The way it screws the ending of Aliens is definitely a flaw that it is rightly criticized for, but I still feel it's effective in creating a powerful atmosphere, an interesting setting, and an entertaining group of characters. I feel like we kinda agree in that it was a bad way to handle an ongoing series but taken on its own merits its still a good movie.

i think the second one was def better
same with spiderman 2
uncharted 2
lord of the rings two towers

haha 2 is better than 1

I've seen both cuts but can't for the life of me remember which is which haha

Well, she sacrifices herself either way, it's just a matter of whether it bursts before she reaches the fire, and yeah I know the differences, like the missing sequence where the Alien is trapped then freed, and it coming from either a dog or a cow, but i can't remember which was the original release and which was made available later in the DVD release.

I really like both! Between them though... if you asked me 25 years ago when I was a teen, I would've said Aliens was the better film, but these days I find the original a little more to my liking. Like others have said, there's more of a character arc in the original. I just feel like the tonal difference between Alien and Aliens is a kind of microcosm for the difference between filmmaking generally in the '70s versus in the '80s. The '70s was among the best decades for American filmmaking in my opinion overall, alongside the 1920s. The Hollywood studio system had bankrupted itself in the 1960s and given way to smaller-budget projects by a new, angsty generation of movie-makers. The result, even in the case of many spectacles like Alien, was more earnestness and down-to-Earthness (so to speak!) than has typically been the case in major movie-making. The characters often struck one one as more dynamic and believable. From the '80s, we all too often got more glitz and less multi-dimensionality.

Off-topic but the discussions here reminded me of this little gem. It's a highly recommended watch to any fans of the original film.

Ironically enough even though I like Aliens more, when comparing both "making of" features this one stands out more for me. The story of how we got the movie is just so interesting. The fact that it became such a hit in theaters is so unusual for the genre. People knew they had something unique going on :D

After much agonized deliberation, I finally cast my vote for Aliens, mostly cos it's just that little bit more rewatchable. Still love them both though.

It's 50-50 for me. They are very different films, so depending on the mood I'm in, it can go both ways. I generally preffered Alien a bit more, but the last time I watched them (not too long ago, finally let my kids enjoy them), Aliens is one I liked slightly more.

Both are very good, but personally I like the sequel better. I think it's one of the best films of all time and it certainly was one of the formative movies of my adolescence. It takes the core from the first film and simply makes everything bigger and better. It expands on the world, the lore and the arc of the main protagonist flawlessly. Everything comes together in a way that I don't think can be done again. The following sequels have been more or less crappy.

Aliens - and in particular the sentry guns :)