Ripley just because they wanted to test Sigourney Weaver, a woman who is 6 feet tall, particularly tall for the 1979 female standard.
They used this as a debut for this large and strong actress in a role where the performer’s gender was meant to be indifferent. In the sequel, Ripley being a woman matters, but in the first film, the character’s role was written to be played by either a man or a woman, no matter who.
But instead of trying to catch a specimen,I would use burke and have him tied up to drive the zenomorphs in a complete different direction away from the rest of us and hopefully to gain us some time.
Video deserves more views, well said
Really great video and analysis. You’ve covered a lot about how I feel about modern cinema. This level of storytelling just doesn’t seem to exist anymore, and that is really tragic. Motherhood is (in my opinion) the key archetype of ALIENS. It’s a powerful archetype that is as ancient as civilization itself. I’ll never get tired of seeing ancient wisdom portrayed on the big screen. Hopefully Hollywood will find itself again, and tell powerful stories like these.
The extended scenes were of course cut out for lenght reasons. Though they provide an interesting backstory, they are not crucial for the main story.
10:55 did you know that the smart gun's technology was built based on real life steadycams used for filming?
13:23 Burke - a love interest? C'mon. Did I miss something? o.O
Good video though, don't get me wrong. The motherhood theme is strong in Aliens.
Female hero characters need to be like any other character: believable.
I understand that all of the cuts made were made for length. But the daughter scene really confuses me. It's only a couple minutes. I understand cutting out all the stuff on the colony before the outbreak, it isn't necessary. None of it is "necessary" for the bones of the story--but a "story" is only half the mixture. We need the emotions, the themes, the subtext to fill it out. The daughter scene does all of this. It just seems like a few minutes of something else should've been cut to make room for it.
Great fact about the smart gun, thank you!
And I use the word "love interest" loosely. In the beginning of the film, Burke is on her side. He's the only man who believes her or is close to her in any way. Even when the bullets start flying, he isn't a coward. I think from that point in the film, many in the audience predicted that Ripley would have with him, what she ended up having with Hicks. But it was a lot simpler for me to just say "love interest" in the video, rather than getting into all this. But this is what comments are for. Thank you for yours!
I think you can compare Burke and Bishop with the T800/Kyle Reese and T800/T1000 situation. Again, Cameron fools the audience. Burke seems to be a friend and Bishop might be a threat.
What did you think of alien Romulus?
I love ripley ❤❤❤❤
Protagonist with heavy notes androgyny.
Let's not forget the Producers and Directors part in this new "SHEMAKE" of film. I sure hope interactive holographic games get here soon so I can kiss holywoosh goodbye.
These modern movies make me (a woman) cringe
“shit like Avatar and his stupid documentaries” 🙄 yeah, he should probably just follow your example and make video essays for beer money
I never saw the slightest hint that Burke was a potential love interest for Ripley. I doubt that even he had considered the possibility.
Where did you get it from?
In the extended version Burke and Ripley spend a lot more time together in the beginning
@FallopiumFilms I watched the extended version. I saw one scene which began with Burke couching Ripley on her upcoming interview with the inquest and ended with her learning about her daughter. If that's what you're talking about, it didn't look at all romantic to me.
Too bad she has to be a female hero instead of, you know, just a hero.
That was an amazing video
This was a great video
You lost me when you said the hurt locker was fantastic lol. The most unrealistic and poorly scripted military movie in an era where we have more unfriendly on the military then we ever have. They still got sooooooooo much wrong in it lol. Overall great video though and I pretty much agree with all of your points
I guess I'm ignorant when it truly comes to what's realistic and what isn't in a military movie. I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the video though
fainly new vedio 😍😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥
'Avatar' shit? What?!?!
What??
@FallopiumTube pabloexpulsado is referencing Avatar in response to what you said at 4:15. Great synopsis/review, btw!
Yeah, it's that damn bandwagon again. They're not looking with better eyes and seeing just how much of Aliens is in Avatar.
