2001 Space Odyssey and Alien parallels

Centauri

The parallels in both Stanley kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey and Ridley Scott's Alien are uncanny in more ways than one.

Both stories are about explorers who stumble upon unknown signals who alert them from companies they work for.  Both have Artificial Intelligence guiding them thru missions. Both characters have alarming and traumatizing discoveries beyond they're fathoming. Both deal with fear, isolation and rebirth. Both have characters named David...and both films have tripped out Helmet scenes at the end.....

Knowing how much Stanley Kubrick was an inspiration to Ridley Scott makes me look at every piece of cinema done by both a little closer. Such as The Duellists (Barry Lyndon comes to mind)..aswell as how Prometheus and 2001... both have shots very similar to the monolith scene of explorers approaching something they quite dont understand....

Seeded by aliens or god, The monolith was all black and whoever had contact with it "evolved in advancement in evolution", and the same with the black goo, those in contact with it  "literally evolved"......

Although both these films and ideas have different intensions from each other, I still find it amusing they resemble in strange ways.. many wonderful parallels to these films. please feel free to comment and share pictures of comparisons between the two.....  :)

S.M

David wasn't in Alien.

But Horner did also use Gayane's Adagio for Aliens.

Centauri

ment: David 8, in Prometheus  (Alien storyline includes prometheus)

@S.M  good note about the soundtrack connection from 2001 into James Cameron's Aliens! i noticed that aswell

BigDave

Well Alien borrowed themes from it, and Prometheus too and Prometheus also borrowed some from At the Mountains of Madness..

But if you look at every Sci-Fi movie near enough  they all have borrowed from something else, even if its small themes.

Centauri

@BigDave very true!

Lone

Bottom line is that Ridley reveres Stanley Kubrick. It's natural that he would reference, emulate and pay homage to him. It's one great filmmaker with impeccable taste, saluting another!

Ridley actually refers to the Weyland bedroom scene in The Furious Gods do***entary thusly: "This is the Stanley Kubrick scene."

People have complained about Guy Pierces make up effects as old man Weyland, but it's yet another 2001 riff!

Ridley's Sci-fi also acknowledges Orson Welles, Alfred Hitch**** and a host of classics from yesteryear. His films contain references to classical art and 70's Sci-fi art.

A L I E N: Covenant will continue in a similar vein, the Seal All Doors and Hatches and Systems Check gifs are an already proven example.

Facehuggers

For me, Kubrick's 2001 is a far superior film to ALIEN. It's a masterpiece that will always be ahead of modern audiences.

But Kubrick was a big fan of ALIEN. 

When Ridley Scott called Kubrick for technical support, Kubrick kept mentioning how much he loved ALIEN and would happily give his production (The Shining) stock footage for Blade Runner's ending.

(Source: Blade Runner: Final Cut Special Features)

Lone

Centauri

@Lone awesome! ;D

@facehuggers!yes!