From: k113651@cc.tut.fi (Karhu Jouni)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies
Subject: Of Aliens and intelligence
Date: 6 Nov 92 15:12:40 GMT
Organization: Tampere University of Technology, Finland


   Certain people on net seem are certain that Aliens Aliens were not so
intelligent when compared to the Alien Alien ( :) ). Why? Here are some 
things I'd like you to think about...

   In Alien, when the alien does away with Lambert and Parker, it shows
no signs of intellect. It just goes into the room and kills them both.
Moreover, if it is so intelligent, why doesn't it kill first the one who
acts more threateningly, is bigger (and certainly looks meaner :) and is
free to act without having to worry about the cart? 
   In Aliens, ppl seem to point at the added-on sentrygun scene as a definite
proof of Aliens' stupidity. Why? Remember that the aliens faced a similar
situation before (with the colonists). They also made barricades like the 
marines did... to no avail. All the aliens had to do was to storm these 
barricades en masse using that awesome strength of theirs and wipe out the
poor colonists. Of course there were only few of them back then... probably
a few dozen at most. Now... here is a situation they have been in before..
what is the thing to do? Right. Let's try it again. So, aliens charge. Nobody
alive there to defend the barricade. Safe to batter it down... <CHAKKACHAKKA>
etc. Sentryguns open fire. Bits and pieces of aliens fly here and there.
OK, try to get rid of those guns. No way. We can't get near them! OK, strategic
withdrawal. So, what do we do then. Hey, remember how they always acted like
they saw nothing when there wasn't this funny radiation (light)? OK, let's cut
the power! (And now someone will claim that the aliens had nothing to do with
the powerdown... yeah sure) Then they sneak in on the roof, meaning to drop on
the heads of the poor marines, but suddenly they are seen! Somebody starts 
firing at them... OK guys, it's all or nothing! Get'em! (and remember, there
were aliens coming from the medical lab too... the marines were surrounded... 
just remember what happened to Hudson! They came in from all sides.)

   Enough of that, and then a few notions.
First. Remember that a human that has grown up separated from his/hers culture
does not became very intellectual... like the wolf-children. Alien culture
may be quite formidable! (well, maybe not) All the aliens in all the films
received no education whatsoever. Either the aliens are intelligent or they
have very strong instincts. Somehow I don't see these two cases combined 
working very well... anyway, I'm not the right person to speculate about that.

Second. Some ppl think that the alien in Alien was indestructible and that 
the aliens in Aliens were soft and easily killed. Tsk tsk. When Ripley shoots
the alien with a harpoon gun, it penetrates so deep that it gets stuck. Wow.
That is some harpoon gun... or. Well... must admit though that they should 
have altered the scene in Aliens where Vasquez shoots an alien with her 
sidearm. Don't know what they shoot, though.

Third. Why in hell did ppl want to see a *happy* Alien 3? Go see Bambi or 
something. Alien ^3 was one the best movies I have seen, right up there with
other parts of Alien saga. If a movie is melancholic, even desperate and 
very grim, it still doesn't make it a bad movie. 'Nuff said.

           Flame on...
                 JJKarhu   k113651@cc.tut.fi