Aliens - Structure Part 1

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

A spacecraft floats through space. Inside, we see dust covered computers and equipment Inside a glass tube is Ripley, perhaps alive.

Then, a monitor shows ‘Proximity Alert:’ the ship is being pulled upward into another vessel.

Turns: The vessel is being boarded

Values: PEACE – ACTIVITY

Purpose: Sets up a peaceful tone – necessary? Most likely useful as a visual link to the last film. Why couldn’t the first scene be when Ripley wakes up, afterall? Maybe the contrast with her tortured PTSD later is useful.

SCENE TWO

The ship locks into a hangar bay, and then a light comes through the shuttle door. And then, a cutting torch cuts through, and the shuttle door falls open.

A scanning robot scans through the room, and after finishing, withdraws. Then men-shaped things walk into the shuttle, searching. A man speaks in English, then one removes his mask, commenting that they have lost salvage rights.

Turns: Scanning robot enters, Man reveals he is not a threat

Values: ACTIVITY – THREAT + SAFETY

Purpose: This scene has a sense of dread and looming danger, until it is revealed that she is in fact being saved. This might be to start to establish a sense of lingering terror- the true horrors of this film won’t arrive for some time, and Ripley’s reactions to a horror last seen in the previous movie may not be enough to establish tone. 

SCENE THREE

Fade from Ripley’s face to Earth, and the camera pans over Earth to view Gateway space station in Earth orbit.  

A nurse greets Ripley, and then Carter Burke enters with Ripley’s cat, Jonesey. After some small talk, Carter hints that Ripley has been out for a long time- when he reveals that it’s been 57 years, Ripley is shocked.

But then her mind wanders, and she begins to convulse. Doctors rush in, but they can only watch in horror as Ripley lifts her shirt, showing something about to burst from her stomach…

Ripley awakes, cradling Jonesey.

Turns: Burke reveals the time that has passed, Ripley begins convulsing

Values: SAFETY – DISORIENTATION - - RAPE

Purpose: This scene sets up Burke as a shady character – not dishonest or posing any threat(which is important, we need to discover this ‘on our own’ later) but not entirely trustworthy, emotionally alien like a sociopath might be.

But Ripley’s lingering anxiety is proven (it must be exposed for conquering it is the thrust of Act 1) by mixing a scene that probably happened with a dream.

SCENE FOUR

Ripley is in an inquest regarding her destruction of her old ship. The past is recounted, and Ripley’s sanity is clearly in question. The case is closed with Ripley on parole.

Turns: Ripley loses her temper and accuses the inquest panel of being oblivious, The file is closed

Values: PERSECUTION +/- SELF-DEFENSE - CONDEMNATION

Purpose: Complete exposition scene. Required for those who did not see Alien, the first film. This would be less egregious if the conversation weren’t structured as a “tell me one more time” trope. This scene could easily have been a shorter inquest, with each issue brought up the first time onscreen. But, there is a dramatic turn in the scene which saves it – by being labeled crazy, Ripley becomes even more sympathetic, because we know she is the only frightened one in a world of horrors.

SCENE FIVE

After the case is closed and the suits are gathering their papers, Ripley approaches Van Leuwen and asks if they would just investigate LV-426. Van Leuwen reports that a colony has already been established.

Turns: Ripley approaches Van Leuwen, Van Leuwen reveals the colony

Values: CONDEMNATION + ASSERTION - DREAD

Purpose: More empathy points for Ripley: once she hears that people are on the colony, she laments their impending doom instead of her missed opportunity at proving her sanity.

SCENE SIX – INCITING INCIDENT

Ripley sits alone, staring at the wall and sucking on a cigarette. Then Burke and Gorman ring Ripley’s bell. She closes the door on them. But Burke makes his case for Ripley to open the door – LV-426 has gone dark. Ripley opens the door after a pause.

Turns: Burke reveals that the colony has gone dark, Ripley opens the door

Values: DESPONDANCE -/+ RESPONSIBILITY + ACCEPTANCE

Purpose: This gets the film started. Before this, we’re in a recovery drama for Ripley. She wakes up in a new world, haunted by past terrors while she is accused of making up the terrors and being insane. She already has her desire – find a place in this new world and get away from terror.

But with this event, Ripley’s quest has begun – inside, she wants to face her fears to find new purpose. And now that desire has an object: the facing of her fears to move beyond them. 

