Comparing the three films is hard as they are not direct remakes.
The 1951 version really kicked off the “hostile alien” movie idea as opposed to them coming in peace and is still a highly rated film today even with its kinda goofy Frankenstein looking alien. It has a great ability to tell the story and create suspense without the need of outstanding effects and often kept things hidden or obscured from the viewer to enhance that sense of fear, similar in a way to some of Hitchcock’s films. It played on our imagination a little and was great because of that. The concept of the creature’s DNA was a little odd but almost became believable because of the films ability to get the viewer to use their imagination and show enough without showing too much.
The 1982 film is more true to the short story, with some really interesting characters but with a greater dose of suspense and effects combined with some imagination (though smaller than the 1951 film) and effort on the viewer’s part to think things through. The imagination didn’t flow quite as much in this movie but it was there and that added to the suspense. Like the original, there were some things purposely hidden from the viewer and that works extremely well in building and maintaining that suspense throughout the movie.
The 2011 prequel was interesting in that we got to see what happened days before the 1982 film was due to start and whilst there was some suspense, I feel it just went overboard and showed too much and was perhaps over the top which resulted in nothing to think through and next to no use of our imagination. The lead in to the 1982 film also seemed tacked on and not well planned, in my eyes anyway. But it was a commendable effort especially in re-creating the Norwegian camp so faithfully however it ended up flat as a tack with no lasting appeal.
So which is the best of the three? The 1951 and 1982 are both really good films but the edge would comfortably go with the 1982 film, then 1951 version followed somewhat behind by the 2011 prequel. So there you have it, 1982, 1951 and finally 2011. Agree with me? Feel free to leave a comment ☺
Well I think the 1951 and 1982 versions are both excellent, just as good as each other but in different ways:
ReplyDelete- 1951: as we hardly see the alien monster (even when we see him it's usually in the dark), we are given much more room for imagination, there is greater mystery/suspense throughout the film, as you mentioned; I also loved the black & white photography.
- 1982: it's darker, bleaker, more forbidding, the music score complements the moodiness & paranoia wonderfully! the alien benefited from the modern technology at the time & looked so much more scary!
- 2011: it's not a terrible film but it is much inferior compared to the other two versions. Way over the top with CGI/special effects. However it's still an interesting watch as it tries to "fill the gap" in the 1982 story. Hey I noticed the red axe in the wall!
Did you know for the 1982 version, John Carpenter was actually persuaded to film a happier alternative ending where Kurt Russell's character got rescued? I'm so glad he chose to keep the original grim & sombre ending!
The second one was pure terror
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