Aliens: A Cinematic Analysis

The basic overview of the trilogy, with relevance to the terms defined earlier, is that Earth at war with an alien species that overwhelming outnumber humans. Already the encounter with the alien is hostile, and with the waging war between the two species, this is considered other-as-enemy, or varelse. For example, Malmgren states that “…sentient beings…have been imprinted with an overriding directive-the will to survive (19). As varelse would have it, the total war between the two species will end with the result of the annihilation of one or the other species. As a result of this, Ender eventually destroys the aliens and is seen as victorious. However, Ender reconsiders the whole reason for the war between the two species. Instead of thinking …show more content…
Instead of the anthropologic approach, cinema has been able to depict the understanding of aliens from a biological point of view. However, this is science fiction and not everything strictly aligns with every scientific truth or fact. To start, in order to understand a foreign organism, a preliminary understanding on a cellular level must be established. Mark C. Glassy, a professional scientist with a background in biochemistry and molecular immunology, author of The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema, has written on the subject of creatures in science fiction and their biology. For example, the 1988 film The Blob, presents some factual biological science about this alien from space, and some not-so-factual science. What Glassy has identified as correct with the blob’s cellular biology is that of its act of digesting its prey in its body. In the movie, the Blob would absorb its prey into it body and then it would digest all of the organic material, except for the non-digestible parts (Glassy 36). This is considered right with the biological science presented because this act already exists in the human stomach, which contains hydrochloric acid that breaks down food for the body to digest. What is considered wrong with the science presented in this film is when the Blob shows that it can grow tentacles and be able to display movement that would necessitate the use of muscles for flex and contraction; muscles in which the Blob does not show evidence of possessing (Glassy 37). According to Glassy, the probability of such a creature existing in the manner the Blob portrays, could not occur due to the inconsistency of its nature. From creating tentacle-like limbs with no muscles or structure to allow or it, to the movement of the Blob and its increasing size, there are too many variables that will not scientifically