If you had to put Alien into ONE genre, what would you choose: Horror or Sci-Fi?

Alien: Sci-fi or horror?

  • It's clearly sci-fi! Spaceships and deep-space travel and extraterrestrials and shit!

  • It's obviously horror! People trapped and hunted by a terrifying, murderous creature!


Results are only viewable after voting.
Is there something futuristic about corporate greed and ladder-climbing? :D

Clearly the story requires science fiction. I don't think either category is wrong. But if I'm picking one it's based on the point of the film being to scare you with a monster. I don't think the point was to discourage or warn against scientific advancement or space exploration.

The vast majority of science fiction isn't just looking to predict the future though its using such settings to highlight issues in todays world.
 
Bullshit. Just because you put it there doesnt mean anything. I worked at hollywood video during highschool. It was in scifi. Never have I seen in any section other than scifi.

This is not a hard debate. Its a scifi movie.

Is star wars now just an action film?

Is the shining just a drama?

Like has been said numerous times, its both. But this is about choosing which genres criteria it fits the most. That would be horror. It's all about dread, tension and scares. The sci fi is the backdrop.

Like I said, its both. But its definitely one of the best horror movies ever made. The only reason it would be considered as a top sci fi movie is because its such a great horror movie.
 
Bullshit. Just because you put it there doesnt mean anything. I worked at hollywood video during highschool. It was in scifi. Never have I seen in any section other than scifi.

This is not a hard debate. Its a scifi movie.

Is star wars now just an action film?

Is the shining just a drama?
STAR WARS is space opera; SHINING is horror/thriller.

Back before the franchise Bob would have been more or less correct putting ALIEN in horror (even though the horror elements are pretty tame, especially compared to present-day). What throws a monkey into the wrench is the sequel, which isn't sci-fi either but war/action film, because a store can't have two films from the same series not be next to each other. That's asinine.

Sci-fi/Fantasy was the catch-all here, but honestly stores could probably have split that genre into Action/Adventure, Horror/Thriller, Drama -- and then used FRANCHISES as a catch-all. There aren't too many "pure" science fiction films; it doesn't really work as a category, just like "alternative" doesn't really encapsulate the spectrum of such music.

I determine genre as the major reason you're going to see the film. With sci-fi, the reason is discovering a world like ours that's got a scientific launchpoint and objective, meaning it's both gotta start with a weird sci-fi conceit and the film is about how that conceit makes a different world. MATRIX is sci-fi, but what's confusing is that most people like it for the kung-fu and gun-fu, not as much its core themes and ideas. In which case even I would call MATRIX an action/adventure film.
 
ohhhh not seen either of those. Worth a watch you think?

Aftermath is interesting mostly due to the fact it features one of Arnold's greatest performances as an actor. It's not an especially good movie though. I'd give it alike a 6/10.

I haven't seen Maggie but have heard it's very depressing.
 
Horror. It's a creature feature in space.
 
Alien is horror and if you disagree you are fucking wrong.
 
I've seen a lot of people lately making the argument that Star Wars isn't sci-fi at all but is properly categorized as fantasy.

What

Those people are stupid

Fantasy is Lord of the Ring

I think Star Wars would fall under Space Opera
 
What

Those people are stupid

Fantasy is Lord of the Ring

I think Star Wars would fall under Space Opera

Yes, I've seen more than one person in the last year or so make that argument.

Under what top-level genre would you place "space opera"?
 
Yes, I've seen more than one person in the last year or so make that argument.

Under what top-level genre would you place "space opera"?

Sub genre of Science Fiction

This is what the so called definition of it is
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, chivalric romance, and risk-taking. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it usually involves conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons, and other sophisticated technology. The term has no relation to music, but is instead a play on the terms "soap opera"

I think Star Wars hits most of those cues
 
The vast majority of science fiction isn't just looking to predict the future though its using such settings to highlight issues in todays world.

Sure. Though that's a vague and broad range of stuff that doesn't necessarily translate into a particular genre. Horror, however, is much more specific. It's goal is basically to scare and that was the point of Alien. Not to highlight issues or moralize (eg. Avatar).

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...re-alien-covenant-interview-blade-runner-2049

With Alien: Covenant, Scott set out to reprise the spirit of the original film (tagline: “In space no one can hear you scream”). “I wanted to really scare the shit out of people,” he says. “Totally, that’s the job. It’s like if I’m a comedian, I want to make you laugh like hell. My day job is to be an entertainer. Some of it is art, but fundamentally I entertain – never forget that.”
 
Maybe 5 years wasn't correct, but definitely Sci-fi movies weren't really mainstream until about 10 years ago.
I've just been looking at the lists for sci fi movies going back to the 1980s and there was no falloff at all, every decade is stacked with popular sci fi movies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_science_fiction_films

even if you take out all the action movies, horrors and comedies you still have a ridiculous amount of quality and/or popular sci fi's released every single year. No kidding, I've been reading through these lists since your last reply.
 
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