SCENE SEVEN

Gorman and Burke try to convince Ripley to go with them, but she will not budge. Burke makes her the company’s offer of re-instating her, but Ripley defers to her psychological state. Burke jumps on her vulnerability, so Ripley asks them both to leave. Burke leaves his calling card (or whatever it is).

Turns: Burke makes the offer

Values: CONFLICT -/+ MANIPULATION

Purpose: Ripley would have conflicted feelings – and showing them helps set up a much later turning point, when she is the only one who can act, and she becomes the leader of the marines. Thus, we need to see that when she accepts the call to quest in the about-to-arrive Act One Climax, she doesn’t do so easily or with a clear head. For now, she is a reluctant hero.

SCENE EIGHT – ACT ONE CLIMAX

Ripley jumps awake from a nightmare, soaked in sweat just as Burke alluded to in the last scene. After washing her face, she calls Burke. She asks if indeed the aliens will be destroyed, not studied. Burke confirms this, and she agrees.

Turns: Ripley accepts

Values: TERROR +/- COURAGE

Purpose: This is when Ripley goes from empathetically weak to just a little empathetically strong. This makes her relatable on two levels, though in the beginning of Act 2 she will again be more a martyr than a hero – until no one else can be the hero.

One could consider this the big Crisis of the Act One mini-story.

ACT TWO

SCENE ONE

We pan over the Sulaco, then its insides (This is a sort of visual repeat of the beginning, where we are shown the outside then inside of Ripley’s escape craft). Then, the freezers turn on, and the crew awakens from it slumber.

The crew complains, then gets dressed. The marines discuss Ripley, dismissing her significance and teasing each other like marines might.  

Turns: The marines start acting like idiots

Values: SERENITY – IDIOCY

Purpose: First, we put Ripley in a less strong position: these high school drop-outs look down on her, and she is oblivious.

Second, these are the people supposed to kill any aliens. This is setting up their later defeat in the face of the arch-evil aliens, and Ripley’s subsequent opportunity for command.

SCENE TWO

More marines goofing around. Bishop does the “knife trick” with Hudson’s hands.

The scene really starts when Bishop sits next to Ripley, and she sees him bleeding synthetic blood. Ripley demands an explanation – Burke explains to Bishop the problem. Bishop tries to calm Ripley, but she knocks his offer of cornbread aside.

Turns: Ripley sees Bishop is a synthetic, Ripley tosses Bishop’s tray away

Values: IMMATURITY – DANGER -/+ AGGRESSION

Purpose: The marines are already established as idiots – but the knife trick helps us empathise with them a bit. Their deaths need to be foreseen, but also sad – they’ll be fighting with Ripley, under her command, afterall.

This scene serves a clever purpose: Ripley’s fear is suddenly a potential liability in her quest. It might be founded, but it might be absurd. Good thing she’ll be overcoming it soon. 

Also, it opens a significant question: can bishop be trusted? This is important, as it is the only perceivable mortal threat to Ripley until she gets to the planet. While there is other drama going on, this helps prevent the sequence on the ship from getting boring.

SCENE THREE

We pan over the docking bay, until Apone, Ripley, Gorman and Burke approach. Gorman begins to brief the troops. But Hudson interrupts, which leads Gorman to get his name wrong, and Hudson moves on to challenge Gorman’s authority.

Gorman is almost eclipsed by Hicks, who asks what they’re dealing with. Gorman defers to Ripley.

Ripley explains her ordeal on her old ship, but Vasquez interrupts, belittling Ripley’s account. But Ripley intimidates Vasquez back. Gorman tries to move on, but Ripley lays it on thick, and it works.

Gorman dismisses the crew, punishing them – but awkwardly.  Apone calls Hudson for discipline.

Turns: Hudson challenges Gorman, Vasquez challenges Ripley, Ripley pushes back on Vasquez

Values: DISCIPLINE – INSUBORDINATION – DISRESPECT + TRUTH

Purpose: What a loaded scene! In multiple ways, Gorman is shown to be in command but shaky in competence, while Ripley is shown to be terrified, but secretly the strongest one there. If you know the plot, the set-up and foreshadowing is obvious.

The marines, too, get a dual showing. They are rowdy and insubordinate, but Hicks shows he has command potential, and Vaquez doesn’t have time for indecision. Both Ripley and the marines have their flaws shown, but have their hidden strengths shine through.

Primarily, however, the chaos inside the unit is shown, as this will be the first payoff – the unit will soon fail in its first battle.