THE ALIEN QUEEN
as hatched into the Hell of Fame
by Nicole Fiss
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She’s big, she’s bad, she’s slimy. There aren’t too many female villains (although I don’t consider her a villain, but I’ll get into that later) in movie history that I can say that about. Which is why the Alien Queen deserves her place in the Death Ensemble Hell of Fame.
It is also rare to have a movie where the villain and the hero are both female, another reason why this one is close to my heart. I do have soft spot for female villains because of their cunningness, their sneakiness, and their roundabout way of obliterating their prey. The Alien Queen, however, is just the opposite.
She is as blunt as any masked killer in horror. But this is my thought on the comment I made earlier. I don’t see her as a villain, but more of an antagonist. And her very worthy adversary is Ripley. She is an alien, living in outer space, and it is the human race that invades her territory. She protects her home and her “children” with everything she has. Her only roadblock is Ripley, who proves to be a very worthy adversary.
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The Alien Queen is a mother, a leader, and a killer when she has to be. Which is very often. But that can also be said with all good mothers. Your children are born, your lead them, guide them, and you would kill and/or die for them if they are threatened. The queen alien isn’t heartless or cold in any way. She’s protecting her young. And as a mother, I can empathize with her in every way.
This was extremely unlucky for the crew of the Nostromo, but lucky for us since it gave us one of the most memorable movies and characters in film history. And like all great characters, she spawned many sequels, the second being the most rare because it was just as good, if not better than the original.
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As I said earlier, it is rare to have two female opponents leading a movie. In Aliens that is recreated, but now it is mother against mother with the addition of young Newt. In one of the final scenes, there are no words between The Alien Queen and Ripley. Only gestures, which they both understand because they both want their children to survive. Of course Ripley doesn’t let that happen, with a simple tilt of her head which is my favorite scene in the entire four film series.
To conclude, I love the first two ALIEN films. I love the villain and the hero being one, and female. I love that it scares me, mesmerizes me, and thrills me all at the same time. And I love that it spawned what some might consider one of the greatest quotes ever spoken.
“Get away from her you bitch!”
