After watching Alien (1979) at a very young age, I remember my parents telling me about the sequel, Aliens (1986), where Ripley would return to the planet LV-426 with a team of marines. What first caught my attention was the ‘s’ added on the end of the original title. On the surface, it seems so simple, but its impact is deafening. Just the one xenomorph on board the Nostromo was enough to ensure complete chaos and destruction, but the idea of Ripley having to face multiple of these creatures ramped up the stakes of the challenge to the point where it was difficult to imagine that anyone could survive. The stronger the antagonists are, the more exciting it is to want to witness how our protagonists overcome such a challenge, as we hope that our own capabilities match the triumph of the characters we identify with.
Another element that jumped out at me was the introduction of a child into the equation. What made this even more interesting was being told that Newt was discovered as an orphan, as her family were killed by the xenomorphs, and that she’s been hiding from the creatures for survival ever since. The existence of a being that holds innocence and a future in an environment ruled by elimination seemed to promise a story more emotionally profound than in the original 1979 film. The concept alone of Aliens, without any visuals to be influenced by, was enough to spark the imagination, allowing me to picture the perfect film that I wanted to see. But what effect does the poster have on provoking that sense of wonder even further?
How it provokes the imagination
Our first visual reference of Newt strengthens the element of innocence as we see her latch her arms tightly around her protector Ripley, who is armed with her signature flamethrower as they look ahead at the threat they face. Although we may have confidence in Ripley’s strength to defeat the enemy, the presence of fragility seen in Newt symbolises a weakness which creates a sense of uncertainty within us that both will be left unharmed at the end of it. This naturally sparks our curiosity to witness the journey, but it also allows us to speculate on the scale of the threat at hand. We can already measure the scale from the multiple eggs glowing, ready for a swarm of facehuggers to pounce out and cause ten times the havoc of what we saw in the first film. But the height of the threat is also emphasised by the text “THIS TIME IT’S WAR”. Perhaps not as effective as “in space no one can hear you scream” in provoking a deep sense of dread and horror, but it promises you something large to imagine with your expectations.
The design of the film’s title takes a different approach from the bold and modest height found in the font from the original 1979 poster. The font featured in this poster is thin, almost squeezed and is much grander in height. There is still space maintained between each letter but not to the extent of its predecessor. This change of style suggests many things, such as an aura of claustrophobia. There still being some space maintained in between gives us an indication of isolation, but this element isn’t as profound when you have a team of marines armed with guns assisting you. It doesn’t evoke the same sense of helplessness.
The increase in height of the font also points towards a larger threat. We have already acknowledged this aspect with the increase of xenomorphs, however, the bright light seeping through the letter ‘i’ suggests that there is something to be revealed behind the artwork. Could there be something else beyond the xenomorphs? The positioning of Ripley with her legs spread apart, her weapon directed at a target, and the upward gaze from her and Newt away from the eggs surrounding them suggest there is something more dangerous at hand. Those who have seen the film know what this is, but did anyone manage to imagine this revelation in their heads prior to seeing it without spoilers? If you did, then it signifies the remarkable power that this poster holds in its design.
So… Is the film as good as the poster?
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