James Cameron Had High Praise For ‘Alien’ According To Ridley Scott: “I Can Never Be As Frightening”

Jorge Arenas |

Nov 13, 2024

wet n sht — A Xenomorph attacks in Aliens (1986), 20th Century Fox

Regardless of who has or hasn’t enjoyed a film from the Alien franchise, one can’t help but notice that Alien and Aliens have quite the tonal shift when compared. The director of the first genre-defining film Ridley Scott recently made some remarks about how James Cameron approached his 1986 sequel.

Vasquez and Hudson set up remote sentry guns in Aliens, 20th Century Fox — Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) and Hudson (Bill Paxton) set up remote sentry guns in Aliens (1986), 20th Century Fox

Most know that the entry into the franchise was launched with Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 space horror. It has since captured the imagination of fans with its brilliant blend of sci-fi, survival horror, and elements of cosmic horror. Combining all of this with intense suspense and groundbreaking special effects, Scott’s Alien set a high bar for sequels.

To this day, many fans of the original film argue that the sequel struggled to meet the original’s eerie, claustrophobic horror. So what happened, what caused this change in tone and direction? In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott reflected on Cameron’s approach to Aliens and gave some insights into what happened behind the scenes. He went on to share how Cameron praised the original film in an unexpected, expletive-laden way.

Romulus 06 — Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

According to Scott, Cameron’s vision for Aliens differed purposefully from his horror-driven original, focusing instead on high-octane action. Scott shared, “Nah. Jim said to me, ‘I’ve watched [expletive] Alien 19 times. I can never be as frightening. The cat’s out of the bag, we’ve seen the shark. So I’m going to go more military.” That’s one heck of a compliment and an interesting observation Cameron made considering he and Scott have very different storytelling approaches.

Cameron’s approach marked a significant tonal shift. Whereas Scott thrived on suspense and terror, Aliens embraced action and spectacle with military themes and explosive battles against Xenomorphs. Cameron’s aim, it seems, was to break new ground, rather than compete directly with the original film’s horror mastery. As Scott put it, Aliens was ultimately “fun,” a unique compliment he did not extend to the sequels that followed.

What makes all of this interesting is that often you don’t see sequels hitting as hard as their original counterparts while telling another kind of story with identical elements. Instead, most attempt to rekindle the fire that attracted audiences to the first film with mixed results. Personally, this is what makes both movies so enjoyable.

Both Camron and Scott achieve identical goals while taking two different paths. Both films have memorable scenes, quotes, and characters that, to this day, many movie fans measure against modern films. For instance, who doesn’t love Pvt. Vasquez? Jenette Goldstein is still most identified as that character, even though she’s not of Hispanic or Latin origins. Honestly, it’s cool seeing an actress pull off such a feat.

Then in Alien, there’s the breakfast scene – one of the most iconic in film history. It was parodied in Spacballs with John Hurt’s cameo at the end of the film, and referenced in another sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Both films bring quite a bit to the table and are still enjoyed by fans decades later.