The two characters I find in film on how a good female protagonist is written, I look back to Sarah Connor from Terminator 1 & 2, and Alien 1-3, Ellen Ripley. You have no idea how many times I had my patience tested when it came to characters like Rey from the Sequel Trilogy, trying to explain to people why she was so badly written. Don't get me wrong, Rey could've been interesting if she had the same care of character building and quality as Connor and Ripley. I do not vehemently hate Rey, I just dislike her. There's nothing about Rey that is likable or to look up to. She is essentially a Mary Sue, an example of how to not write a character. I've had arguments with people trying to defend Rey, and I had to step back, cause no one wants to hear my argument, when I try to talk things in a civil manner.
Ripley is how you write a female character. The same with Sarah Connor. The pivitol scene with Sarah in T2, she comes off as the biggest badass in the asylum escape. That all falls apart the moment she sees the T800, unaware he's trying to protect them, while Mr. T-1000 is trying to murder them. It's like Ripley as she practically grinds the APC after saving the Marines, Hicks had to talk her down to ground her mind. Both women still retained and have PTSD.
This is just a simple go over. When it comes to female protagonists, my Top 2 in film are Ripley and Sarah Connor.
ok so Im not done with the video, but I understand whats being said here. When writing a story, focus on the story itself. The characters gender is not important, but their journey. But, its also ok to have a story that requires a male or female role, much like aliens, kill bill, etc. The writting should be tailored to be inclusive of the characters gender, like how a man does masculine things to attract the women hes interested in or a woman acting motherly to a young child and that child is the driving force which makes the woman take action. Btw, the role can be reversed, like with Will Smith did in a movie whose name I dont remember at this moment.
But a major writiing sin, is to write for a gender only role and that the story revolves around the character instead of the journey itself, much like the woke agenda driven era we are currently suffering from. I mentioned it too but an agenda driven story is also a sin, because they are trying to brain wash us into accepting what we dont like. Telling us what to do or think or even accept things we know are wrong. It has nothing to do with us and for a minority have more importance compared to a majority.
I am pretty sure I didnt type that clearly, but I think I described my thoughts. but I have a feeling I left out some things, so please lets be civil and talk this out so we can be better writters.
I see nothing in this comment that would inspire me to ever be less than civil, in fact it seems pretty spot on to me
If saying that you prefer books is considered feeling "superior", than maybe go check the fragility of your ego. Just my two cents.
I can’t tell if this insult is directed at me or not
@@FallopiumFilms Well, since you edited the video and put in the word "superior" in it, yes, i guess it is directed to at you. Dont want to insult you though, dont we all have fragile egos? Rethorical question. Yes we do. Still a weird take. Saying that you prefer books is a brag?
The chick that play Rey in the Disney trash comes off as so damn pretentious. She reads books so she is above all of us, well what is she doing playing a shitty character in a dying franchise. Hollywood today is so desperate to convince everyone how superior they are but we all are rapidly checking out and going back to, ironically, reading books. Damn good video showing how far up their ass Hollywood actors are.
@@jondoe170 If you feel belittled cause you dont read, thats kinda on you. Sure, she is terrible, that is not the point.
50 years not 80years
Such a shame that nobody talks about modern female movies like A Shape of Water, Gravity, A Quiet Place, Joy, Hidden Figures. Some tv shows like Queen's Gambit, Killing Eve should also get a mention.
Always shitting on the same 5 movies from one dimensional franchise flicks is not impressive. Why doesn't anyone talk about A League of Their Own or Sister Act? Why just Alien?!
Because, with the exception of Gravity, none of these are good
@@FallopiumFilms I'm mainly just tired of hearing the same arguments and hearing the same movies either being praised or bashed over and over.
@@nosfonader8792 you're right about the same movies being mentioned. But an argument being popular doesn't make it any less true. I can see how you'd grow tired of it though. Aliens is always mentioned but I tried to bring a fresh perspective to the idea.
Gravity could be a good topic for a video though.
@@FallopiumFilms Thanks for the understanding. Sister Act is probably my favorite female lead movie and still holds up. A Shape of Water has a great female lead in it to. Don't want to spoil that if you hadn't seen it.
@@nosfonader8792 I haven't seen sister Act since I was a little kid. I'll give it another viewing. Shape of Water was interesting. But it didn't strike me the same way it did for others. It seems like most newer movies just don't give me that lightning in a bottle feeling
You completely forgot the Alien the first film.