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Masculinity In Alien

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Ripley Scott’s Alien has come to be considered one of the most iconic science fiction films in the entire genre. The film has garnered critical acclaim as well as box office success for its unique blend of science fiction, horror and, visual effects. The film also contains a very insightful and captivating philosophical standpoint. Alien is not simply just a movie about humans combating an extraterrestrial threat, it is a movie about the battle between femininity and masculinity. The amalgamation of all these aspects has allowed alien to become known as one of the greatest films of all time, and ultimately what allowed the franchise to form. Of the franchise there is only one film that could be considered even greater than the first. This film …show more content…

This time however it is not just one alien but an entire colony to match this Ripley is accompanied by a squadron of marines ready to fight the imminent threat of the aliens. The addition of the marines as well as the multiplication of the aliens is just one example of Cameron’s upscale re-presentations of the first film’s elements. What he’s done is heightened the battle from a one on one battle to an all-out war between two opposing sides. In this battle humanity once again represents femininity and the aliens masculinity, and just as before humankind refuses to be subjected to the role of victim. Ripley and the marines aim to eradicate the aliens that have taken over a colony to prevent their spread throughout the universe. Mulhall sees Cameron’s decision to bring Ripley back into her nightmare as a sort of therapeutic process, this is seen when he writes the “[Cameron] proposes in short to heal both Ripley and the alien narrative universe, to cure them of what ails them” (Mulhall 60) Ripley’s return to battle is a step she must take in order to rid herself of the trauma gained from the last movie because as Mulhall states “Only by therapeutically recalling and re-experiencing her initial traumatic encounter can she locate and disable its source” (Mulhall

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